It does not matter if starter wire is plugged in or not, your testing the wire.
All tests indicate starter motor, [or solenoid] is bad.
Try same tests while trying to start the car, [plug starter wire in].:whisper: 94
sorry forgot to mention that IS with the starter wire plugged in. so i will test it with it unplugged once i get home (about 2 hours). this is so strange… it tested okay @ autozone but doesnt work in my car. could it still be that i am not getting a good enough contact with the stud like u mentioned with your car? :think:
EDIT:
my bat. was: 12.60
alright i tested the actual starter wire by itself and with accessories on the # was: 1.53
& while trying to start the car the wires # went up to: 11.82
also found a fatter wire & tried the bypass & got the same result.
Do the 12V+ test but place the black probe on the batt. neg.(-) post, not the clamp and place the red probe on the starter motor/solenoid stud, not the terminal, then have someone try and start the car with the key.
You should get the same reading, [before trying to start] when probes are on the batt. neg.(-) post and the starter motor/solenoid stud as you do when the probes are on the two batt. posts.
In other words place black probe on batt. neg.(-) post and red probe on batt. pos.(+) post, [not the batt. clamps] then move the red probe to the starter motor/solenoid stud, [not the ring terminal] then try and start the car with the key, starter wire needs to be plugged into solenoid.
What are the 3 voltage readings?
94
before start-
bat. + and -: 12.58
bat. - & starter stud: 12.58
trying to start-
bat. + and -: 12.28
bat. - & starter stud: 12.28
going to go to an auto dismantler today & get one with a 30 day warranty to see if it works
Power connections are all good, do the same with continuity, one probe on batt. neg.(-) post, the other on the case of the starter, try and start.94
i did the continuity test and i got nothing. when i turn it to the “continuity” setting u told me to use w/o doing anything it says “Lo”. now when i did this test to the starter motor case (on multiple locations) i got that same message
Lo???
I think that means the meters batt. is low, you are turning it off when not using it, right?:hmm: 94
PS, if you have a set of jumper cables clamp one end to the batt. neg.(-) and the other end to the starter motor/solenoid case or any metal close to the starter motor, you do not need to use the jumper pos.(+) cable, try and start the car with the key.
yes it reads “Lo” before i do anything. for example when i touch the probes together like u told me to do a few posts back i got a reading of 0.00. before & after that reading (no probes touching) the screen says “Lo”.
will attmpt jumper start right now. be back in 10
okay so i guess i had it upsidedown it actually reads .OL
testing starter immediatly after getting in garage 0.04
testing starter while trying to start car .OL
but… the jumper cables WORKED!! my car started up no prob with the jumpers on like u suggested. i couldnt resist to drive it around the block
The engine/transmission is not grounded properly, recheck the batt. ground lead, remove the ground cable, the whole thing, disconnect it from the chassis ground point and at the batt. and transmission, lay it on a bench and and do a continuity check on the ground cable, inspect the terminals, are they good connections, clean and tight or loose and/or corroded.
are the connecting points, chassis, [under the batt. “box”] and transmission, [bracket mounted to transmission] clean, free of rust?
All you did when connecting the jumper cable was give the engine/transmission, and in turn the starter motor, a ground, that it is not getting properly from the stock ground cable ground.:bowthank: 94
alright well after taking them off and doing the continuity test on both wires the bat. ground is fine (reading .00) and the tranny ground was first reading .222. i removed some tape that was wrapped all around the tranny ground and discovered corrosion and a very horribly made ground, the continuity reading now jumps all over the place when i try to test this wire. it is a 4 gauge wire - should i replace it with the same gauge?
It must be aftermarket, the stock ground lead is is a single, 6ga I believe, that runs from the batt. to the transmission it runs under the batt. “box” and some insulation has been striped off the cable and a mounting clamp wrapped around the cable and is mounted under the batt. “box” for chassis ground.
I would replace it with a stock cable.:sipread: 94
FCM. Question… when you do the bypass test, when you say when the “motor turns” the problem is not the starter or sololoid. Is the “motor” the engine block turning or the starter turning?
Local- you jacked my thread but your pixs help me a little. Its all good.
i know i did man im real sorry. the whole time this was going on i was just waiting for someone to say it. tried making my own but it just got burried. if u need anymore photos lemme know. again sorry for the thread jack
Yea, sorry, I should have said engine turns over, if only the starter motor turns over, you have a flywheel, starter motor pinion gear or solenoid problem.:sipread:94
[QUOTE=fcm;1744842]Another thing that can happen with Honda starter/solenoids is the stud that the batt. lead connects to can turn a little when you tighten the nut, it does not have to turn much, 1-3 degrees for the contacts to misalign.
Try “undoing” the nut a little, hold and turn the ring terminal at the same time, and see if the stud moves.
[/QUOTE]
Huh? I understand the mechanical sense but, can you elaborate on this theory?
[QUOTE=fcm;1747527]
All you did when connecting the jumper cable was give the engine/transmission, and in turn the starter motor, a ground, that it is not getting properly from the stock ground cable ground.:bowthank: 94[/QUOTE]
FCM-My car STARTS when I jump start it with another vehicle. Could that mean my grounds are shot?
Lets not forget my original problem. My car starts everyday if I drive it everyday. But if I don’t start it for a couple of days, either I would get starting delays or it wouldn’t start (turn over) at all. Thats when I have to jump start it and that will start it.
FCM-My car STARTS when I jump start it with another vehicle. Could that mean my grounds are shot?
That depends on where you are connecting the neg.(-) jumper cable in your car.
What I meant when saying us a jumper cable I mean from your batt. ground to the engine/transmission of your car, if that works your stock grounds are bad.
If when your jump starting your car you are connecting the cables to your batt., [from the other cars batt.] and you can start your car then I would guess you have a batt. that will not hold a charge, but I believe you said you changed the batt.
Huh? I understand the mechanical sense but, can you elaborate on this theory?
First it’s not a theory, the stud sticking out of the starter solenoid that the batt. cable is connected to is also part of the solenoid switch, [hot side of switch or hot terminal] the load side of switch is the starter motor pos.(+)terminal, [internal] the “switch” is a plate on the end of the solenoid plunger that connects the two terminals to close the circuit, although the starter motor pos.(+) terminal is “fixed” and can not move, the hot side terminal, [stud] can turn so it is no longer sitting “square” or parallel to the switch plate so the contact area is very small, [one edge of the terminal, that edge will become “burnt” because of resistance and can become intermittent in it’s connection to the switch plate, a batt. that will not hold a full charge may not have enough current to “slam” the solenoid plunger, [and switch plate] into it to make a good enough contact, adding another batt. to the circuit, [jump starting] may be supplying that extra current needed so the connection can be made.
Sorry I can’t show you a pix of what I mean, think of it this way, put a penny on the table then put another penny on top of the first one, the contact area is the whole surface of the pennies, take the second penny off and place a small grain of rice on the top outer edge of the penny on the table then place the second penny back on top, now only a very small part of the pennies are touching, the top penny is the stud, if it is turned even a little bit the contact area is very small.
I would test batt. voltage as soon as you turn the car off, and then again when the car will not start, what is the diff.?
To test the grounds just use the jumper cables, [one side] connect one to your batt. neg.(-) and the other end to the engine/transmission.
94
(That depends on where you are connecting the neg.(-) jumper cable in your car.) The Neg is on the neg battery terminal.
(but I believe you said you changed the batt.) Two years ago -red optima-
Okay I understand your penny analogy. So can you again explain how to correct this contact problem? Thanks
(I would test batt. voltage as soon as you turn the car off, and then again when the car will not start, what is the diff.?) --okay so what should it read when the car is on? And the reading when it is off?
(To test the grounds just use the jumper cables, [one side] connect one to your batt. neg.(-) and the other end to the engine/transmission.)
Start the engine? And if it starts, the grounds are bad?
On my 94LS the stud/terminal went out of alignment when I overtightened the nut holding the cable, [I didn’t notice the stud turned also] I fixed mine when I was about to take the starter out again, when I was about to undo the nut I noticed the stud turned a little, after disassembly I saw the burnt contact area on the edge of the stud terminal, emeried it clean reassembled and bench tested the starter, [it worked fine] reinstalled it to find it was intermittent again, so I backed off on the stud nut a bit, stud moved about 1 - 2 degrees, no problem since, I have fixed a couple more since then, [one of them a buddies G2] didn’t even remove them, just backed off on the stud not a bit.
Test the voltage after you turn the engine off, then again after a couple days, when it will not start.
Voltage should be around 13.5V when engine is running, and 12.5V when engine not running, and no lower then 12V after 2 days, if voltage drops below 12V in 2 days batt. is not holding a charge, or there is a draw on the batt.
To test if it is a draw, do the same test, but disconnect the batt., [neg.(-)] after testing with engine off, if voltage still drops, replace the batt., if voltage does not drop, and the engine starts when you reconnect the neg.(-) you have a draw, something in the car is on, drawing current.:squint:94