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3rd gen no crank/start electrical issue

380 Views 29 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  1funryd
hey, new to the forums and I'm at a loss with this 3rd gen prelude I just picked up. when I put the key and turn it to ignition the CEL doesn't turn on and neither does the Oil pressure light, only the battery light. The ECU is getting power because I can see it blinking codes and I'm also hearing the car beep. my clock also doesn't work either. All ECU fuses are good, main relay is also good and clicking like it should. I jumped the starter and it works but not if I turn the key. fuel pump also is not priming. I'm guessing power isn't getting sent somewhere it should be and is stopping the car from being able to crank/start but I don't know where. I've changed the ignition switch wiring but that didn't do anything for the problem. is there a set of wires I can follow and see if I can find a problem? the ECU Grounds at the thermostat are also good, and the car has its transmission ground and intake manifold ground. I'm really at a loss, I want to see this car run! it's been sitting since 2001 so please help me out guys.
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Did you search your issue first?
Yeah I did and I looked through the FAQ as well but no post about this issue specifically. most I could find is about cars with non-functional guages but they ran, and mine does not. right now I'm trying to go through the trouble-shooting steps in the manual but I get a chance to work on the car every other day or so. today I'm going to follow those steps see and also test continuity of the starter circuit and some of the ECU wires that go into the guage cluster, to see if I can figure out where the connection is being broken. the car sat for 20 years and there were dead mice in it when I first got it, I'm starting to think maybe one of them chewed on a wire and now the car isn't getting power where it all needs to go
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I'm not sure why Sean is being so mysterious. Searching in this forum can be tedious and monotonous at best.

Sounds like a problem with the ignition switch itself. And it's a common issue with 3rd gens. Some people have had success with cleaning up the connections inside the ignition switch. Here's a write up for that...

When you say you changed the ignition switch wiring, what exactly did you replace? Looks like ignition switches are available from rockauto.com. I suspect they're available elsewhere as well.
I'm not sure why Sean is being so mysterious. Searching in this forum can be tedious and monotonous at best.

Sounds like a problem with the ignition switch itself. And it's a common issue with 3rd gens. Some people have had success with cleaning up the connections inside the ignition switch. Here's a write up for that...

When you say you changed the ignition switch wiring, what exactly did you replace? Looks like ignition switches are available from rockauto.com. I suspect they're available elsewhere as well.
Because the before presenting a question, the user must do their due diligence, unless Mike you want had walk each new user before teaching them to use the site first?
Because the before presenting a question, the user must do their due diligence, unless Mike you want had walk each new user before teaching them to use the site first?
Agreed Sean. People need to put in some effort on their own. But I said nothing about walking him through anything. And as the forum moderator I would expect you to be a bit more helpful to a new member. Your response to his initial post was terse and not the least bit helpful. And as he said, he did try searching but wasn't getting anywhere. I'm not saying not to suggest searching. But that can be done while also giving some helpful information. Take it as you will. I'm just trying to offer a suggestion.
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Agreed Sean. People need to put in some effort on their own. But I said nothing about walking him through anything. And as the forum moderator I would expect you to be a bit more helpful to a new member. Your response to his initial post was terse and not the least bit helpful. And as he said, he did try searching but wasn't getting anywhere. I'm not saying not to suggest searching. But that can be done while also giving some helpful information. Take it as you will. I'm just trying to offer a suggestion.
I prefer to start with basic troubleshooting first.
After the user does that, then we more advanced users can offer more specific input.
This makes for better thread posts for all.

People see that someone starts with the basics, then get stepped up the latter for troubleshooting, then comes to a solution.
Just pointing straight to a solution is not always the best course of action for anyone.
Always eliminate the easy stuff first before spending money and throwing advance troubleshooting to newbies or even advanced users.
I prefer to start with basic troubleshooting first.
After the user does that, then we more advanced users can offer more specific input.
This makes for better thread posts for all.

People see that someone starts with the basics, then get stepped up the latter for troubleshooting, then comes to a solution.
Just pointing straight to a solution is not always the best course of action for anyone.
Always eliminate the easy stuff first before spending money and throwing advance troubleshooting to newbies or even advanced users.
Not arguing that. Basic troubleshooting is a good place to start. Don't you think that would have been a little more helpful than what you posted? As well as a suggestion of a good place to start that troubleshooting. I had similar symptoms as he described, and based on what people had posted in the past I swapped out the ignition switch since I had a couple junkyard pulls in my parts bins. Didn't fix my problem, but the symptoms changed. So I tried the other switch I had and the problem was fixed. There's no way I can guarantee a new ignition switch will fix his problem, but based on my experience there's a good chance it will. And after all, isn't that what forums are all about...sharing knowledge and experience?
Not arguing that. Basic troubleshooting is a good place to start. Don't you think that would have been a little more helpful than what you posted? As well as a suggestion of a good place to start that troubleshooting. I had similar symptoms as he described, and based on what people had posted in the past I swapped out the ignition switch since I had a couple junkyard pulls in my parts bins. Didn't fix my problem, but the symptoms changed. So I tried the other switch I had and the problem was fixed. There's no way I can guarantee a new ignition switch will fix his problem, but based on my experience there's a good chance it will. And after all, isn't that what forums are all about...sharing knowledge and experience?
Thats why I asked if he triaged the problem yet, so we can start there.
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Did you search your issue first?
This is the post I was referring to, Sean. Nothing about triaging his problem first. But lets get back on topic. ;)
This is the post I was referring to, Sean. Nothing about triaging his problem first. But lets get back on topic. ;)
No more threads where people can just post a problem without first giving a triage report.
And new threads, I will warn the members and delete their thread if they did not explain the situation and traige report.
We have to many nonsense threads over the years, and people need to be more precise so help can be given.
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Hey sorry but I felt like my original post was pretty comprehensive on my issue. I’m a long time lurker on the site and this is my second 3rd gen so I’m not a newbie when it come to searching the site, it’s just that this is the first issue that I haven’t been able to find posted previously so I made an account to hopefully find an answer.
To answer Luzer, yes I changed out the part you listed that’s on rock auto and it did not fix my issue. Today I was testing continuity on the starter circuit and found that it’s being broken when it reaches the drivers side fuse box, so I am going to grab the fuse box from my parts car tomorrow and report back on wether or not that fixed my issue
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Hey sorry but I felt like my original post was pretty comprehensive on my issue. I’m a long time lurker on the site and this is my second 3rd gen so I’m not a newbie when it come to searching the site, it’s just that this is the first issue that I haven’t been able to find posted previously so I made an account to hopefully find an answer.
To answer Luzer, yes I changed out the part you listed that’s on rock auto and it did not fix my issue. Today I was testing continuity on the starter circuit and found that it’s being broken when it reaches the drivers side fuse box, so I am going to grab the fuse box from my parts car tomorrow and report back on wether or not that fixed my issue
So by doing basic electrical triage you tested what source wire that has no continuity?
It seems to me he is troubleshooting his issue and has possibly traced it to a single circuit. I'd like to know if he did the obvious and checked any fuses on that circuit. It's not always visually obvious when a fuse is blown. Sometimes you need to check them with a meter. No offense intended Ravagalen, Just making sure you did that.

On a side note...Sean, you're using the word triage in place of the word troubleshoot. The two words have different meanings, and are not really interchangeable. Just wanted to mention that.
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Yeah I went with my multimeter and tested all fuses in both fuse boxes and they came out good. I was following the black/white wire for the starter and the signal stopped when it got to the driver side fuse box. Today I’m swapping it out hopefully it fixes my issue
I take no offense I’m sure y’all go through this all the time I just want my car to run ;-;
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Yeah I went with my multimeter and tested all fuses in both fuse boxes and they came out good. I was following the black/white wire for the starter and the signal stopped when it got to the driver side fuse box. Today I’m swapping it out hopefully it fixes my issue
I take no offense I’m sure y’all go through this all the time I just want my car to run ;-;
Ok so you tested the black/white wire for the starter.
And no signal past the fuse box, ok.

Lets see what happens after you replace the fuse box, but I would try testing with a jumper wire first.


And side note, you know I stand corrected, its been mostly a medical term, but we use it a lot for networks so its common use there.
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Okay so I changed the fuse box and now the signal gets through the fuse box through to the ignition switch but still no crank. I did manage to fix my gauge cluster, it was a 4-pin connector I left unplugged and now all lights work as they should. However I’m still not getting the fuel pump to prime and there’s no spark. I read the codes and I have code 6,13, and 15. Any ideas? Mainly for code 15 cause I looked it up and that seems to cause no starts for other people
Yes, code 15 would cause no start.
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Would it also cause my other symptoms, like no crank and no fuel pump?
Would it also cause my other symptoms, like no crank and no fuel pump?
You said its been sitting since 2001.
Was it running prior to sitting, what happened to it?
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