2004 Honda Civic SE starting problem
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Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 20
2004 Honda Civic SE starting problem
Hello all,
I am posting here in the hopes of saving myself time, money and agony. I have a 2004 Honda Civic, and the weirdest thing happened today.
I drove my car to the nearest plaza and nothing appeared to be wrong. I went into the store, came back out and to my surprise, the car wouldn't start. I turned the key and all I heard was a consistent clicking noise. This is before I even tried to turn it over all the way to start. When I turned it over to start, the clicking noise got faster. The starter didn't turn at all. No lights turned on in the dash. The radio lights wouldn't turn on. I opened my manual and it asked that I check all of the fuses, which I did. Not one was burned. I was convinced this was an electrical problem. Finally, someone gave me a boost and the car started. As a matter of fact, as soon as they hooked the cables up and I turned the ignition (without fully turning it over), I noticed the radio on, and the normally beeping that I should hear just before I turn over the ignition. The car started fine. Even after it started, I had a feeling it wouldn't start once I shut it off. When I got home, I shut it off and tried to start it again and I was back to square one! Same problem as before! A few hours later I checked my battery cables to make sure there was no corrosion and there was not. Everything was nicely greased and tight. I even cleaned the posts and reconnected the battery and tried to start it again. This time, the battery was completely drained. Only the light that flashes on the CD player flashes, and it's going very, very slowly. The weather outside is perfect, so let's rule that out as a factor in the problem.
Before I'm asked the question, no, there were no warning signs on my dash board about a failing battery or alternator. This doesn't make any sense to me at all. I read something on the net that says something about the Main Relay but I couldn't tell you what the heck it's all about anyways. I have seen some notes about the battery but it seems to be followed by too much doubt. I don't think it's my starter (unless it's warn out inside and it's causing a shortage) or my fuel pump, since the car started fine when hooked up to a booster. Something is up and I really need some help! This doesn't seem like a simple problem.
I am posting here in the hopes of saving myself time, money and agony. I have a 2004 Honda Civic, and the weirdest thing happened today.
I drove my car to the nearest plaza and nothing appeared to be wrong. I went into the store, came back out and to my surprise, the car wouldn't start. I turned the key and all I heard was a consistent clicking noise. This is before I even tried to turn it over all the way to start. When I turned it over to start, the clicking noise got faster. The starter didn't turn at all. No lights turned on in the dash. The radio lights wouldn't turn on. I opened my manual and it asked that I check all of the fuses, which I did. Not one was burned. I was convinced this was an electrical problem. Finally, someone gave me a boost and the car started. As a matter of fact, as soon as they hooked the cables up and I turned the ignition (without fully turning it over), I noticed the radio on, and the normally beeping that I should hear just before I turn over the ignition. The car started fine. Even after it started, I had a feeling it wouldn't start once I shut it off. When I got home, I shut it off and tried to start it again and I was back to square one! Same problem as before! A few hours later I checked my battery cables to make sure there was no corrosion and there was not. Everything was nicely greased and tight. I even cleaned the posts and reconnected the battery and tried to start it again. This time, the battery was completely drained. Only the light that flashes on the CD player flashes, and it's going very, very slowly. The weather outside is perfect, so let's rule that out as a factor in the problem.
Before I'm asked the question, no, there were no warning signs on my dash board about a failing battery or alternator. This doesn't make any sense to me at all. I read something on the net that says something about the Main Relay but I couldn't tell you what the heck it's all about anyways. I have seen some notes about the battery but it seems to be followed by too much doubt. I don't think it's my starter (unless it's warn out inside and it's causing a shortage) or my fuel pump, since the car started fine when hooked up to a booster. Something is up and I really need some help! This doesn't seem like a simple problem.
Recognized HCF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,023
I had a battery do that once (a "Die Hard", no less). Perfect one minute, stone dead the next. Really sounds like as the others said, you just need a new battery. To be sure the battery is shot, and it's not a bad connection to the terminals, measure the voltage directly at the lead posts.
