I have a 1998 Honda Civic EX 4-door with 186,000 miles on it. Last Sunday (1/3), the car would not start. Put the key in the ignition, turned it, and nothing happen. There wasn't any power to the accessories nor clicking sounds. The horn would not even blow! After a few seconds, I tried it again and the car started. The clock on the radio and the radio presets were all gone and had to be reset. I drove the car during the week and it performed OK. This morning I get into the car to go to work, turned the key, and nothing happened. Again, dead... absolutely no juice in flowing, no horn, no light, no radio, etc.. The car acts as if someone removed the battery. I checked all of the fuses under the hood and they were good. I did a load test on the battery, and it was good. A new battery was put into the car in May.

Any idea on what could be going on? Could a bad main relay or ignition switch cause this? Or could a corroded positive battery cable cause this. It seems as if the battery is having an immediate short.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated very much.

Check your Battery Cables at Battery and at the other ends(starter)/block).
Battery does not have an "Immediate Short", it has an Intermiddent connection.
Maybe, turn on headlights next time and move cables around, can sometimes expose a bad connection.

Thanks, Stratmando. I'll inspect them when I get home. When I changed the battery in May, the positive cable had some corrosion on it and I tried to clean it the best I could. Maybe I didn't clean it good enough. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks again for the help!

I looked at the + cable last night and it did have some white corrosion on it but it didn't look severe. I don't know how much could cause problems. The connections to the fuse panels and starter were nice and tight. I can scrub away the corrosion but I can't get all of it. Is there a solution I can spray on it to dissolve it or should I buy a completely new cable assembly? The new cable assembly is around $25. Also, the - cable assembly is clean and the ground connections are tight.

Thanks again for the help and let me know if there is anything else I can look at.

A $5 test light from auto store can help locate problem. Try all fuses(both sides) for power. Could be a Main Relay or Fuse.
Look through here, starting about post #25(fuses and relays):
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-3.html#post251124

Stratmando,

Just to let you know, I scrubbed both of the battery posts and the cables within an inch of their life! Both posts and cables were bright. Re-connected everything and the car has been running great for the past few days. Many thanks for the help.

Now, I need to change the timing belt and water pump on this car. Would you consider this a do-it-yourself type project or do I need to take it to my mechanic?

My advice is to take it to Honda to change the timing belt and replace the water pump. Often, you will find that they are cheaper than other outfits and you know it will be done right.