2004 Accord not starting?

[Teqp]

My GF has a 2004 accord V6. We tried to start the car today and it would not crank.
When I opened the car door,the light on the bottom of the door turned on. She couldn't open the trunk with the remote. I checked the battery fluid level and added a little distilled water. The level was not too low, still above the plates. I did not overfill it, just added a little extra. We tried to jump the battery for a few minutes, but it did not appear to do anything. The car didn't crank. The dash did light up when I placed the key in the ignition. But then the dash light started to flicker a couple of times and then stopped. I tried the remote trunk button and it worked this time.

Do you think that the battery needs to be charged more with the jumper cables? Is it an electrical issue? A couple of times before today we did notice that the transmission light on the dash that indicates if the car is in Park,Neutral or Drive went out, but the car still worked. Could this be a sign of electrical issues? If anyone has any ideas/suggestions I would appreciate it. I will check the fuses in the car and under the hood to see if they are good tomorrow.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Airjer_]

Did you try to start it with the jumper cables attatched?

Are the battery terminals nice and clean?

Do you hear a click or a bunch of clicks or absolutely nothing when you try to start it?

Do the lights on the dash go out completely when you try to start it?

Is it the original Battery?

[StealthSonic]

Is your location really cold? I had similar problem. It was a freezing morning when I tried to start the car, but all I got was the ticking sound. It's the battery. Original batter last up to about 4-5 years. Changing battery should fix the problem but try jump start first to see if the problem is at the battery. Cold weather makes the battery hard to start specially weak/old batt.

[Teqp]

Originally Posted by Airjer_

Did you try to start it with the jumper cables attatched? - Yes

Are the battery terminals nice and clean? YES

Do you hear a click or a bunch of clicks or absolutely nothing when you try to start it? Nothing when trying to start it.

Do the lights on the dash go out completely when you try to start it? I seem to recall that they dim to the off once I try to start the car.

Is it the original Battery? Yes

Answers in red.

Originally Posted by StealthSonic

Is your location really cold?

No, I am in southern California. Unless 85F is cold to you!

Could it be the main relay? I have been reading a lot about this being an issue for some Accords. To me, if it were the battery, I would think that the interior light wouldn't turn on. Thank you for the replies.

[StealthSonic]

Hi again, you have to check the batt first.

The battery has something call cranking amps. The accesories are running on the reserve part of the battery.

I would check that first before messing with the whole wiring issues. I don't think there would be a reason why the relay would go bad.

I live in SF and sometimes it's pretty cold here. I replaced the new batt the same day and next morning, the problem goes away.

Good batt on 2000 Accord only takes 2-3 sec to start up the car, old/weak batt takes about 5-6 secs to start up the engine. I don't know about 04 model though. My aunt's 08 CR-V took awhile to start lol so my theory might be wrong for newer cars.

[Teqp]

Originally Posted by StealthSonic

Hi again, you have to check the batt first.

The battery has something call cranking amps. The accesories are running on the reserve part of the battery.

I would check that first before messing with the whole wiring issues.

Yes, I agree that it's best to check the battery. I will check the battery with my multimeter and hope that it just needs a longer charge instead of any electrical issues or just a new battery. It is weird that the drive light on the dash went out intermittently a few times within the last 1-2 months. To me, 4 years is not that long for a battery. My car has a battery that is approx 6 or 7 years old and still works fine. I'll post tomorrow any updates.

Thanks for the quick replies. Any other opinions or ideas our welcome.

[Teqp]

Well, it turned out to be the battery. I checked the battery with my multimeter and it was aroun 9V. Used booster cables and watched it slowly go up but never enough to get the engine to turnover. Installed a new battery and it started right up.

Now just need to find the code for the radio! Thanks for the replies.

[Airjer_]

Glad to hear it was something simple!!

If you can't find the radio code, a trip to the dealer with proof of ownership and they should be able to get it for you.