I bought this car used from a friend who repairs and restores cars for a living. In a few words, he buys cars that have been in minor accidents, repairs them, then sells them.

Onto my problem. I have a 1997 Honda Civic DX, about 79K miles on it, and it has been having trouble starting lately. Shortly after I got it, the battery turned out to be dead, so I had it replaced. Everything worked just fine for the next five or six months until I went out one day. It was raining quite hard while I was driving, though when I parked, the rain had stopped. It was a fairly warm day, probably pushing 80 degrees F. and the humidity was through the roof. When I returned to start the car and be on my way, it didn't want to start. It made a click but that's just about it. After about ten, maybe fifteen minutes of sitting around, the car started and I got back home without further problems. The car started just fine for a day or two afterward but it began doing the same thing. In my desperate attempt to fix the problem (not having any experience with cars other than driving and changing my battery once) I gently wiggled the cables that connect the battery and it started. I thought I'd found my miracle cure seeing as how that helped start the car every time it had that problem up until today. Tried to start the car, that familiar click followed by silence is what I got in return. Figuring I knew the problem, I wiggled the cables once again but it didn't work so I turned to the internet and now I'm here.

I've noticed that this started happening ever since it got warmer. Not sure if that might have something to do with it, but I figure I'll throw all the information I can on here, hoping to get an idea of what my problem might be. We had a pretty harsh winter, going to -30 F with wind chill on a few occasions. Also, I live in Illinois if that is of any help.

Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide.

. Remove and fully charge the battery. Most auto parts stores will do this for free.

. Clean battery terminals and cable connections with either a battery terminal brush, abrasive cloth, or steel wool. Tighten cable connections securely.

. Test whether the Check Engine Light comes on and goes off after two seconds, when the ignition switch is turned to ON (Position II).

. Replace the main relay, which is located right of the glove box, along the wall of the right kick panel.

. Check for spark.

Thank you for the reply.
1) I'll get the battery charged.
2) The terminals and cable connectors are pretty clean since the battery is new, but I figure going over 'em once more can't hurt.
3) The Check Engine light goes on for two seconds then goes off when the key is in position II.
4) Not sure what the main relay is or what it does, but if I get the car to start, I'll drive over to the guy I purchased it from and see if they can tell me exactly what the problem is.

Once again, thank you for the response and general guidance.

If it's really a "crank but won't start situation," replace the Ignition Control Module (ICM) and coil:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post265896

These problematic components on Hondas should be replaced every 120,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first. If you replace these three components, which I recommend that you do, the odds are very high that you will restore "like new" reliability and performance.