dead battery possibly? your input needed..

was on my way to work this morning and went to start my 2000 honda civic ex sdn...and it won't turn over..

was running late to work on my first day..so couldn't trouble shoot but did see that the battery light LIT up on the dash.... and the electronic doors still open/lock wit the transmitter..

now i haven't driven the car in about 3-5 days.....

like i sed its a 2000...

do yall think its time to replace the stock battery or how do i test and find out what it is..

any other poiinters in case it ISN"T the battery i.e. what to look for or trouble shoot?

thanks for you help peoples...


oNe

when you attempt to start it, do you hear a clicking noise? that could mean you have a dead battery. The best way to actually test to see if it's dead is to just use a multimeter (handheld device to test volts, ohm's, ect.) and test how many volts the battery is putting out. it should be somewhere between 12 and 14. If it is dead, you might have just left an interior light on which i've done MANY times myself in the past. I would say to try and charge up the battery, or get a jump, and see if it happens again. Now if it does, you might want to look into getting a new battery.

Now if it ISN'T the battery, check all your fuse's. I know in my 93 civic, one moring it wouldn't start. Wouldn't turn over and we couldn't hear the fuel pump at all. All my electronics worked fine so i knew it wasn't the battery. We were ready to replace EVERYTHING we thought could be wrong when i checked the fuse's and it turned out to be the ECU fuse. I think that one was in the engine bay but your car may be different so just look at your owners manual to locate it.

I hope this helps and good luck with the car

okay i went to start it today....

i hear no clickin noise......

all the interiour lights come on and the doors open wit the car remote, don't know if that means anything... ???

tommorow i'ma check the fuses and whatnot and possibly jump start it..

but before the jump anyone got any ideas on where to point me in the direction of checkin the fuses? i/e. where do i look?

i[m searchin on the net right now.. but uh i'm like on a 14.4kbs modem connection so uhm it takes me a mad minute....


any tips and info mad apreciated as i need this car runnin...

wish me luck

oNe

dude just change ur battery. ur making it more complicated then it needs to be for urself. their not that expensive and if that doesnt work then u start trouble shooting and looking for other stuff. and if u really dont wana buy a battery, borrow one from a friend and see if its really the battery that died

It can't be a dead battey because if there's enough power to have the interior lights on and i'm guessing power door locks are opening, than there should be enough power to make the starter atleast attempt to turn over, which causes that "clicking" sound.

Snowman, i don't know about you, but in my opinion a $30 battery isn't worth buying if it won't fix the problem. Not trying to flame or start an arguement but i had this happen to me before.

Now for the location of the fuse, it's in the engine bay right up by the battery. Once you take off the plastic cover, it should be the little fuse that is farthest to the left and is closest to the windshield (all the way up, all the way over). It's a 15A fuse and in my car it's blue in color. Just pull it out and shine a light through it. You can usually see if it's blown by the metal inside has seperated. Now there should be some spare fuse's that are located in the fuse box inside the car. Just look under the steering wheel and there will be a cover that shows what fuse is for what. It's there that will tell you which are spare's. Now i'm not really sure if it matters, but don't replace it with anything other than a 15A fuse.

starting a car takes alot of amps. take the battery to autozone or sumthing im sure theyll do a free check on it.

You said in your first statement that the BATTERY LIGHT lit up on the dash ...That little light indicates that the battery is not CHARGING this usually indicates that the ALTERNATOR is not working and is not charging the battery ... To see if the battery is dead or bad turn on the headlights IF they come on then try to start the car with the headlights ON ...A good charged battery will start the car ok with the lights on ...If the battery is low on charge or is bad then when you try to start the car the lights will dim WAY down or even go out completely ...
I just changed the battery on my car because it is 5 years old and we have really bad winters here in Michigan I consider it cheap compared to being towed if the battery dies... BOB

I should have said in my previous reply that it looks like you have a bad ALTERNATOR ... Some of the big auto stores will check your alternator for you ... I know they do it if you take out the the alternator and take it in to them to test ... Maybe they will do it in your car ? too ...or diagnose your problem for you ... It don't hurt to ask ? Let your fingers do the walking ! BOB Again

Well, my battery died at a show/race a few weeks ago (BOTI). Anyways, I knew it was coming, but it was SOOO dead it wouldn't hold a charge. Had to have someone watch while a friend took me to get a battery my car after I got a jump and drove to park it somewhere(I was already inside). It's not going to be more than $60 for a battery.

The batteries job is simply to start the vehicle...thats it. The alternators job it to POWER the vehcile and assories...power everything and maintaince the battery once the car is running. In fact, you can drive without a battery, pull the battery cables after you get a jump and the car SHOULD still run if the aternator works and is good. YOu can turn on the lights, stereo cranked....etc to simulate added amp pull from the alternator...but if the alternator works the car should run still if you disconnect the battery when it's running.

You can check the battery with a multimeter also to see the charge. Still, It takes more current to start the car than to unlock the doors, run an alarm, etc. Even the stereo will run after the car will not crank, so just becuase those work DOES NOT mean it's not the battery. You can always yank the battery and take it somewhere to be load tested. It'd either be the battary is bad or the alternator isn't putting out a charge and is bad. Jump the car and then disconnect the negative battery cable. The car will then be running off the alternator. Turn on the lights, crank the stereo and have someone follow you on a little drive. If it's till running chances are the alternator is okay and it's as simple as replacing the battery with a new one for $60.

..sounds like YOU may be right....


i was able to pull out the fuses and checked any ones that sed 15a on em.. one for the fuel pump and the other for the ERS/SRS ?? and they all looked fine...

thing is i turned on the lights, stereo, ect, ect, and tried startin the car and NOTHING i mean the lights DIMMED slightly but not by much and it does SOUND like its tryin to start up..


hopefully in the next day or so I'ma try to jump start and go from there and see where that leads.. good post and info echo man guy! the rest of you too..

hopefully if its able to be jump started, i'll drive over to autozone and see if they can test it out...


thanks and peace...

oNe

..sounds like YOU may be right....


i was able to pull out the fuses and checked any ones that sed 15a on em.. one for the fuel pump and the other for the ERS/SRS ?? and they all looked fine...

thing is i turned on the lights, stereo, ect, ect, and tried startin the car and NOTHING i mean the lights DIMMED slightly but not by much and it does SOUND like its tryin to start up..


hopefully in the next day or so I'ma try to jump start and go from there and see where that leads.. good post and info echo man guy! the rest of you too..

hopefully if its able to be jump started, i'll drive over to autozone and see if they can test it out...


thanks and peace...

oNe

Hey, no problem!!!

I am always glad to help. That's what we're all here for. To pass on information, learn and share the wealth!!!

Also, if autozone won't do anything (they arn't the most knowledgable), you can try to go to a battery specialty place. Over here, it's under batteries in the yellow pages. It's not hard to load test a battery. I'm willing to be thats the issue, the battery. As I said above though, it's simple enough to find out.

Hope it works out for you, let us know.:)

hey guys finally got a day off work sunday and got hold of some jumper cables to get this going..


jus wanted to aske ONE more quick question....

lets say it is the battery....

does it matter brand? what i'm trying to get at is.....is aight to get a battery from wal mart or autozone for my car?

i mean they can't be that far from OEM right?

also an alternators an alternator no matter what right?

thanks again


oNe

I like the sears die-hard gold. A lot of people would say it’s a waste of money but if you live where the winters get real cold it’ll be the best thing. 100 month limited warranty. The last one I had lasted me 7 years, and it was still in the car when I junked it! :bigthumb:

walmart's are fine as well... the yellow-case ones & their prices/warranties are very competitive w/ autozone/advanceautoparts...

just be sure to get 1 that is mostly over the OEM CCA rating, which they have at walmart.

alternators, is an iffy subject w/ aftermarket remanufactured units...

OEM will kill u w/ price, w/ aftermarket like autozone, they'll back it up w/ a lifetime warranty... i'd make the salesman bench-test the alt before u install it (just a good preventative measure: ~10% of them go bad d/t shipping practices/something goes bad d/t it bouncing around a conveyor...)

get your vehicle tested there in the parking lot for free...go from there

Have you replaced your battery since getting the car? Most stock batteries only last about 5 years.. you said it's a 2000, and this being 2005, it would be about that time to change the battery.

It can't be a dead battey because if there's enough power to have the interior lights on and i'm guessing power door locks are opening, than there should be enough power to make the starter atleast attempt to turn over, which causes that "clicking" sound.

Yes it can... a battery can have a 7-10 volt charge and still power all your accessories, lights, and everything.... with your headlights on, radio on, locks working, dome light on.... that's only going to draw about 30 amps total..
But a starter on a civic takes about 250amps and can take UP TO about 400amps depending on the condition of the engine, and a battery with a low charge (such as one that is dying out) will not provide enough amps to get the engine spinning around fast enough to start, but will still work everything else just fine.

You said in your first statement that the BATTERY LIGHT lit up on the dash ...That little light indicates that the battery is not CHARGING this usually indicates that the ALTERNATOR is not working and is not charging the battery ...

Actually, no... when the battery light on the dash is on, that just means that the key is turned on, and there is voltage running through the system... the little battery light on the dash is actually directly related to the alternator circuit, if the light is on, that means the field coils in the alternator are receiving current from the battery in order to prepare to start the vehicle. When the light goes off when the vehicle is running the alternator provides it's own field power, so the dash light goes off.

lets say it is the battery....

IF the car runs fine when it is jumped with jumper cables, it is the battery... replace and forget about it for another 5 years.... or what I would recomend is invest a little money in a dry cell (also known as gel cell) battery (like an optima battery) they will last UP TO 10 years, and have a 7, 8 or 9 year warrenty depending on which model you buy.

....w/ aftermarket like autozone, they'll back it up w/ a lifetime warranty...
I recently went pricing OEM mufflers for my 00” EX because it rusted out. Just for the hell of it I went to the Honda stealership for a price. The guy who I spoke with gave me some crazy price installed, but here’s the funny thing. He said the muffler would come with a life-time warranty as long as I had them install it! The reason why I mention this is because when & if my alternator goes, I wonder if the same can be done? Are there any technicians out there who work for Honda who could verify this for me? If not I suppose auto-zone would be just as good, I’ll put it in myself.

I work for Toyota and it's about the same way because that way it keeps the car emissions compliant... anything to do with emissions has to have a warrenty.

hey guys jus wanted to update yall... FUNNIEST thing yo.. i jump started my ride, and got her runnin UP and fine again...n like i sed yo bannanas yo IT RUNS fine now wit no problems no weakness in startup or anything

that was wednesday and been drivin her since then wit no problems...


DUE to very bad time contraints and other issues... haven't had TIME tto go get it tested or do anything else, HOPEFULLY this weekend...

i'm jus playin wit fate right, sooner or later its gonna go OUT on me again..this last time was the warnin thats its on the outs huh?

i jus FOUND it strange is all

thanks guys I learned alot from this experience and from yalls input and advise..


keem it going

ride for street

oNe

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/4964sponge_thank_u_4_update.JPG
k, you should still heed the other member's warning that stock batteries only last ~5 years...

goto autozone/advance auto parts for a free battery check right there on the parking lot... heck they can do a free alternator check as well...

a dying/old battery would make the alt work harder, shortening it's life. esp w/ winter coming around. :2cents:

aight yall the cars still been RUNNIN good ever since that last jump but regardless TOMORROW got the whole day off i'ma take it STRAIGHT to autozone to get it tested out.....


thing is i wanted yall's opinion I got a man on the inside... aka works at a honda dealership... basically got a hoook up....


should I jus buy a battery from either sear's, or wally world??

other wise guy sed a honda battery original battery runs bout $90 but he'll get it for me for bout $50.....

so should i pay bout $40-60 for a battery from sear/ walmart


or go wit the OEM honda for $50...

does it matter ??? what would yall do and why?


thanks again

peace

oNe

p.s. once again AUTOZONE tomorrow.....

now I remember why i was so hesitant to go to autozone..



i went to THREE< thats right THREE autozones before ONE finally was able to "help" me out... aka test my battery... DON"T even get me started on the 2 checkers i visited as well...

but yeah LUCKILY there was 3 autozone' in my city..

but anyway Yo.. they tested OUT my battery and stated it was fine...

?????????????????????

now what? could it be my alternator then? how do i test that out? wit winter coming i don't want any problems...

the battery will be a FULL five years in nov so I"Ma get a new one regardless but if that doesnt solve the problem then what?


oNe

p.s. my car has been RUNNIN FINE n dandy since that jump start NO OTHER PROBLEMS!! ???

Well, if you take your Alt off the car and take it somewhere they can test it for you. Around here startmart will do that. Sometimes they'll have the meter to hook up and test it on the car running. You can also start the car and disconnect the battery negitvie and go for a long ass drive. The alternator will be powering the car then, it can't compensate if it's bad by pulling off the battery. Crank your stereo, run the accessiores and drive. If the alternator's REALLY bad, you'll know it.

Just for reference. Years ago some moran at sears tested my battery and swore it was good and something else was the issue. Well, I tested it a few days later and I don't know what he thought or did, but the thing was so dead it couldn't hold a charge worth crap. Replaced it and the car was fine after that. If you don't trust those idiots, look up Batteries in the yellow pages and take your car to a battery specialist and have them load test the battery and then test the alternator. In all honesty, have those ppl at autozone and checkers have no bussiness being NEAR a car or a wrench.

You can also start the car and disconnect the battery negitvie and go for a long ass drive.

NEVER DO THIS ON A ECU_EQUIPPED FUEL INJECTED CAR!!!!!:banghead:

yea, it's fine & dandy on an old-school carbureted car, but not on cars w/ computers; you'll create a voltage spike to fry a circuit or 2...easy to blow fuses or worse

also, most tests w/ a test light is now frowned upon d/t this as well... use a voltmeter.

but the same autozone/advance auto/checkers would also have the capability of checking the alternator on-car.

if your car is running FINE, don't sweat it; just after 5 years, expect the battery to die out on u...& make the alternator work "harder" to keep it charged up while the battery's close to it's death :2cents:

autozone/other parts places are YMMV. some employees are good, while others are just newbies. heck, they have an ASE program for the serious people that want to learn more about cars. u pay for test, pass, show the certificate to your employer----> they reimburse u for it!!!!!!!

the easiest ones i got were steering, brakes, & parts pro<counterperson// i forgot what the real title of that part of the test is> i'm not in the field right now since i am mr. mom of 2 kids <wifey makes 3x what i was getting at pepboys>

Sure, you might have worried about that on an older fuel injected vehicle, but the power systems on our cars are so well regulated that unless you have a bad alternator, a voltage spike isn't really going to hurt anything.... you might blow a fuse eventually, but nothing major will go wrong.... to avoid voltage spikes and such however, leave the A/C off, and the radio off.
Sure, you don't want to do it for too long, cause you're going to be working the alternator pretty hard at times, and it will be heating up... and heat is always bad. don't want to cause premature wear.

Also... ASE testing is a joke.. some of the easiest tests I've had thus far.

killa, yes ASE are relatively easy for mechanics in the field, but for the common parts slinger, may be a challenge... @ least the common customer won't rely on a newbie parts guy saying "the tornado really works; i highly recommend it!" or "yes, a cold air intake would give u 20hp to the wheels, yo!"

aight long story short.. got battery and alternator tested out..

whats the normal output an alternator supposed to put out?

the battery cranks 405 amps outta its supposed 450..so it does sound like its the battery thats going.. i'ma replace that fo sho in the next 2 weeks or so..

but any input on the alternator?

oNe

uhm...new thread maybe?

uhm...new thread maybe? i thought so.. but thne i figured since it was jus updatin everyone on the situation going on IN this thread.. i didn't want some get at me bout startin a whole new thread on it..

??

hmm..

my bad!??


oNe

Sean Price, your alternator should be putting out right around 14.4 volts DC.

Have you replaced your battery since getting the car? Most stock batteries only last about 5 years.. you said it's a 2000, and this being 2005, it would be about that time to change the battery.



Yes it can... a battery can have a 7-10 volt charge and still power all your accessories, lights, and everything.... with your headlights on, radio on, locks working, dome light on.... that's only going to draw about 30 amps total..
But a starter on a civic takes about 250amps and can take UP TO about 400amps depending on the condition of the engine, and a battery with a low charge (such as one that is dying out) will not provide enough amps to get the engine spinning around fast enough to start, but will still work everything else just fine.



Actually, no... when the battery light on the dash is on, that just means that the key is turned on, and there is voltage running through the system... the little battery light on the dash is actually directly related to the alternator circuit, if the light is on, that means the field coils in the alternator are receiving current from the battery in order to prepare to start the vehicle. When the light goes off when the vehicle is running the alternator provides it's own field power, so the dash light goes off.



IF the car runs fine when it is jumped with jumper cables, it is the battery... replace and forget about it for another 5 years.... or what I would recomend is invest a little money in a dry cell (also known as gel cell) battery (like an optima battery) they will last UP TO 10 years, and have a 7, 8 or 9 year warrenty depending on which model you buy. NOT tryin to contradict you guy,, jus sayin.. aka informative purposes...

aight lets RECAP... car was dead WOULD NOT start for nothing, could hear it tryin to "turn" over.... yet lights came on, dome, headlights, highbeams, alpine unit played, STEREO bumped... no problem.. after a week of this i FINALLY jus JUMPSTARTED it and i did nothing else...car came on NO PROBLEM... that was 2 months ago and the cars been RUNNIN fine since then.. wit the same battery and no FURTHER problems or even a weak start.. ...

so if based on all the evidence, IF it was THE battery why has it been fine since?

aka what caused this to happen? and why is it fine now?


thanks felllas again NOT tryin to bite the hand that feeds me i'm jus sayin I REALLY want to know wuds up.... feel me?


#2 i went to wallly world to try and cop a battery but all i got was a choice of like 50.... how do i know which ONE i need for my car? they had this computer but it was down n NO one there could help?

so what battery or info do i need when i to go to buy one at the store for a honda civic auto sdn ex ??

i live in wisconsin aka FIERCE COLD hard winters.... would it matter buyin a battery from wisconsin or say one from Fort Worth, TX

reason i ask is this... going to drive down there its a 18 hour trip..was jus gonna replace the battery DOWN there aka vacay time and i'l have time to do it... what do yal think?

thanks homies...

peace

oNe

mebbe it was a fluke... don't worry about it then.

wallyworld's yellow batteries looks to be the better of the lot w/ better warranties. just make sure dimensions of battery can fit the battery tray w/ the cable terminals in reachable stretch of the vehicle's battery cables.

so if based on all the evidence, IF it was THE battery why has it been fine since?

aka what caused this to happen? and why is it fine now?

My scientific conclusion is …..shit happens.

Really, you have a 5 year old battery, winter's coming & U live in Wisconsin. Go to sears & get a die-hard gold. Don’t over-think the issue Sean.

Sean Price, The battery size you need is a Group 51 Reverse Terminal sized battery... A group 51R. Group 51 is the battery size. Reverse terminal means the postive and negitive teminals are reversed, so the negitive terminal is on the pass. side and positive on the drivers side. You want a Group 51R battery.

As for why it happened...how long did the car sit prior to it dying and not starting...and whats the longest it's sat for since you jumped it and put a little charge back into it driving? The batteries old, it may not hold a charge as well as it once did. I've had batteries that coulnd't hold a charge much, but they still held enough to start the car for the most part as long as you drove it. Needless to say that's a battery I got rid of quick.

I'd suggest taking it to a battery/starter/alternator electrical shop (Startmart, Battery Exchange, etc). Any of those places should have a Carbon Pile Retrostat (I belive thats the name). Anyways, With this machine they can not only test your battery for voltage, but load test it as well and tell you if it can hold a charge for not. They can also check your starter's output to see it it's sending enough output voltage to start, and they can alternator as well. Again, not just thats it's putting out 14.4 volts, but they can load test the alternator as well, to make sure it functions under load properly and puts out the proper voltage load. Usually, when you bring the car there, places test this for free, and it shouldn't take them more than 5 minutes. Since your really worried, I'd take your car in and have a place like this (that has a carbon pile retrostat) run a quick electrical system check. :2cents:

aight got it.. either a sears die hard gold, or a yellow top from wally world... and i gotz to get it in GROUP 51R... got it fellas,

good lookin out on that!!


about the battery i drove it about 1-2 hours on a saturday.wit last drive time around 8pm...... it sat all day sunday untouched.. went to start it on monday at aprox 9:30am.... it was a no go.. but all lights would turn on... stereo, ect, ect. it sat like that for a sTRAIGHT week...then after i posted here at that end of that week bout 7 days..went down to try it again, tested fuses and all that..all good, and all light and stereo STILLL ALLL came on.. headlights, highbeams.. ect, then about 5-7 days LATER AFTER that first week.....finally jump started it WIT no problem.. and its been fine ever since... i drove it for less then an hour after that initial charge.... and now it runs perfect START right away... ect, ect. all wit that same battery and about a month later had it tested at autozone they sed it put out 405 amps and yall sed its supposed to put out \450amps..

i don't know maybe it was a fluke?

but i jus wanted to know the logic if any on why it happened...

but yall is right DURING this trip if not sunday before i leave on tuesday I'ma replace that D*M battery....


thanks all!!


yall got me!

peace

mad appreciated!

ONe

MY guess is it doesn't hold a charge as well as it should...which a new battery would solve. Just remember, group 51R!!! When looking at 51R sized batteries, more amp hours, cranking amps and cold cranking amps means a more powerful battery!!!

And no problem, we're always glad to help, that's what we're hear for.:)

ahhhh main.. life is a crazy swirl of red/white.. but uh due to time contraints and financial funds... I NEVER ever got around to replacing the battery... and the car has been working fine since then.....no problems at all

but now the nightmare returns.. my wife has a 2006 kia sephia... and now the same EXACT thing that happened to my civic has happened to this..

bout a month ago went to start it after about no usage for 2 weeks and the thing is dead as a door nail. after a week of jumpstarts i have it tested at autozone and guy tells me its the battery most likely.. not a problems sinces its one of their 9 year warranty models.. but i need the # battery was bought on.. so i go home to find that info.. and two weeks go by(time constraints) so after 2 weeks of NOT touchin the car i go outside wit the intent of replacing the battery..

on a whim i decide to start up the car thinkin its dead but just to see whats up... enter current status.. now the car works and runs fine and battery seems okay and it starts up and all that wit no problem..

what the deal guys? what causes this? i mean it seemed when it happened wit the civic it was maybe a fluke.. but now again on another car?

either way i plan on replacing the batteries once the funds permit and before winter but i jus wanted to see what you all thought...

oNe

that kia should still have a warranty... let the dealer do a diagnosis just like autozone's free testing of the alt/sarter/battery... plus they have some TSBs that may not be in the aftermarket yet.

the autozone people should have given you the #s when performing those tests (or ask them to give it to you while they're outside in the parking lot doin the tests)...

my autozone people in my area are pretty good w/ this. sorry your autozone staff in your area sux

PS: mozy over to www.honda-tech.com if you got some other problems w/ your civic/ they & the accords share similarities w/ a certain electrical part that fails eventually....

Sean, U still haven’t replaced the battery in the Civic!?! :nono:

...that kia should still have a warranty... let the dealer do a diagnosis... I agree, there should still be a warranty on the KIA, bring it to them & let them worry about it!

Sean, U still haven’t replaced the battery in the Civic!?! :nono:

I agree, there should still be a warranty on the KIA, bring it to them & let them worry about it! but guys... REMEMBER i haven't replaced them yet on either one and NOW they both run and start fine with no problem.. this is even after days without using them... i'm jus tryin to figure out how and why this has happened on two seperate cars?

and yeah i know i'm playin wit time and messing wit fate on NOT changin the battery at least on the civic but hopefully once the funds pick up and MOST DEFINATELY before cold winter months hit i will be changing them for sure....

battery is from autozone....the 9year warranty one.. but thing is since it works good and fine now.. should i still bother taking it in? thats whats been holding me up fella'z the both RUN fine now..

oNe

oh, didn't know you had a current warranty on that car...

autozone wasn't my 1st choice d/t price-warranty shopping, but hey- knowing is 1/2 the battle.

if that store isn't too far out of your way from errands/commute, it's just a piece-of-mind thing to have it check fo' free...

mebbe some1 left the dome light on or parking light on on an occasion or 2; i know my mom did & that shorten the alternator & battery lives on her vehicle. & the lack of not driving the vehicle often just lead to the slow discharge of the battery... <shrugs>