So, my wife has a 2010 Honda Civic that she uses fairly infrequently.-- it sat for about a month before she drove it Friday. When she did, she said she drove the car for a few minutes and then got a smell “like fertilzier or dirt” (I checked with her to see if she meant a burning smell, she did not), and “all the lights came on”. I went out to check it-- started the car and did not notice any odd smell, but saw the following: check engine light, TPMS light , Brake light, and ABS light on. Tach needle stayed at zero, and the digital speedo did not change when I (very slowly, with hand on the parking brake lever) moved the car down the street a short distance. Any ideas?
Put the car on a battery charger overnight. Check the battery voltage an hour after you take it off the charger. If it is reading down in the 12.2, 12.3 volts, you need a new battery. Check to see if the lights go off. The cel might stay on for a few key cycles but read the codes, or have them read at an auto parts store a d post them here.
I suspect the battery got run down too far, and has lost capacity. The smell might be the alternator being overworked trying to charge the battery.
Might be rodents chewing on wires, too.
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The BCM may have failed.
Tester
Thanks! Will try that, though she said the car didn’t have any trouble cranking over…