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Trouble Starting Up Honda Accord 2006

dakomakodakomako Member Posts: 2
edited September 2016 in Honda
Hello,

I recently bought a 2006 Honda Accord ~142K miles. It had no issues until a couple of weeks after purchase. I hadn't driven the car for about 3 days and when I went to start it up, the car would not start. I thought it might be a problem with the battery, so I cleaned the slightly corroded electrodes and jump started the car for about 2-3 minutes, after which it started right up. Now, I just came back from a month vacation, and same problem occurred. I made sure the battery connection was good, jump started the car for a good 30 minutes (to no avail), even put another brand new battery in the car... it's not starting up. I don't think it is a battery problem, as my battery starts other cars right up, and tested good voltage at the mechanic. The starter turns over for 1-2 seconds after each jump start, then every consecutive time after that, when i try to turn on the key, there is a clicking noise and the starter does not turn over. I suspect there is a bad battery connection, as the + electrode was badly corroded, but then I'm confused as to why the internal lights/windows/headlights work perfectly after jump starting. It's just the car that would not start up... Thank you for any help



tl;dr: car doesnt start, battery is good, starter turns over for 1-2 sec after each jump start, internal lights and headlights work after each jump start. slightly loose/corroded + electrode.


Best regards
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    93tracker5spd93tracker5spd Member Posts: 194
    Hello! From a lot of previous experience I thank I might be able to make sense of this occurrence. Electricity flows because of voltage, but the heat comes from amperage. The reason your lights work quite well is due to the fact that they require very little amperage. It only takes about 15 amps to heat up the filaments in your head lights and make them glow. Depending on the size of the engine, and design of the starter; it can take from 130 to 220 amps to crank your engine. If one runs a while with corroded electrodes, this puts more strain and draw on the system causing certain components of the starting circuit to heat up even more than normal. After a while this takes its toll on the starter solenoid, fields, stator windings, brushes and the cable feeding these things. First I would be sure that the battery posts are completely clean and free of corrosion, as well as the terminals and the ground cable end that connects to the frame. Be sure that the battery is fully charged, use a trickle charger with auto shut off and charge overnight. Then take the car to a mechanic and have the starter draw tested to see if any of the components have been damaged. For the sake of information I am posting some lists of amp draw specs used by Automotive Electricians, here they are. Oh, and once all the corrosion is cleaned off, put a little die-electric grease on those areas. This will prevent future corrosion.

    TYPICAL ACCESSORY CURRENT DRAW (AMPS)

    Lights
    Headlights (high beam) 10-22
    Headlights (low beam) 40
    Tail Lights 8
    Safety
    Emergency brake light 4
    Emergency flasher 15
    Turn signals 10-15
    Windshield wipers 6-20
    Horn 15
    Brake lights 15-20
    Running lights 8
    Ignition
    Winter starting 225-500
    Summer starting 100-400
    Approx. Avg. 300
    Courtesy
    Cigarette lighter 15-20
    Interior lights 10-15
    Instrument panel lights 4
    Entertainment
    Radio 10
    Stereo Tape 10
    Electric antenna 20
    Comfort
    Air conditioner 10
    Heater 20-30
    Defroster 15-30
    Electric seat 20
    Electric windows 20-30

    From the Helms manual the starter specs

    Starter Motor Current Draw under Manual Load and Temperature - 130-220 Amps

    Starter Motor Normal Engine Cranking Speed - 140-220 RPM

    Starter Motor Minimum Stall Torque @ 5 Volts - 14.7 N-m (11.0 Lb-Ft)

    Maximum Load - 800 Amps

    No Load - 60-80 Amps

    Maximum Starting Circuit Voltage Drop (Battery Positive Terminal to Starter Terminal) at Normal Range - 0.5 Volt.

    Hope this helps and good luck to you...
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    dakomakodakomako Member Posts: 2
    93tracker5spd said:

    Hello! From a lot of previous experience I thank I might be able to make sense of this occurrence. Electricity flows because of voltage, but the heat comes from amperage. The reason your lights work quite well is due to the fact that they require very little amperage. It only takes about 15 amps to heat up the filaments in your head lights and make them glow. Depending on the size of the engine, and design of the starter; it can take from 130 to 220 amps to crank your engine. If one runs a while with corroded electrodes, this puts more strain and draw on the system causing certain components of the starting circuit to heat up even more than normal. After a while this takes its toll on the starter solenoid, fields, stator windings, brushes and the cable feeding these things. First I would be sure that the battery posts are completely clean and free of corrosion, as well as the terminals and the ground cable end that connects to the frame. Be sure that the battery is fully charged, use a trickle charger with auto shut off and charge overnight. Then take the car to a mechanic and have the starter draw tested to see if any of the components have been damaged. For the sake of information I am posting some lists of amp draw specs used by Automotive Electricians, here they are. Oh, and once all the corrosion is cleaned off, put a little die-electric grease on those areas. This will prevent future corrosion.

    TYPICAL ACCESSORY CURRENT DRAW (AMPS)

    Lights
    Headlights (high beam) 10-22
    Headlights (low beam) 40
    Tail Lights 8
    Safety
    Emergency brake light 4
    Emergency flasher 15
    Turn signals 10-15
    Windshield wipers 6-20
    Horn 15
    Brake lights 15-20
    Running lights 8
    Ignition
    Winter starting 225-500
    Summer starting 100-400
    Approx. Avg. 300
    Courtesy
    Cigarette lighter 15-20
    Interior lights 10-15
    Instrument panel lights 4
    Entertainment
    Radio 10
    Stereo Tape 10
    Electric antenna 20
    Comfort
    Air conditioner 10
    Heater 20-30
    Defroster 15-30
    Electric seat 20
    Electric windows 20-30

    From the Helms manual the starter specs

    Starter Motor Current Draw under Manual Load and Temperature - 130-220 Amps

    Starter Motor Normal Engine Cranking Speed - 140-220 RPM

    Starter Motor Minimum Stall Torque @ 5 Volts - 14.7 N-m (11.0 Lb-Ft)

    Maximum Load - 800 Amps

    No Load - 60-80 Amps

    Maximum Starting Circuit Voltage Drop (Battery Positive Terminal to Starter Terminal) at Normal Range - 0.5 Volt.

    Hope this helps and good luck to you...



    I appreciate your detailed response! I thoroughly cleaned the battery posts and even replaced the "ring" that attaches to the positive terminal of the battery. It turned out that this wasn't the problem, so I decided to go deeper and actually replace the starter itself. Found out this was the cause of my distress. Although it took quite a while (~5 hours), the car now starts up perfectly with the new starter installed. Once again, thank you for the advice!!
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    93tracker5spd93tracker5spd Member Posts: 194
    You're welcome, glad I could help.
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