i have a 81 honda accord 5 speed, while i was driving it would shut off for a second and instantly go back on. now it doesnt start at all, headlights wont go on, interior lights wont go on, just nothing, i check the battery and it is fine. What could it be?

brandy681

WOW I am glad I am on here because I have had very similar experiences with my honda and I have the same one. Now if the lights will not go on then it basically has to be the Alternator, battery or it could be the rotor button ot spark plugs but if it was the spark plugs or rotor button the lights should come on!! Ok you say that the lights will not come on and so that has to be one of those that I just mentioned.... Is your battery charged because your alternator could be bad and that is draining the battery. Anyway NO lights indicate BAD BATTERY. Is your wipers dead as well? It sounds like a alternator because if you have a GOOD battery or a new battery a alternator wil cause the problems. I have had 4 alternators go bad in my honda since I purchased it. I would have to say that most likely you need a alternator.. If you do need the alternator it will cost about $230-250 installed for this car. If it is the battery well thats about $50 bucks... I am sorry but that Is all that I think it could be

brandy681

Also.. check the battery connections as well because the car is old. I recently had to replace mine. it has to be alternator or battery or battery connections. You can purchase a cheap alternator at the junk yard and have it installed for arround $130 total.. if that is the case. If it is the connections you may have to replace them and it is only $20. I have to say that it does sound like a bad alternator, also check the water in the battery. It has to be the battery, battery connector or alternator. Could be something else but I doubt it.

arbeau

i just got an alternator last year, (new) and battery (new). I tested my battery its good, i think it is just corroded wires or something, i guess i'll have to just check the wires that lead from my battery, its not giving power somewhere there....................When my alternator went last year my battery light came on, i didn't know what the heck was going on, i had to get a jump evey 5 minutes. but as soon as i bought a new one everything was good to go. I did't get no batter light on this time. (CONFUSING) man o man o man.

brandy681

That is exactly what mine did... I had to jump start it every 5 minutes... I have been through about 5 alternators in 2 years that I bought from Auto Zone thank God for the lifetime warranty. Sometimes the battery indicator light would come on and sometimes it would not with my Honda and when the Alternator was bad. Hondas are bad for alternator problems and NO START problems in general. It is probably something wrong with the battery connectors, I just replaced mine, a mechanic put in and it only cost $20 but it will cost less if you can do it yourself. When my connectors went bad I was confused because all of my inside and outside lights came on but my car would not start. It acted like it was going to start but did not. Finally after trying for a few minutes it cranked up. I figured that since my lights were working that maybe my starter was bad or my starter plug was loose. I took it to Auto Zone just to see if the could check it for free and they did. The guy said that he could not getting a reading off of the battery and to check my battery wires. Finally he got a reading that my battery was fine an so that is when I took it to have the connectors replaced.


Keep in touch and let me know what the problem is because this had got me wondering.. When my connectors were bad the lights were working, all of them and the car wouldn't crank. Finally I did get it to crank though and then the next time it would not crank and after resting a while it would crank up again. I just decided to get it checked once it started up so I didn't have to get it towed and pay additional expences.

txgreasemonkey

Read sections A and B below:

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...das-46563.html

arbeau

hmmmmm, does it look like a flasher? because i just recently had to change the flasher because my turnsignals wouldnt work, and i didnt know which one to change because underneath behind the fuses (so hard to get at) there are 3 thingys, a small flasher, (the one i replaced for the turn signals) and there was a bigger one twice the size as the first flasher, and i replaced it too because my turn signals still didnt work after changing the first one. but i couldnt find the exact same as it too..............And there is another thing where they are i think its black, is this the thingy your talking about???? (i hope all this made sense)

txgreasemonkey

You need to carefully read Sections A and B, in the previously given link, and run through the three basic diagnostic questions and other tests listed. If you do, it should help your zero-in on where the problem resides. I don't think it has anything to do with the flasher.

It may be a bad ignition switch, but follow the tests.

arbeau

well, remember the flasher thing i was talking about, i took the old one and put it back in my car and, guess what happens, my lights go on, my stereo works, everything started working but when i went to start the car everything shut off again, so it needs to be replaced. ( so i am guessing that is what the problem is) craaaaaaazy, so i went to napa and asked if they had any of whatever it is, but i have to go to honda they says. it looks just like a flasher but twice the size. damn i don't even know what this part is called lol.

arbeau

I FIGURED OUT WHAT IT WAS, I FOUND A BIG WHITE WIRE UNDERNEATH THE STEERING WHEEL BEHIND THE FUSES IT WAS BURNT AND MELTED.