OK...I'll start from the beginning here...Last winter in the Northeast, my 1998 standard Civic LX(4-door if that really matters) with about 200,000 miles on it began to have issues starting whenever it got cold. This was among the more minor issues with the car, which is clearly on its last legs at this point due to other unrelated circumstances. It was only in the deep cold that it wouldn't start, so I didn't worry too much about the battery. I simply jump- or kick-started it when I needed to.

Pan to this spring...the battery issues continued, and I finally decided to address them(since pop-starting the car on a hill got old REAL quick). My first vastly wrong inclination was to replace the battery...well...to make a REAL long story short, that wasn't the issue, at least according to a readout I got today from Advance Auto Parts on the old battery.

BUT...it highlighted a number of other issues, mainly that my cables were hopelessly corroded and the ground needed to be replaced. I did that and hooked up the battery(which tested 12.41 volts, measured 799 CCA and was 'rated' 500 CCA, according to Advanced's test).

I plugged it in, and like it was doing before I started the whole cleaning process, it turned over the ignition several times before sounding like it simply drained the battery.

Now, a few other issues to consider...the unrelated ones so to speak. The exhaust manifold is cracked(like it's prone to be on these models) and already welded once. I've noticed since the crack has grown more prominent as the old weld fails, the car requires several more cranks from the starter to fire up. Also, the previous owner installed a stereo, which I have a feeling he did somewhat improperly, gauging by some of the other wire work I've seen.

The issue is, I'm keeping this car ONLY as long as I can keep repairs under $200. Anything more might as well go to a new car payment...something that will inevitably happen in the coming months. Just reading some other threads, it sounds almost like my battery/ignition problems are related to the solenoid(and I don't even know where to find/test it).

Mind you, the car STILL jump starts/kick starts, and if I've driven it for a while, stop and then try to start it again, it usually cranks pretty good.

I'm at my wit's end with this thing...and frankly, I'm about to shove this car into a nearby river. Any thoughts?

 

Measure the voltage at the battery (put probes on the lead posts that are part of the battery, not the terminals) while trying to start. If it drops below 9 volts, battery is faulty or run down(*). If battery voltage stays up, measure at the starter (+ probe on the big terminal, minus on starter ground) again while trying to start. If that voltage doesn't stay up, there is a bad power or ground connection between the battery and starter.

If voltage at starter stays up but it only clicks and doesn't turn, it's a bad starter. The solenoid is part of the starter and they are typically replaced as a unit.

(*) If your battery keeps running down, alternator may not be working. Start engine but turn all other electrical devices off. Measure voltage at battery with engine idling, should be 14 volts or more.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the help. As it turns out, poor connectivity was the main problem, and the battery simply wasn't charged enough to get a good crank out of the startermotor. Having no choice but to drive it 20 miles to work, I kept my fingers crossed. Turns out that was enough to recharge the battery. Three days now and everything seems great. Great advice though.

Now I can decide whether the other problems are worth fixing...the manifold is the elephant in the room. I've been told JB might work on the crack, but have read everywhere that it won't. Anyone know if it'll work long enough to reset the check-engine light and get the car inspected? Or am I better off seeking out a welder?

 

Put me in the "JB weld won't work" camp. At manifold temperature it will just burn up. If you're really cheap you could try furnace cement, but that is also going to be very temporary.

 

I'm leaning that way myself. My hope was to get it to pass inspection, then run it for a year and sell it for scrap. I just can't afford to buy a new car right now...

How much would a weld cost and would it even work? I've heard they don't even need to take the thing out. But it's cast iron, so they need to be careful or they'll burn through it. If I can get something that will last a year for under $100 I'll be tickled.