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1989 Honda Accord wont start from key, will from starter by

Tiny
AUTOMATICGIANT
  • MEMBER
  • 1989 HONDA ACCORD
Electrical problem
1989 Honda Accord 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 180k miles

it has been sitting for the better part of 2 years. I replaced the head gasket and finally replaced the fluids to get it running again but it won't start from inside. If I attach a starter switch to the battery and solenoid post on the starter, I can start I that way but when I try to use the ignition switch, it clicks rapidly and cranks it a few degrees and stops. Any ideas? Also the battery isnt in great shape but I have been testing while having jumper cables connected to a running vehicle so that shouldn't really matter.
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Monday, August 2nd, 2010 AT 6:26 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi automaticgiant,

Thank you for the donation.

When the starter clicks with the ignition, it can either be the battery or the cables.

Some jumper cables do not have the capacity to crank the starter if the battery is weak.

If starter can be cranked with remote wire attached, the other components to check would be the starter relay and ignion switch.

I would suggest getting a good known battery to test to eliminate the possibility of the waek starter and jumper cables.
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Monday, August 2nd, 2010 AT 8:33 AM
Tiny
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  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
So should I start by bypassing the battery cables with new ones or check relays or what.
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Monday, August 2nd, 2010 AT 1:08 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Start with a good battery, at least it is the simplest job and can save a lot of time if it is the cause.

Check the ground connections at transmission, they usually gets frayed and bad.
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Monday, August 2nd, 2010 AT 2:04 PM

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