[CTCoupe07]

It's not my car, it's my fathers. It's a 2003 Accord V6 coupe (auto). He took it to work this morning and got there fine. After getting out of work he then went to start it up, nothing. So he had it jumped by a fellow employee and drove it back home..about 5 miles. So then he got it home and we tried to start it again, and got nothing. So I took my car and tried to jump him, this time the car wouldn't even take the jump. When you turn the key there is just a lot of clicking and doesn't turn over. I'ts not the battery because that was replaced in March, so it's fairly new. I was thinking the alternator? Any ideas has to what the problem is? Thanks in advance.

 

[Aviography]

Check the battery cable clamps to the terminals, wiggle it really hard by hand to see if they are loose, clean the terminals if there are corrosions.

Are you connecting the jumper cables correctly with good contact? You need a good contact of the booster cable clamps to the car being jumped since starting draws a lot of current, loose/poor connection won't help the situation.

Battery can fail at any time, just because this one was replaced in March doesn't mean if there isn't a manfufacturing defect which causes it to fail early, the only way you can be certain is get the battery load tested at your local auto stores such as AutoZone, PepBoys etc.

It can be the alternator, but you need to rule out the simple stuff first.

 

[SD70MAC]

Whats the voltage on the battery? Do all your accessories work radio windows? My guess would be either starter or battery. The first thing I would check would be battery voltage with a meter.

 

[CTCoupe07]

The jump was done correctly, and I made sure they were on tight, no corrosion on either battery and it was hooked to a solid ground. Could be the battery, guess I can take the battery out and bring it some where to find out if that's the cause or not.

* Edit, radio and power options all work fine. I don't have a voltage meter so I'll have to take it somewhere to be tested.

 

[SD70MAC]

Battery can fail at any time, just because this one was replaced in March doesn't mean if there isn't a manfufacturing defect which causes it to fail early, the only way you can be certain is get the battery load tested at your local auto stores such as AutoZone, PepBoys etc.

Definitely, I owned a 09 Outback before the Accord and it's battery crapped within a month of ownership. I couldn't even get enough voltage in the car to get it out of park. Now because Subaru treats people like crap when they have issues with new cars I opted not to help them trouble shoot the car over the phone and they had to tow the car 160 miles to put a new battery in it, and get me a rental :naughty:. Oddly enough when I bought my Accord it was a cold winter day and when we went to test drive it the battery was dead. After a 30 minute or so test drive and negotiation period the battery had died again before PDI. I looked at the salesman and said so this does come with a new battery right? And he said of course and I watched them put it in as the car would not start with the jump pack.

 

[Aviography]

Another possibility is the starter solenoid not engaging, but check the battery first before looking for the next possible culprit.

 

[omaralt]

Another possibility is the starter solenoid not engaging, but check the battery first before looking for the next possible culprit.

+1. Could also be the starter. If all other accessories like lights, radio, etc work without problems it's probably not the battery. Good luck

 

[MetaEnder]

I'd go with what they're saying above-

Check the battery and make sure it's still holding a charge. Swap it with yours. Haha.
\

 

[CTCoupe07]

Update, so I took my dad's battery out and brought over to the Honda dealership to be tested. It turns out one or more of the battery cells had died out. The good news is since it was purchased by Honda in March it is still covered under warranty and was replaced with a new battery at no charge. Good call Aviography! Thanks guys for all the help and in-put. :thmsup:

 

[04blkpearlcoupe]

Wow so even though it was the battery, the car would still not take a jump start? Thats interesting! I might just try cleaning the terminal connections on mine really good and giving it another go before it gets towed.

 

[jeffislouie]

My OEM battery died on me after owning the brand new car for less than 3 months. I got it jumped and drove it to the dealership, who replaced it for free with a new one.
Batteries sometimes just aren't right. Pretty much anywhere you get one from will honor the warranty if it is a manufacturers defect which, if it's a new/newer battery, is usually why it died. Your typical car battery will last as little as 3 years on up. Mine's been on for close to 5 and is still fine. Manufacturers say that the typical battery will last 3-5 years, but they sell batteries so that seems to be a bit self-interested. I've had car batteries last 5,6,7,8 years. I've also had batteries die in 3.
Things that can affect the battery?
- lots of short trips under 20 minutes: the alternator doesn't have enough time to recharge
- extreme temperatures: very cold and very hot conditions can lead to failure
- many starting cycles combined with short trips
- leaving a battery hooked up to a car that you store for months at a time without starting and running it: batteries deplete stored energy unless they are being recharged. If you are going to leave your car without starting it, hook it up to a battery tender (basically a trickle charger that knows when to stop and when to charge) or remove the battery and place it on a block of wood in a cool, but not cold, place.

 

[04blkpearlcoupe]

FYI - Mine turned out to be a bad starter. The AAA guy banged on the starter til it started. Got it replaced, problem solved.