Granny Accord won't start

[pmro]

Hello All!

My 1988 Accord is dead and I'm sad so I came here and I thought that maybe someone would help me. I don't want to spend too much money right now because I just got back to work recently and I don't want to be spending more than I earn so I thought that maybe someone could give me a few hints before I even head off to the mechanic.

First, I should note that the car runs on LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) as well as regular unleaded.

The Scenario

As I was driving back home the car suddenly began stalling at 3000 RPM. This is normal when the car runs out of LPG, but I had just filled it up a day earlier so it seemed impossible. Switching to regular gasoline fixed the problem.

I don't exactly remember what occurred next, but when I attempted to start the car a few hours later, it would just turn off in sync with a 'click' sound after a few seconds. I tried to start it up again and same thing, until finally it just wouldn't start. Now all I hear are clicks when I turn the ignition.

A local mechanic I know suggested it might be the battery. He sake dme to turn on the lights and honk the horn. It hardly emitted a sound. I charged up the battery for about two hours and that didn't really help. I then tried to jump start the car by asking a neighbor for help, but that also didn't work.

It could be the alternator. I also noticed something strange - I'm charged up with static electricity when I leave the car.

Any ideas or comments would be appreciated. I need the car for work as I'm taking the bus right now, and sometimes I have to do a few trips around town and it's really a hassle.

Thanks again.

Paul

[AccordCodger]

You most likely need a new battery - that's the way they go out. Second possibility is the alternator.

The static electricity has nothing to do with any of that - it's all about clothing, upholstery and dry weather.

[mpumas]

The best way to find out what is going on is to buy voltmeter and clip it to the battery. Without any load, like lights, horn or starting you should have about 12.4 volts. When turning on the lights, or honking the horn or trying to start the car, the battery voltage should stay above 10 volts. If the voltage is good, then the problem is cables or grounding wiring. Voltmeters are cheap and can really help in troubleshooting.