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Car Forum / Honda Cars / November 20071994 Honda Accord cold weather starting problems
1994 Honda Accord LX Cold Weather Starting Problem Seems to only occur in very cold weather, -20 C and after the car has been sitting outside for 10 hours or more. When the key is in the ignition and turned to the On position (II) the Charging System Indicator Light, the Daytime Running Lights Indicator light, and the Supplemental Restraint System Indicator Lights are not lit. Actually no lights on the dash are lit. Thus when the key is turned to the Start position (III) absolutely nothing happens. During this time my horn, radio as well as my fan/heater works. After up to 15 tries of turning the key to the start position in the ignition the dash lights will suddenly come on (i.e. Charging System Indicator Light, etc) and the car will then start no problem. Once the car is warmed up there is no problem trying to start the car again throughout the day. Could the contacts in the ignition switch be going bad? Could the cold weather worsen the problem due to parts contracting? At the same time once the car has started and I turn on my low beam headlights there can be up to a 20 second delay before they actually come on. Could this be a bad headlight combination switch? And are these two problems realted? History Battery was replaced in Sept 2005, was checked about a month ago and told it is okay, ie Cold Cranking Amps ok etc . Daytime running light module was replaced one year ago. Back plate of ignition switch replaced 2 years ago. Any ideas........Thanks ahead of time. bgodd99 <bgodd99@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1193699463.718338.130530 @o38g2000hse.googlegroups.com: > 1994 Honda Accord LX Cold Weather Starting Problem > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Thus when the key is turned to the Start position (III) absolutely > nothing happens. Ignition switch, most likely. > During this time my horn, radio as well as my fan/heater works. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Could the contacts in the ignition switch be going bad? Could the cold > weather worsen the problem due to parts contracting? Yes. Or hardened grease. > At the same time once the car has started and I turn on my low beam > headlights there can be up to a 20 second delay before they actually > come on. Could this be a bad headlight combination switch? Yep. Try repeatedly rotating the switch rapidly from off to on. This may help re-establish contact and the switch may work more effectively for a while. > And are > these two problems realted? No. Well, same basic cause, but different parts involved. > History > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Back plate of ignition switch replaced 2 years ago. "Back plate"? You mean the one with the solder on it? Was it replaced with new OEM or "refurbished" aftermarket? Or was the entire switch replaced (which I am more likely to expect)?  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > bgodd99 <bgod...@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1193699463.718338.130530 > @o38g2000hse.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQwww.tegger.com/hondafaq/ New OEM honda parts but only back plate of the ignition switch was replaced a few years back, not the entire ignition switch. > New OEM honda parts but only back plate of the ignition switch was > replaced a few years back, not the entire ignition switch. ----------------------------- Read through the ignition switch recall ( I realize yours is older) : http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/accord/index.html#accord It could just be your starter brushes, so read through this thread and follow ALL the links. http://www.hondasuv.com/members/showthread.php?t=20252& It would be very helpful to know your mileage. 'Curly' > History > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Back plate of ignition switch replaced 2 years ago. > Any ideas........Thanks ahead of time. --------------------------- You know about holding the pedal to the mat when it's that cold, yes? It's in the owner's manual. I park on the prairie a lot in winter. 'Curly' > 1994 Honda Accord LX Cold Weather Starting Problem > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Any ideas........Thanks ahead of time. i suspect a battery drain. with all doors closed, accessories off, remove the negative post and put it back, it there are sparks, then something is draining the battery plus the cold temperature has weakened it to the point it coulndt activate the main relay, thus there's no lights coming on. try jump starting to confirm or eliminate this cause it could be the bad ignition switch that yields the same symptoms. it's strange though, because most ign switches would quit when hot not cold > it could be the bad ignition switch that yields the same symptoms. > it's strange though, because most ign switches would quit when hot not > cold ----------------------------- It's the MAIN RELAY that most often gives trouble when HOT. The ignition switch only gives trouble (engine dies) when you turn into the path of an oncoming cement truck. Thus, the recall. 'Curly' ok, i can now confirm it's the bad ignition switch (switch assy) i just fixed a friend's Honda with similar symptoms: no warning lights on, car started but died immediatedly when the key was released from III. i disconnected the battery, dosed the ignition key hole with WD-40 then put the key in and gave it a hefty work out then reconnected the battery and tried to start, same sh.t, but i noticed that the warning lights flashed as the key returned from II to I so i held the key between I and II and voila the warning lights were on, as the car started i forced the key to that stupid positon and luckily it held there and the motor kept running. let it run til it reached normal temp. turned it off and tried to work the alignment between the switch cylinder and its assembly. and then magically everything fell back into place. the car runs fine since. but i told my friend to take off her key chain til she has the switch replaced > bi...@scn.org wrote: > > it could be the bad ignition switch that yields the same symptoms. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > 'Curly' > ok, i can now confirm it's the bad ignition switch (switch assy) > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > but i told my friend to take off her key chain til she has the switch > replaced --------------------- Lock-Ease is a good lube for ignition switch locks. I spray all five locks on both of my Hondas twice a year. I got it at a locksmith shop and they warned me to NEVER spray WD-40 in a lock unless it was an emergency (like a seized lock). 'Curly' >> ok, i can now confirm it's the bad ignition switch (switch assy) >> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > 'Curly' I got pretty good results using sillycone spray on an old Ford LTD. I drove the car for another 45K without incident then sold the car. People should realize that WD-40 is a moisture dispersing agent and not much else. JT You're right about that, WD-40 will eventually dries out and leaves the contact surfaces even dryer. But it was all i had at the time. i'm using ATF for lubricating my locks. It's lighter than motor oil but i'm not spinning my key at 3000 rpm!!!. And i think ATF contains friction modifiers that work just like graphite, and yet it's not conductive in case the fluid finds its way to the electrical portion of the switch. Silicon lubricant is excellent, but i'm cheep On my 89 accord LX-i a few months ago, i had intermittent non-starting problem when the engine was hot. All warning lights on, but starter would not engage. Top suspects were the starter solenoid, or the main relay, or the ignition switch. But they cost close a hundred dollars each and a PITA to replace. So i took my chance and replaced my 3 year old Duralast battery with a cheapo Walmart battery ($35) and it completely solved the problem!! Still, the key can get very hot sometimes. I am sure my ignition swich is failling. I hate tow trucks as much as farmers hate weeds. So i just did a little reasearch and now i know how to limp home on a malfunction ignition switch and a plan to fix (mod) it with just a little money (with a toggle swich and a push botton switch). i'm anxious to see how the mod works but too lazy to do and most of all it ain't broken yet! > Lock-Ease is a good lube for ignitionswitchlocks. I spray all five > locks on both of my Hondas twice a year. I got it at a locksmith shop > and they warned me to NEVER spray WD-40 in a lock unless it was an > emergency (like a seized lock). > > 'Curly' On 11/19/07 7:51 PM, in article 960017e2-d39a-48e4-8ea3-25baf4d211cc@b40g2000prf.googlegroups.com, > You're right about that, WD-40 will eventually dries out and leaves > the contact surfaces even dryer. But it was all i had at the time. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > the mod works but too lazy to do and most of all it ain't broken > yet! Before you start hack up your car with toggle switches & push buttons, you might want to double check the price of the ignition switch. You don't need the lock cylinder, just the switch. Last time I got one for a mid-90's Honda, it was $30 & took all of 10 minutes to change. You might also try taking it out, popping it open and cleaning it up. What you will likely find is burnt contacts because the spring(s) that hold pressure on them are not moving freely, allowing arcing. Sometimes its fixable. >> Lock-Ease is a good lube for ignitionswitchlocks. I spray all five >> locks on both of my Hondas twice a year. I got it at a locksmith shop >> and they warned me to NEVER spray WD-40 in a lock unless it was an >> emergency (like a seized lock). >> >> 'Curly' >You might also try taking it out, popping it open and cleaning it up. What >you will likely find is burnt contacts because the spring(s) that hold >pressure on them are not moving freely, allowing arcing. Sometimes its >fixable. Or the grease in the switch has hardened, which is what happened in our 92 Acura Legend. The car would start, but as soon as you let go of the key it would turn off, with no lights on the dash. I pulled the switch off the back of the key cylinder, opened it up and cleaned it, and it worked fine. SignatureMike Iglesias Email: iglesias@uci.edu University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926 Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069 i planned to give my ignition switch it a good cleaning, as i always recommend cleaning prior to replacing malfunction electrical parts. but after doing my research, i just learned that ignition switches are designed for convenience, not reliability or performance. What can be good when filmsy little pieces of copper moving back and forth trying to estalbish contacts and becomes a little furnace in doing so? A conventional ignition switch will rob the current until there's no current at all!!! Separate and stationary switches will do the job much better. The modified set up might look ugly, but i don't care. It's a 20 year-old car anyways. autozone quoted me $108 for a Beck-Arnley switch, NAPA had it for $58, Echlin brand. Junk yards are not my options when it comes to electrical parts. But i can have a toggle & a push button switch at pepboys for $19 total!!! when i am eventually forced to disassemble my iginiton switch (electrical switch), it's got to be hacked, fer sho!! :-) > On 11/19/07 7:51 PM, in article > 960017e2-d39a-48e4-8ea3-25baf4d21...@b40g2000prf.googlegroups.com, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > pressure on them are not moving freely, allowing arcing. Sometimes its > fixable. |
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