VX Trouble starting in cold weather

[1993CivicVX]

just turns over and over and over and then eventually starts. Seems like a common problem--but I don't know the cause of it or the solution. This seems to only happen at temps below freezing.
Battery is a little weak from draining it to zero so many times from leaving the lights on so many times and from lots of EOCing. Whenever EOC at night the lights go dim, the wipers go slow and the fan gets weak. When I do successive EOC at night the lights get *really* dim. Couple times the engine stalled immediately after starting in cold weather (below 25 degrees Fahrenheit or less than -4 celcius) I think it may be related to the bump starting problem I was having before. I still have that lag sometimes--but it only seems to happen when it's cold (again, seems to occur at temps below 25F) so there may be a correlation. That and the fact that it stalled a couple times right after starting. Never done that in warm temps. Although it did happen after the car had been running since I turn the engine off at the end of my trip and coast to park. When I turned the car on again it stalled immediately. This happened twice--the other time in cold weather when the engine had been sitting for 12+ hours.

[GasSavers_SD26]

The ignition requires an amount of power. In cold temps, the battery isn't going to be very active, and it's going to take more of that power just to turn the crank through colder oil with enough speed and extra available power to fire the ignition.

If you're going to continue EOCing, do you need to consider a back up battery charger for cold starts? Or use fewer accessories to lighten the battery load?

[Danronian]

Get your battery load-tested at the parts store. They do it for free. Sounds to me like you have a weak battery combined with a main relay that is going bad.

The main relay in Hondas crack at the solder points and will have that exact symptom of shutting off right after it turns on. Try swapping a different one in from the junkyard, and if it fixes your problem, buy a new one to install.

I would check the battery first though since that sounds like the bigger issue to me.

[GasSavers_SD26]

If you've got a voltage tester, you just initially start the process by checking the voltage prior to your start. If one doesn't have a full "glass" of power to start anyway, one shouldn't expect that the battery will perform as such.

[1993CivicVX]

Thanks guys! I think I will start by not OECing so much. Good thing is the car gives me lots of indications of how low the battery is. When it's really low, the radio starts conking out. When it's topped up the lights don't hardly get dim when I turn off the engine etc. I actually had to get pushed from behind by a pick up for jump start when I couldn't start the car again at a traffic light because I had wore the battery down EOCing. That wasn't particularly cold weather: the symptom was just a very weak crank--so everything confirms a weak battery as primary problem and then maybe the relay is not in top shape. Thanks!

[kamesama980]

Your battery is toast. get another battery and wire it up so it's disconnected any time the engine's off. that way you aren't using it when the engine's not spinning. a professor did this to his wife who always left the lights on draining the battery. car doesn't start, she gets him, he presses hidden button to engage second battery and start the car. once the car is running, the relay latches and charges the secondary battery

[GasSavers_vxhatch]

Originally Posted by Danronian

GThe main relay in Hondas crack at the solder points and will have that exact symptom of shutting off right after it turns on. Try swapping a different one in from the junkyard, and if it fixes your problem, buy a new one to install.

The seller of the VX I purchased last month told me that on occaision, the car would not re-start immediately after shutting it off, but should this occur, to wait a few minutes and the car would always re-start. Since it never happened to me, I didn't worry 'bout it until it happened 3x in one day (yesterday). The car would crank, but not fire at all...or would fire but stall immediately. Internet searching revealed the main EFI relay to be the main suspect. Here's the website that discussed the problem, diagnosis, and repair. http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...html#mainrelay
The Igniter is also noted as having the potential to cause similar issues when it is failing. In any case, I pulled the relay using a 10mm combination wrench, and popped the cover off. Although I couldn't tell for sure if I had a failed solder joint, I re-flowed the solder on all the joints and re-installed. Only took about 1/2 an hour total. Time will tell if my problems are fixed.

If a new battery does not get you straight, and you're handy with a soldering iron, you may want to try this.

doug

[GasSavers_BIBI]

Maybe a ground is disconnected, maybe your battery is in its last miles, and try using synthetic oil in winter if you have cold wheater, it allows the engine to start smoother.