AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

«‹›1131 »

StormDrain: May 22, 2003; Thirteen Letter

Waltzing Along posted:

I have a 2013 Honda Civic EX Sedan. Recently, it has had trouble starting on occasion. From googling it seems to be a no start/no crank issue.

There is a bit more back history. I had to swap batteries after I had it for about 2.5 years. I bought it new. Just recently it totally died and got a jump from AAA. The battery I had purchased was still in warranty but the person at the shop said I had been sold the wrong one. They tested the battery and it was fully charged but wasn't sending out any power. So they replaced it with a new one. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense about it not supplying power.

Anyway, after doing some research, I think I've narrowed it down to three things:

1 - bad fuse
2 - bad starter
3 - bad alternator

At this point I'm a bit lost as to which direction to go, other than just bring it to a shop. Is there a way I can test to figure out which of these three things is the problem?

Also, most of the time the car works just fine. It starts fine. Power is fine. But sometimes when I turn the key, nothing happens. And on occasion I have to wait a few minutes to try again. I don't think it is the starter because I don't hear it even attempting to turn over and there is no whine or sputter.

I kind of think it might be a bad fuse.

If the battery is charged there may be an intermittent connection, one that is corroded or otherwise dirty or loose and it only really works when you have enough power to overcome the resistance. Check and clean all man power connections first.

Out of your three guesses really only the starter seems to follow the symptoms. A fuse doesn�t recover (but some kind of circuit breaker would, still seems unlikely), and a bad alternator would mean your battery has no charge or is overcharged and will fail. Although all of those areas have electrical connections that could be weak.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 17:33

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 17:52

Chunjee: Oct 27, 2004

Is there anything I can plug into ODBII or custom wire that will audibly alert the driver to an overheating engine? I am never going to notice the dial going too high and neither is anyone else driving my vehicles.

Something small and audible like this would be fantastic.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 17:52

Waltzing Along: Jun 14, 2008; There's only one
Human race
Many faces
Everybody belongs here

StormDrain posted:

If the battery is charged there may be an intermittent connection, one that is corroded or otherwise dirty or loose and it only really works when you have enough power to overcome the resistance. Check and clean all man power connections first.

Out of your three guesses really only the starter seems to follow the symptoms. A fuse doesn�t recover (but some kind of circuit breaker would, still seems unlikely), and a bad alternator would mean your battery has no charge or is overcharged and will fail. Although all of those areas have electrical connections that could be weak.

So a starter can be intermittent?

# ? Jan 20, 2019 17:54

Motronic: Nov 6, 2009

Waltzing Along posted:

So a starter can be intermittent?

The solenoid sure can be.

And do hondas in 2013 still have that relay that seems to always go bad and prevent them from starting when it's hot out?

# ? Jan 20, 2019 18:12

0toShifty: Aug 21, 2005; 0 to Stiffy?

Waltzing Along posted:

I have a 2013 Honda Civic EX Sedan. Recently, it has had trouble starting on occasion. From googling it seems to be a no start/no crank issue.

This sounds like a loose or corroded battery terminal to me. This is a pretty common problem on Honda and Acura. They do just what you say - turn the key and NOTHING.

Go get a battery terminal brush. Note that the top comes off (this is not obvious). Use this to clean the inside of each terminal.

Then push the terminal onto the battery post, as far down as you can and then tighten them down tight.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 19:01

Deteriorata: Feb 6, 2005

Waltzing Along posted:

So a starter can be intermittent?

Indeed. If the motor has a bad spot on the contacts, it will refuse to work whenever it stops at that particular spot. It's actually a sign of a dying starter motor, as the number of bad spots will increase over time until there are no good spots left.

A fuse is easy to check and replace. If it is blown, it's probably a sign of a bad starter that is shorting out. That's what's always happened with me - starter fuse blows = new starter needed.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 19:37

Jim DiGriz: Apr 28, 2008; Maybe there is no room for guys like us.; Grimey Drawer

Chunjee posted:

Is there anything I can plug into ODBII or custom wire that will audibly alert the driver to an overheating engine? I am never going to notice the dial going too high and neither is anyone else driving my vehicles.

Something small and audible like this would be fantastic.

This gadget seems to have that functionality. This is no recommendation, I've not tried the unit, but the idea piqued my interest so I did some searching.

I myself have an Android head unit though, so I'll probably try some apps that can do it.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 20:12

Motronic: Nov 6, 2009

Chunjee posted:

Is there anything I can plug into ODBII or custom wire that will audibly alert the driver to an overheating engine? I am never going to notice the dial going too high and neither is anyone else driving my vehicles.

Something small and audible like this would be fantastic.

You're looking for the Scanguage that every Land Rover Discovery owner uses because they're always on the verge of overheating.

https://www.scangauge.com/products/scangauge-ii/

# ? Jan 20, 2019 20:16

Chunjee: Oct 27, 2004

Thanks for the google-fu. I'll check at least one of those out and report back.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 20:34

Waltzing Along: Jun 14, 2008; There's only one
Human race
Many faces
Everybody belongs here

0toShifty posted:

This sounds like a loose or corroded battery terminal to me. This is a pretty common problem on Honda and Acura. They do just what you say - turn the key and NOTHING.

Go get a battery terminal brush. Note that the top comes off (this is not obvious). Use this to clean the inside of each terminal.

Then push the terminal onto the battery post, as far down as you can and then tighten them down tight.

This is the cheapest/easiest option so I will give it a shot. You also seem to know what I am talking about from experience. Thanks.

Deteriorata posted:

Indeed. If the motor has a bad spot on the contacts, it will refuse to work whenever it stops at that particular spot. It's actually a sign of a dying starter motor, as the number of bad spots will increase over time until there are no good spots left.

A fuse is easy to check and replace. If it is blown, it's probably a sign of a bad starter that is shorting out. That's what's always happened with me - starter fuse blows = new starter needed.

I need to figure out how to check the fuses on this car. Never even seen them. I have a multimeter so that might help a bit.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 21:08

Deteriorata: Feb 6, 2005

Waltzing Along posted:

This is the cheapest/easiest option so I will give it a shot. You also seem to know what I am talking about from experience. Thanks.

I need to figure out how to check the fuses on this car. Never even seen them. I have a multimeter so that might help a bit.

There's usually two fuse boxes, one in the passenger compartment and one under the hood. On a Civic, I think the interior one is under the dash to the left of the steering wheel. The one under the hood is on the driver's side, back of the battery. They just pop open. The starter fuse is probably under the hood. The identity and location of each is usually embossed on the inside of the cover.

# ? Jan 20, 2019 21:16

0toShifty: Aug 21, 2005; 0 to Stiffy?

Chunjee posted:

Is there anything I can plug into ODBII or custom wire that will audibly alert the driver to an overheating engine? I am never going to notice the dial going too high and neither is anyone else driving my vehicles.

Something small and audible like this would be fantastic.

An ultragauge has audible and visual alarms, but it might be overly complicated for this purpose. I have one in my Prius to get instant MPG (which isn't anywhere on the Prius C's dash for some bizarre reason) and coolant temp.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 05:38

StormDrain: May 22, 2003; Thirteen Letter

Chunjee posted:

Is there anything I can plug into ODBII or custom wire that will audibly alert the driver to an overheating engine? I am never going to notice the dial going too high and neither is anyone else driving my vehicles.

Something small and audible like this would be fantastic.

I�m assuming since it�s ODBII that you can�t, but just throwing this out there. Lots of cheap cars just had temperature lights and no gauge. If you could put one of those sensors into your blue car it could be wired up to a buzzer. Otherwise if there is already a light perhaps connect the light bulb to a relay that triggers an alarm.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 06:05

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

Alternately you could try forcing yourself into the habit of scanning the gauges once in a while.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 06:37

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Motronic posted:

The solenoid sure can be.

And do hondas in 2013 still have that relay that seems to always go bad and prevent them from starting when it's hot out?

That won't cause a no-crank issue. It keeps the fuel injectors and pump from getting power (depending how far back you go, the ECU won't get power either), but it'll happily crank all day (until they went to ECU controlled starters). And no, they did away with those sometime in the mid 00s.

The no power bit sounds like an intermittent battery connection. Likely corrosion.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 11:13

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

StormDrain posted:

I’m assuming since it’s ODBII that you can’t, but just throwing this out there. Lots of cheap cars just had temperature lights and no gauge. If you could put one of those sensors into your blue car it could be wired up to a buzzer. Otherwise if there is already a light perhaps connect the light bulb to a relay that triggers an alarm.

Nothing stopping you from running two coolant temperature sensors - I do this on my LS1 swap. Driver's head feeds the computer, passenger head feeds the gauge.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 15:30

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Managed to get a chunk of my front right bumper ripped off by some icy snow or something while trying to get onto the road. Doesn�t look like the internals we�re busted. Is it worth it to try and duct tape it back together if it�s just the outside bumper, or should I get the whole thing fixed immediately? It would only be temporary anyway.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 20:38

Literally Lewis Hamilton: Feb 22, 2005

Is it just the bumper cover, the plastic bit? If so there�s no issue with it being removed bar some small potential impact to fuel economy or road noise.

If it�s the bumper itself, the actual metal bar, it needs fixing ASAP and not with duct tape since it�s a safety item.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 20:45

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Bumper cover AFAICT but I�m not an auto expert so I really have no idea. What worries me the most is the lack of protection for the antifreeze or wiper fluid or whatever that is there.

Images in case someone smarter than me knows wtf.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 20:57

PainterofCrap: Oct 17, 2002; hey bebe

Tape it up until it warms up. Clean the plastic first as best you can, wipe it down with isopropyl first if possible, and start shopping for a new cover/body shop.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 20:59

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Is duct tape good enough or do I need specialty tape or something?

# ? Jan 21, 2019 20:59

Javid: Oct 21, 2004

I would zip tie stitch that pending replacement, personally.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 21:01

Literally Lewis Hamilton: Feb 22, 2005

Javid posted:

I would zip tie stitch that pending replacement, personally.

Same.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 21:11

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Lol if you think I can be trusted with a drill.

Part affixed (I think the tabs still work) and packing tape applied. Will replace with duct tape once it warms up. Thanks guys!

Turns out the service light is on so I need to take it to a Honda dealership anyway :v:

# ? Jan 21, 2019 21:25

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

Be careful where you're putting the tape - I wouldn't put any on any painted surface that isn't the bumper cover itself. The adhesive gets nasty quick on cars.

The bumper cover, well, that's trashed and is going to need a replacement with fresh paint anyway. But I'd keep the tape off of the fender / hood / anything that isn't getting replaced.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 21:42

Colonel J: Jan 3, 2008

I'm having battery problems. It is very cold these days and my car just wouldn't start; had to have a friend boost it. Then a few hours later it started again without a problem, but this morning turning the key didn't even turn the starter. Once again it started fine being boosted.

Is this a case of buying a new battery, or it simply got too low and driving around a few hours could charge it enough for it to come back to life for good?

# ? Jan 21, 2019 22:04

Twerk from Home: Jan 17, 2009; This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.

Colonel J posted:

I'm having battery problems. It is very cold these days and my car just wouldn't start; had to have a friend boost it. Then a few hours later it started again without a problem, but this morning turning the key didn't even turn the starter. Once again it started fine being boosted.

Is this a case of buying a new battery, or it simply got too low and driving around a few hours could charge it enough for it to come back to life for good?

How old is your battery? If it's more than 4 years, replace.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 22:08

Colonel J: Jan 3, 2008

Twerk from Home posted:

How old is your battery? If it's more than 4 years, replace.

I'm not sure. I bought the car back in May from a used dealer and the battery was already there. I guess I'll just get a new battery and buy peace of mind. Thanks!

# ? Jan 21, 2019 22:21

Javid: Oct 21, 2004

Batteries usually have a manufacture date sticker on them somewhere.

What happens when you try to start it? A weak attempt to turn over, or just a click?

# ? Jan 21, 2019 22:36

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

Extreme temperatures will often kill a battery that is near the end of its life. Agreed with Javid that there should be some obvious month/year date on it somewhere. Here in AZ, at least, if it's over two years old it's suspect.

# ? Jan 21, 2019 23:32

StormDrain: May 22, 2003; Thirteen Letter

IOwnCalculus posted:

Nothing stopping you from running two coolant temperature sensors - I do this on my LS1 swap. Driver's head feeds the computer, passenger head feeds the gauge.

I�m also making a base assumption that this blue car doesn�t have an open port for a second sensor. Is it fairly common to have a nice threaded spot in the coolant passage? Maybe a drain plug or something?

# ? Jan 22, 2019 00:36

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

StormDrain posted:

I�m also making a base assumption that this blue car doesn�t have an open port for a second sensor. Is it fairly common to have a nice threaded spot in the coolant passage? Maybe a drain plug or something?

If it's a V-configuration engine and uses the same head on both sides of the engine, then the factory setup is probably a sensor on one side and a blockoff plug with the exact same thread on the other. Outside of that, yeah, you might have to get creative to add a sensor. Worst case there are T-adapters you can splice into a radiator hose, but then that's only giving you the temperature of coolant going between the radiator and engine, not the temperature of the coolant in the engine itself.

# ? Jan 22, 2019 00:59

BlackMK4: Aug 23, 2006; wat.; Megamarm

Anyone used a uhaul trailer that didn't use the built in wheel net things? Is there somewhere to anchor four straps on the thing? These: https://www.amazon.com/Vulcan-Classic-Yellow-Exotic-ratchets/dp/B00A7YJ59G

# ? Jan 22, 2019 03:21

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

I used the built in ones, because they looked fine and why would I spend another hundred bucks for no good reason.

# ? Jan 22, 2019 03:29

BlackMK4: Aug 23, 2006; wat.; Megamarm

I am worried about the uhaul ones actually fitting so I want to be prepared if they don't
17x10 wheels on a low car

# ? Jan 22, 2019 03:35

nitsuga: Jan 1, 2007

I've been having some difficulties getting into first gear on my 2009 Honda Fit. I'll be at a stoplight, and when it's time to launch sometimes it just won't drop in. It started doing this last year, so I got the transmission oil changed on it, but that hasn't seemed to help. To clarify, it works most of the time, but not all of the time. Any ideas on what could be going on?

As a workaround, I've been launching from second in these cases. I'm guessing that's not great for the clutch and all that, but is there anything else I'm putting wear on?

# ? Jan 22, 2019 03:55

Fender Anarchist: May 20, 2009; Fender Anarchist

Can you not just shift into gear earlier and keep the clutch held down? Or is it not going into first at all?

# ? Jan 22, 2019 03:58

StormDrain: May 22, 2003; Thirteen Letter

nitsuga posted:

I've been having some difficulties getting into first gear on my 2009 Honda Fit. I'll be at a stoplight, and when it's time to launch sometimes it just won't drop in. It started doing this last year, so I got the transmission oil changed on it, but that hasn't seemed to help. To clarify, it works most of the time, but not all of the time. Any ideas on what could be going on?

As a workaround, I've been launching from second in these cases. I'm guessing that's not great for the clutch and all that, but is there anything else I'm putting wear on?

Any issues with 3rd? 5th? Does it work better if you shift with vigor? I�m wondering if there�s an issue with the shift linkage, like something has come disconnected or is binding.

# ? Jan 22, 2019 04:01

PaintVagrant: Apr 13, 2007; ~ the ultimate driving machine ~

nitsuga posted:

I've been having some difficulties getting into first gear on my 2009 Honda Fit. I'll be at a stoplight, and when it's time to launch sometimes it just won't drop in. It started doing this last year, so I got the transmission oil changed on it, but that hasn't seemed to help. To clarify, it works most of the time, but not all of the time. Any ideas on what could be going on?

As a workaround, I've been launching from second in these cases. I'm guessing that's not great for the clutch and all that, but is there anything else I'm putting wear on?

Clutch in, shift into second, then into first. Does it seem to slide in easier?

# ? Jan 22, 2019 04:13

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 17:52

Captain Dilly: Sep 29, 2003

My girlfriend�s 2008 Toyota Yaris 3-door (hatchback) had the lift support arms on the rear gate (trunk door?) fail. Hers is the 5-speed manual with the rear wiper, I�d that matters. I�ve replaced arms like this before, but this time the bracket that the arms mount into has also broken off from the gate. From the looks of the connectors, it doesn�t look like it was simply bolted on. Maybe riveted, or some kind of weld�this stuff is definitely not my forte so I apologize for not being sure. I�ve tried looking at part schematics but can�t nail down what I need or how difficult it would be to replace it myself.

My main questions are: in addition to the hydraulic arms, what part specifically is the bracket that the arms mount into? Secondly, what kind of repair is this-welding/riveting is something I have no tools for or experience in. Finally, assuming this is not something I can tackle�can a regular mechanic do this? Is it more of a body shop thing?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

I�m sorry I�m having trouble embedding images from my phone. Here�s the Imgur album for now until I can get on my PC. Sorry I can�t even get the link to display as text! It�s been a while since I�ve been on using the Awful app. https://imgur.com/gallery/RxMgcwU

# ? Jan 22, 2019 07:31

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

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