Is it a sign that it is a battery problem if it is difficult to start a car in a hot or humid day?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Honda2nd - 15 Nov 2005 19:47 GMT

I have a 99 civic and during the past months, it has been difficult to
start the car. So far, every time I can manage to start it after I turn

the key a few times. There is a pattern though. It is more difficult to

get it started in a hot or humid day. I guess this gets rid off the
possbility of bad starters or alternator and leaves the possibility of
bad connection or battery. My question is that whether batteries work
better in a hot/humid day or in a cold day. Also recently when I start
the car, I can hear something like clear clicking sound, not from the
engine or starter, but from the direction of glove compartment or
further or somewhere roughly that direction. And when there is that
clicking sound, I found it is much more difficult to start the car. And

yes, I also got a problem with my driver side door recently, months
after the difficult starting problem. I can't lock the dirver side
door. Even more wierd, occasionally, I can't open the door from inside
after driving for a while. I can open it from outside though. Seemed it

gets all the logic wrong (prohibit people from getting out other than
the other way). I don't know if the lock problem is connected to the
starting problem. Sometimes, I am thinking maybe there is a problem of
electric connection that get all things behavior strangely. Probably i
will start a separate thread to ask about the lock problem.

Reply to this Message

John Horner - 16 Nov 2005 00:49 GMT

> I have a 99 civic and during the past months, it has been difficult to
> start the car. So far, every time I can manage to start it after I turn
>
> the key a few times. There is a pattern though. It is more difficult to
>
> get it started in a hot or humid day.

It could be a bad battery, could also be a bad relay or bad connections.

If it is the original battery in the car I would begin by getting a new one.

John

Reply to this Message

Ricky Spartacus - 17 Nov 2005 14:33 GMT

"Honda2nd"

> I have a 99 civic and during the past months, it has been difficult to
> start the car. So far, every time I can manage to start it after I turn
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> electric connection that get all things behavior strangely. Probably i
> will start a separate thread to ask about the lock problem.

If you hear a clicking sound from the glove compartment then it's the
main relay. You can find the location and fix it here.

http://techauto.funpic.org/civicrelaylocation

You can also dielectric grease your plugs and seals the distributor cap.

Reply to this Message

Jim Yanik - 17 Nov 2005 17:34 GMT

> "Honda2nd"
>
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>
> You can also dielectric grease your plugs and seals the distributor cap.

It could also be a bad starter solenoid....IF the car doesn't CRANK when
the key is turned.(he didn't mention whether the car cranks or doesn't.If
it does crank,then probably the main relay as you said.)

Some Honda products have "non-replaceable" solenoids,like my Integra.
I found this on the 'net;
http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/Nippondenso.html
Source for a $30 solenoid "rebuild" kit.
I've ordered and installed this kit in my Integra,it solved the
intermittent cranking problem I had.The parts were of excellent quality.

Signature

Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Reply to this Message

Honda2nd - 17 Nov 2005 20:13 GMT

Thanks all for the reply. Yes, I should add more information. i) many
times, when I turn the key, there are immediate cranking noise and one
or two more turns the engine can get started. But other times (when it
is humid or hot or close to that), when I turned the key, almost
nothing happens; I mean the light on the pannel is very dim and the
cranking is very slow and weak if any. Since the light is very weak
too, I guess it is still not a problem with the starter; more like
being short of power (battery)? But if I keep the key in the position,
after a few seconds, the engine can be started eventually even with the
weak cranking. It is almost like coming back alive from a blackout. ii)
recently seems that the car has been easier to get started. You know it
is cold now. But there is one occasion that I got my car started easily
and drove a few miles to a grocery and when I got out and started it,
it was difficult to get started again. So far, every time I managed to
get it started, even if when it begins like"being blackout". Yes, the
clicks seemed having come from the box containing the fuse and relays.
I don't hear the clicks all the time. When I hear it, it is difficult
to get the car started and seems to me that the light is flashing
following the weak cranking. More and more like to me a power problem.
And it is not like the situation of "blackout". In the situations of
"blackout" I mentioned above, the light is very weak to begin with and
the cranking is slower and weaker and I don't hear the noise from the
cranking. I guess I need to go straight for a new battery. Before snow
piles up, I need to find it out somehow. And again, it has been better
recently with the cold temperature....haha...

Reply to this Message