My daughters boyfriend has a 97 Acura CL, 4 cylinder. He stopped by yesterday and now his car won’t start. None of the accessories work, it will not shift out of park, the battery is fine, the headlights etc work fine. We checked the fuses and fusible links, replaced the ignition and cylinder, but the car still won’t start. I am not sure what to try next, I did use the key to put the car into neutral but it didn’t help.
I need to get this kid out of my house, he lives 30 miles away!
Battery connections are the first place to begin when you have a “No start” situation. Even
if you have a new battery, if the connections are loose, dirty or corroded, you will not be
allowing the full flow of current to pass thru the connections. The connection may be
enough to turn on the lights, but not enough for the huge flow that is needed to operate the
starter. This is where many people say that they know the battery is good….”because the
lights come on”. This is no more a battery test than licking a 9volt battery. It only tells you that there is electricity…not how many volts or the amperage that flows from the battery.
Jump starting may have wiggled the terminal just enough to allow the current to pass and start the engine, but tomorrow you have the same problem.
First remove the cables from the battery and use a wire brush to remove any corrosion and dirt from the battery posts and the cable terminals. There is a tool with a round wire brush for this purpose, found at any auto parts store for less than $10 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/kd-tools-terminal-battery-brush-kdt201/25980576-P?searchTerm=terminal+brush.
Before connecting the cables, apply a coating of di-electric grease to the battery posts this will keep oxygen away from the connection so that it will not corrode as fast.
It is just as important that the other end of the cables also have a clean connection. Remove the positive cable from the battery again so that you do not short anything out. Follow both cables to their far ends, remove this connection and wire brush the connection and the cable terminal clean and retighten these connections.
If there was work done recently, there may have been an “engine to body” ground that was not installed following the work. These grounds normally run from the rear of the engine to the firewall and are uninsulated and most are a braided wire. If any of these are found unattached…reattach them.
Remember….this is not a “Sherman Tank” don’t over tighten the connections.
Tight…tight………………too tight…broke!!!
THis is the perfect opportunity too.
Give him a ride home and insist that the daughter stay home. THen you can tell him about your years being in the CIA and the time you spent as a sniper, and all the guns that you have hidden.
Oh and that boyfriend last year that just up and vanished.
Yosemite
Will not start, does that mean the starter will not turn the engine over or does that mean the starter is turning the engine but it does not start?
Headlights are accessories so exactly what isn’t working?
BTW, don’t tell him you were a sniper for the CIA because then you WILL have to kill him. Better to just say you were a sniper and not say for who.
Anything that requires the key to be in accessory position does not work. Radio, windows etc. the starter doesn’t work at all. The warning lights in the dash do not come on when the key is turned.
Tried jump starting, replaced infnition and key cylinder. Checked fuses. Cleaning ground to engine now.
In the underhood fuse panel, there should be an ignition fuse, 30 amps or so. You need to check it and if it does not appear to be blown, it may have a micro fracture in it. If you have an ohmmeter, check it with that, otherwise look for another 30 amp fuse and swap them.
What is the battery voltage?
Car was towed, $300 to fix burnt connection in speed sensor.
Thanks for letting us know what happened.