- Joined
- 22 September 2005
- Messages
- 77
Experienced a strange issue with my 95 NSX-T (4 speed automatic) this weekend. Drove the car to the store. Came back out to the car park and turned the key to start the car and just got a lot of clicking from the relays behind the seats. Switched the ignition back to the off position and then tried again and it started normally.
Thought nothing of it until the following day when I got in to start it in the morning and the same issue happened. Dashboard full of lights that you'd expect when switching the ignition on, but just clicking.
I replaced the ignition switch within the past 12 months, the starter solenoid was rebuilt with new contacts within the past year, the battery is less than 12 months old and I remember replacing the main relay 5-6 years ago (due to the won't start in the sunshine/heat symptom).
Here's the odd thing however. If I attach a jump starter to the terminals in the engine bay, it will crank over and start.
So I recharged the battery, removed the negative terminal and cleaned the surface corrosion off it with boiling water and put dielectric grease on the post and terminal before reassembling. I also pulled the main relay and put a soldering iron to each terminal to re-heat and re-set the solder just in case there was a dry joint from the vibration.
Then got back in the car and same thing - dashboard full of lights and then clicking. Put the jump battery on the terminals in the engine bay and it cranks and starts.
Drove it 45 miles on the freeway, battery charging at 14 volts, a/c working, no issues. When I switched the engine off at the end of the trip, switched the ignition back on again and no lights at all in the dashboard. Nothing. Even the doors lock switches were dead and I had to lock the car using the key. Was walking away from the car after emptying stuff out of the trunk and the antenna decided to retract (normally retracts as soon as the ignition is switched off). Even with no lights on the dashboard with the ignition in the 'on' position, if I connect the jump battery to the terminals in the engine bay, the car will crank and start up.
Since the ignition key switch is less than 12 months old and the Bosch battery was showing fully charged, I know the main relay can cause all sorts of unpredictable electrical results. Not sure what the problem might be which allows no lights on the dashboard when the ignition is on, but connecting a booster battery in the engine bay will crank and start the car. I've ordered a new main relay but would be grateful for any other suggestions.
Thought nothing of it until the following day when I got in to start it in the morning and the same issue happened. Dashboard full of lights that you'd expect when switching the ignition on, but just clicking.
I replaced the ignition switch within the past 12 months, the starter solenoid was rebuilt with new contacts within the past year, the battery is less than 12 months old and I remember replacing the main relay 5-6 years ago (due to the won't start in the sunshine/heat symptom).
Here's the odd thing however. If I attach a jump starter to the terminals in the engine bay, it will crank over and start.
So I recharged the battery, removed the negative terminal and cleaned the surface corrosion off it with boiling water and put dielectric grease on the post and terminal before reassembling. I also pulled the main relay and put a soldering iron to each terminal to re-heat and re-set the solder just in case there was a dry joint from the vibration.
Then got back in the car and same thing - dashboard full of lights and then clicking. Put the jump battery on the terminals in the engine bay and it cranks and starts.
Drove it 45 miles on the freeway, battery charging at 14 volts, a/c working, no issues. When I switched the engine off at the end of the trip, switched the ignition back on again and no lights at all in the dashboard. Nothing. Even the doors lock switches were dead and I had to lock the car using the key. Was walking away from the car after emptying stuff out of the trunk and the antenna decided to retract (normally retracts as soon as the ignition is switched off). Even with no lights on the dashboard with the ignition in the 'on' position, if I connect the jump battery to the terminals in the engine bay, the car will crank and start up.
Since the ignition key switch is less than 12 months old and the Bosch battery was showing fully charged, I know the main relay can cause all sorts of unpredictable electrical results. Not sure what the problem might be which allows no lights on the dashboard when the ignition is on, but connecting a booster battery in the engine bay will crank and start the car. I've ordered a new main relay but would be grateful for any other suggestions.
