S2000 Engine won’t start - Good battery
11-23-2018, 07:56 PM
#1
Thread Starter
S2000 Engine will not crank - Good battery
Its not often I need to turn to my fellow S2000 owners for knowledge but I’m glad there is a place to do so when the time comes.
MY’03 will not start today. I have a good battery (tested and all electronics work), there is no indication of the starter engaging or engine turning over. I’m literally getting no sound when I press the ‘Start engine’ button. No check engine light.
I did find peices of rubber that directly resemble the Clutch and Brake pedal Stop pads but I’ve replaced those over a year ago and both are in place. Still not sure where the old yellow rubber peices came from.
My first guess was bad starter but could that really be it? What should I do to troubleshoot?
My next guess is bad Clutch safety switch preventing the car from knowing the Clutch pedal is disengaged, this preventing it from starting. Cheap part to start as first step, but would this be even a possibility?
MY’03 will not start today. I have a good battery (tested and all electronics work), there is no indication of the starter engaging or engine turning over. I’m literally getting no sound when I press the ‘Start engine’ button. No check engine light.
I did find peices of rubber that directly resemble the Clutch and Brake pedal Stop pads but I’ve replaced those over a year ago and both are in place. Still not sure where the old yellow rubber peices came from.
My first guess was bad starter but could that really be it? What should I do to troubleshoot?
My next guess is bad Clutch safety switch preventing the car from knowing the Clutch pedal is disengaged, this preventing it from starting. Cheap part to start as first step, but would this be even a possibility?
Last edited by billiardboy904; 11-24-2018 at 07:12 AM. Reason: Title Change for Search
11-24-2018, 03:41 AM
#2
Yes this is very likely your problem so start checking that.
11-24-2018, 03:56 AM
#3
What you meant to write was the engine will not crank (this isolates the problem better). Page 4-4 in the service manual covers the steps to check. A link to the manual is here (somewhere). Loose electrical connections and weak battery head the list. I've been fooled by "good" batteries. A quick test is to watch the headlight output when you press Start.
-- Chuck
-- Chuck
11-24-2018, 11:35 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Battery tested good on a battery charger and was near 14v. Headlights and stereo all function before, during, and after pressing start engine button. Still no sound made when pressing the button.
I performed a Clutch Lockout Switch test as outlined in the S2000 Service Manual in section 4-6. The switch tested good for electrical continuity.
My next thought is to perform a Starter Solenoid test as outlined in section 4-7, but what the service manual doesn't outline is how difficult it is to get to the blk/wht wire to remove it and connect a cable straight to the positive post on the battery.
I performed a Clutch Lockout Switch test as outlined in the S2000 Service Manual in section 4-6. The switch tested good for electrical continuity.
My next thought is to perform a Starter Solenoid test as outlined in section 4-7, but what the service manual doesn't outline is how difficult it is to get to the blk/wht wire to remove it and connect a cable straight to the positive post on the battery.
11-25-2018, 12:11 AM
#6
Battery tested good on a battery charger and was near 14v. Headlights and stereo all function before, during, and after pressing start engine button. Still no sound made when pressing the button.
I performed a Clutch Lockout Switch test as outlined in the S2000 Service Manual in section 4-6. The switch tested good for electrical continuity.
My next thought is to perform a Starter Solenoid test as outlined in section 4-7, but what the service manual doesn't outline is how difficult it is to get to the blk/wht wire to remove it and connect a cable straight to the positive post on the battery.
I performed a Clutch Lockout Switch test as outlined in the S2000 Service Manual in section 4-6. The switch tested good for electrical continuity.
My next thought is to perform a Starter Solenoid test as outlined in section 4-7, but what the service manual doesn't outline is how difficult it is to get to the blk/wht wire to remove it and connect a cable straight to the positive post on the battery.
1st *MAJOR CLUE* - Previous owner stated that the car was largely garaged but a few times of the year. It wasn't driven much for the most part.
2nd clue - I drive it only on the weekends, so it sits in my driveway for stretches of 4 - 5 days in a row.
3rd clue - The car died on the first "damp" day of the winter season
So I tried to jump it with my other car, didn't work. That's when I thought... Oh no, is it a dead starter?
So I took it to the O'Reilly and they charged it for me. I waited overnight to reinstall the battery because it was yet another damp night. No point in risking electrically issues when I didn't need to. So I let the same, but recharged battery sit overnight. Next afternoon, I reinstalled the same battery and it still wouldn't start! That's when my heart sank and I arranged a tow truck with my insurance to tow it into the shop for a new starter. (Accessing the starter essentially forces you to remove the serpentine belt. I'm not skilled enough to work on belts)
The next morning, the tow truck came and I wanted to give it one more go. That's when it did the tell-tale sign of a dead battery. It would essentially make a gatling gun/machine gun rapid fire sound when you tried to start it. I then asked the tow truck driver to give my car one last attempt at a jump. Most tow truck now have dedicated jumping batteries, or modules? Whatever it is. TA DA! Tow truck was able to jump my car.
TL ; DR
1) Either O'Reilly didn't really charge my battery.
2) My existing battery was so dead that, it just died again after being recharged.
Got a new battery from Costco and zero issues so far, other then weird cold start idle RPM dip as the ECU needed to relearn how to idle correctly.
So, get something with a massive cold crank amp to jump your car so you can diagnose it as a dead battery. I really hope it's not a starter for you. Cause it's a pain to get to. Or if you're like me with less than ideal skills, that's a $3-400 job.
11-25-2018, 05:40 AM
#7
Start switch?
You should never see "near 14v" on a good battery unless checking the voltage while it's on the charger. Twenty bucks and this highlighted my "good" battery was bad. (That reminds me I need to check my wife's original 2014 battery in the morning.)
-- Chuck
You should never see "near 14v" on a good battery unless checking the voltage while it's on the charger. Twenty bucks and this highlighted my "good" battery was bad. (That reminds me I need to check my wife's original 2014 battery in the morning.)
-- Chuck
Trending Topics
11-25-2018, 01:50 PM
#8
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Foothills East of Sacramento
Posts: 5,601
Received 1,562 Likes
on
928 Posts
I am spring loaded to replacing batteries the second I even suspect an issue.
I recall Billman mentioning that jumping a S2000 can result in issues with a rectifier which can manifest itself with flickering dash lights.
I recall Billman mentioning that jumping a S2000 can result in issues with a rectifier which can manifest itself with flickering dash lights.
11-26-2018, 03:34 AM
#9
I would check battery voltage running with all the loads on and with all then off it should stay around 14.2v. Also check voltage to the smaller wire on the starter when it’s happening. If your getting battery voltage it’s a bad starter.
11-27-2018, 09:38 AM
#10
Thread Starter
You guys all rock, really appreciate the constant info.
***Important Fact, the battery is 3 months old. previous battery had a bad cell and was replaced. This is my weekend car and its driven once or more a month.
Say Chi Sin Lo's long story about how a "good checked battery" really wasnt good and that buying a new battery solved his problem.
Beings that AutoZone checked it, I decided to check it myself. I disconnected the positve connection and I connected my trickle charge battery charger. it ran for 3 days until charge was complete. this is surely a sign that the battery was low even though i was told it was not.
Reconnected battery and same thing, start engine button does nothing, car doesnt make a sound. i turned on A/C, radio, Headlights, brake lights and tried again, and still nothing.
I'm going to buy a battery load tester on my way home from work and check the batter on my own and reply back.
@cosmomiller - I'll have to find that Billman article as I have had the flickering dash for IDK how long now when i'm at idle. its very subtle but i notice it.
@isthisusernameavailable - I'll check my Battery Continuity as well since i've checked the Clutch Lockout Switch.
***Important Fact, the battery is 3 months old. previous battery had a bad cell and was replaced. This is my weekend car and its driven once or more a month.
Say Chi Sin Lo's long story about how a "good checked battery" really wasnt good and that buying a new battery solved his problem.
Beings that AutoZone checked it, I decided to check it myself. I disconnected the positve connection and I connected my trickle charge battery charger. it ran for 3 days until charge was complete. this is surely a sign that the battery was low even though i was told it was not.
Reconnected battery and same thing, start engine button does nothing, car doesnt make a sound. i turned on A/C, radio, Headlights, brake lights and tried again, and still nothing.
I'm going to buy a battery load tester on my way home from work and check the batter on my own and reply back.
@cosmomiller - I'll have to find that Billman article as I have had the flickering dash for IDK how long now when i'm at idle. its very subtle but i notice it.
@isthisusernameavailable - I'll check my Battery Continuity as well since i've checked the Clutch Lockout Switch.