No longer cranking

SAPRINA LUVNMYKIDS MCARTHUR

MEMBER
2002 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
1,123 MILES

At first it was running hot I put coolant transmission and oil. Then a few days later I would have to hold my foot on the gas for it to crank, then a few days later when I would try to crank it would not crank. It sounded like the battery was draining so I bought a new battery. It would crank then, but when I took my foot off the gas the entire car would shut off. A few days it would not crank at all it. Now when I try to crank it it sounds like the battery is draining.

When it was driving it would give me difficulty sometimes getting past thirty five mph even if I had the gas pedal all the way down it would jerk and take a minute to get past thirty five mph. When I would come to a stop the car would cut off and I would have to start it again.

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,489 POSTS

When you say it was running hot, do you mean overheating with steam coming out or just higher on the gauge than you normally see?
You added Coolant, transmission fluid and engine oil in response to that issue?
Did you check the transmission fluid and engine oil levels first and saw they were low?

The symptoms can point at multiple things. It could have overheated enough that you have a blown head gasket.
Adding extra engine oil could cause it to be over full. That can lead to the oil actually hitting the crankshaft and being frothed up (sort of like a motor boat prop or a mixer in batter) that adds air to the oil and air does not lubricate very well and will damage the bearings. Check the oil level and color on the dip stick. Is it full or way over? It it oil colored or does it have water or a milkshake look?

As adding a better battery allowed it to crank over and run it also could be that you have a bad alternator that is not keeping the battery charged or is even draining it.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator
might help if that is the case. For the meter used, the cheap ones sold at places like harbor freight or parts stores is fine, you do not need a pro level tool.