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No crank not start issue?

Tiny
JAMESG14
  • MEMBER
  • 1992 ACURA LEGEND
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 400,000 MILES
I just recently replaced my alternator and now my car won't start. I've confirmed that the battery is good, it's also brand new. I used a voltmeter to confirm the volts were around 12.6. I also know that the alternator is good, since I just replaced it.

I checked the fuel pump fuse and a fuse labeled starter fuse. Both of those were good, I also confirmed that the main relay switch board was in good condition. When I turn the key, I have all of my electronics/lights, but I get no cranking at all. Not even an attempt to crank, I do hear a click which I believe is the relay.

From my research everything points to the starter. But the starter is in a difficult position. So, I was wondering if spark plugs, or coils would cause this issue? Before I go through the hassle of replacing the starter.

I also confirmed that fuel is getting to the fuel filter which is under the hood. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 9:29 AM

21 Replies

Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,127 POSTS
Hello, since you have a voltmeter, you need to verify you are getting battery voltage at the Starter motor. There are two wires going to the starter, one should have battery power all the time and the other will have battery voltage while trying to crank the engine over. I'll post the wiring diagrams for you. But when replacing the Alternator did you unhook one of the battery cables? If you did not, most likely you blew a fuse. If the Alternator main wire that runs to the battery touched the engine or frame anywhere it would blow a fuse because that wire is still hooked to the battery. So, it would be a short to ground in that case.
The two wires going to the Starter Motor are highlighted in yellow. As well as the two fuses to check.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 10:05 AM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
Okay, I will try and see if I can get my hands down to the starter. It's in a tough position by the firewall. And yes, I did disconnect the battery when replacing the alternator. I had to remove the battery plus the battery tray. In order to get to the alternator.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 12:09 PM
Tiny
AL514
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  • 4,127 POSTS
Did the no crank condition start right after replacing the Alternator?
Check the Battery Fuse 31 120amp, and IG sw Fuse 35 50amp, those are under-hood fuse/relay box. And then Fuse 15 7.5amp and Fuse 22 20amp in the Under-dash fuse box.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 12:48 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
  • MEMBER
  • 36 POSTS
Yes, it started right after, although I was having cranking issues before. But not like this my issues before were because my alternator wasn’t charging the battery. I looked at the two fuses under the hood and they looked like they were burnt. But they’re not broken, I know the other fuses will break and you’ll see the broken connection. But I’m not familiar with these. I’ll include a picture but it’s kind of hard to see the burnt middle piece. I’ll head to the store to swap the ones under the hood out. Checking the other two in the car now.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 1:09 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
Fuses inside (15 and 22) are both good.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 1:15 PM
Tiny
AL514
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Hopefully, the Alternator they sold you isn't shorted out. It's a remanufactured I'm sure. But yeah, replace any fuses that look burnt or overheated. Sounds like there was more than one issue happening.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 1:15 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
I actually bought a new alternator instead of going remanufactured. Headed to store now, thanks for your help so far. It would be nice if this is the issue.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 1:31 PM
Tiny
AL514
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If there's power missing at one of the two starter wires, it will just need to be traced back to the fault, if there's power at the starter while cranking, you'll get a click out of the starter solenoid but no cranking in most cases. Sometimes if you have full battery voltage during cranking you can lightly tap on the starter, and it might crank. But only try that if there's full power down at the starter, I only tap on a starter if it's going to be replaced. This being an older vehicle there could be corroded connections causing voltage drop, but I know it's tough to test power on this starter.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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Replaced fuses 31 and 35 l, but still same symptoms. I’ll include a video, it’s like I can hear the starter clicking.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 3:22 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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Here’s the video:
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 3:33 PM
Tiny
AL514
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This starter really is in a terrible place. But the only way to be absolutely sure if its the starter, checking the voltage on the 2 wires is necessary. Looking at the procedure for replacing the starter, service info is talking about removing the driver side axle and dropping part of the exhaust. Hopefully its not that bad.

I couldnt hear anything clicking in the video, does the battery voltage drop at all when trying to crank it over? Or does it stay at 12v? It should drop some if voltage is getting to the starter, if it doesnt move from the static voltage (before you attempt to crank), power might no being getting down to the starter.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 3:42 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
Yes, I agree it couldn’t be in a worse spot. I may try to roll it up on my ramps and see if access is easier from down under. And the sound in the video is maybe more of a knocking instead of clicking. I’m about to test it out now and see if voltage drops.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 3:52 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
Just tried it out and as you can see the voltage definitely drops. I also tried to get close to the engine. To allow you to hear the sound it’s making, I couldn’t hear that from the inside... It appears to be trying do something, I can feel air blowing from somewhere. I don’t know if that’s normal or not. I don’t have much experience with cars.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 4:01 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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I don't know if the alternator belt could have anything to do with this. I got good tension on it, but I did have to take it all the way off. I don't know if it matters which way I put it back on.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 4:06 PM
Tiny
AL514
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The only thing I hear is the fan coming on and I could see it, that voltage is barely dropping at all, Id expect it to drop lower than that, even with a bad starter. The fan should not be coming on with the vehicle being cold either. Does the check engine light come on when you turn the key to the On position? Yes the alternator belt needs to be on correctly, but I dont hear the starter at all. The Check engine light should come on for a couple seconds. Im not sure I see it, unless that yellow light to the left is the check engine light.

What was the original reason for replacing the alternator? Was the battery light on or something?
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 4:24 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
I will check tomorrow to see if the check engine light comes on. The original reason for replacing the alternator was that the battery wasn't being charged. I confirmed this by using a voltmeter while the car was running. It was around 6-8 volts and continued to drop. Instead of in the 14s. After I confirmed that there wasn't any parasitic drain, I figured I would replace the alternator. I was also driving the car one day and all electronics went out. I don't recall the battery light coming on, but I could be wrong. I would always have to jump it to get it to start after a few days. I also went through two brand new different batteries before changing the alternator. I just recently bought this car about a month ago. It was sitting since then for about 6 years. That yellow light you see is the ABS light.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 5:13 PM
Tiny
AL514
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I'm just wondering if there might be some wiring issues, seems like a lot of problems at once, but see if you can get a voltage reading at the starter. It's the only way to be sure of what's happening. I mention the fan coming on, because with some manufacturers if the engine computer is not being powered up the check engine light will be missing at key on and the cooling fan will run continuously like that with just the key on. The security control unit is in charge of activating the starter relay.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 5:25 PM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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  • 36 POSTS
Gotcha, the previous owner didn’t mention anything other than the thermostat. Which I’ve already replaced. I’ll post an update tomorrow after work. But it maybe a few days before I have time to get to starter.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 6:22 PM
Tiny
AL514
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Okay, when you get to checking the voltage at the starter, use battery negative as your ground location. That will rule out issues with the ground wires as well. If you don't read battery voltage at the starter I'll walk you through doing some voltage drop testing to isolate the issue. Chat soon.
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Monday, October 17th, 2022 AT 9:51 AM
Tiny
JAMESG14
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The issue is resolved now. Turned out to be the starter plug in cable was disconnected. Once I hooked that back it immediately fired up. My guess is that it came loose with me maneuvering the alternator. Thanks for your help.
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 AT 1:51 PM

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