Car Failed To Start

[Kartel007]

I have a 2018 FBO Si with Phearable's "race" tune on ktuner V2.

I'm just curious if anyone has had this problem before.

I was leaving work and got into my car. When I unlocked the doors, all of the electrical systems turned on normally (headlights, start up animation, ktuner V2, etc). I pushed the clutch in and as soon as I pushed start, everything shut off. The ignition didn't even attempt to turnover. It was 12°F at the time so naturally I assumed it was the battery. But the car started up just fine 2 hours earlier at the same temperature so I was a bit skeptical. After about 30 seconds I pushed the clutch in again and the ktuner turned on. I push start and the car started up like normal. The car initialized for about 15 seconds into my drive, then went back to normal. The ktuner didn't throw any codes either. After driving for a couple of minutes, I remembered I could check the battery's voltage with ktuner. It read 14.5V while I was driving, which I believe is normal (correct me if I'm wrong). The car ran perfectly fine for the rest of my drive.

The reason I don't think it's the battery is because the voltage seemed fine and the car started up without a problem about 2 hours earlier in the night. Plus I've never seen a battery come back to life like that lol.

I have a few farfetched theories. The first is that snow may have gotten into my engine bay and caused an electrical problem. I have a TS Style Seibon hood which has open vents. I've driven it through rain and snow without a problem so far, so I kind of doubt that's the issue.

My second theory is maybe the car didn't recognize my key fob for whatever reason and tripped some of kind of antitheft feature. But I'm really just guessing at this point. At the end of the day, it really could just be the battery and I'm severly overthinking things lol.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I just wanted to be detailed. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

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[fabrizzio71]

How old is your battery? If the systems were initializing, it most likely lost power. To clarify, when the engine is running and charging the battery, it will read 14.5v as this is alternator voltage. The charging system is variable however and it won’t always show 14.5, sometimes on throttle it will revert to battery voltage at 12.3-12.4 and cycle back to 14.5v when letting off throttle. Honestly observing voltage on Ktuner can’t tell you if your battery is going. My battery died after stopping at a gas station having been driving for 40 minutes. The only symptoms prior to that were the occasional long start when cold.

 

[Kartel007]

How old is your battery? If the systems were initializing, it most likely lost power. To clarify, when the engine is running and charging the battery, it will read 14.5v as this is alternator voltage. The charging system is variable however and it won’t always show 14.5, sometimes on throttle it will revert to battery voltage at 12.3-12.4 and cycle back to 14.5v when letting off throttle. Honestly observing voltage on Ktuner can’t tell you if your battery is going. My battery died after stopping at a gas station having been driving for 40 minutes. The only symptoms prior to that were the occasional long start when cold.

I got the car in 2020 and haven't changed the battery yet. My assumption is it's at least 2-3 years old.

 

[360glitch]

I got the car in 2020 and haven't changed the battery yet. My assumption is it's at least 2-3 years old.

My vote is that it's the battery. I would definitely test it if you have not already.

 

[Shankmeyster]

Honda batteries have always been junk and you're lucky if they last 2 years. Take it to a parts store and ask them to test it for you. Most of the time they will come out to your car and use the tester on it for free.

 

[Kartel007]

Honda batteries have always been junk and you're lucky if they last 2 years. Take it to a parts store and ask them to test it for you. Most of the time they will come out to your car and use the tester on it for free.

Thanks for the input guys! I'll get it tested and report back.

 

[Syntek]

mine died after 2 years of usage. 2019 si. warranty it out if you still have warranty, and try to replace it again before warranty expires. afterwards i'd look into aftermarket.

 

[Neddih]

Honestly I hear so much about the bad batteries and here I am still with the original... Voltage meter tests good while off and while running so I haven't replaced it. I'm starting to question if that means its really good or not, I might just do it anyway though from everything I read here.

 

[Velonici]

Honestly I hear so much about the bad batteries and here I am still with the original... Voltage meter tests good while off and while running so I haven't replaced it. I'm starting to question if that means its really good or not, I might just do it anyway though from everything I read here.

A volt meter will only tell you if a cell is bad. It will read low when that happens, each cell is 2.something volts. It wont tell you if it just doesnt have power any more. You need to load test it for that. When the car is on your really reading the alternator voltage not the battery.

 

[Neddih]

A volt meter will only tell you if a cell is bad. It will read low when that happens, each cell is 2.something volts. It wont tell you if it just doesnt have power any more. You need to load test it for that. When the car is on your really reading the alternator voltage not the battery.

I tested the battery with the car running and with the car off, didn't see anything indicating a bad alternator OR battery. Are you saying that isn't an indication of it functioning properly?

 

[Velonici]

I tested the battery with the car running and with the car off, didn't see anything indicating a bad alternator OR battery. Are you saying that isn't an indication of it functioning properly?

Its a fine test for the alternator (as long as its reading about 14v when running) but it only test about half the battery. It tests if all the cells are OK, but it doesnt do a load test. If you could crank the car without it starting you could do a load test by yourself. But if you take it somewhere (Autozone, o'rileys) they have a device that puts a load on the battery to test it. I think modern battery testers can test for even more than that. But not sure what all they test now.

 

[Guitar_stitch]

Corrosion on the battery terminals could also be an issue. My '19 seems to develop corrosion rather quickly and has left me stuck just like that. Check for clean and tight connections at the battery before spending any money.

 

[Kartel007]

The car died on me before I had a chance to get it checked lol turns out it was just the battery. I replaced it and the car is working fine.

Is there anyway to open the trunk when the battery dies? I had to borrow my dad's tools because mine were stuck in my trunk lol

 

[Guitar_stitch]

The car died on me before I had a chance to get it checked lol turns out it was just the battery. I replaced it and the car is working fine.

Is there anyway to open the trunk when the battery dies? I had to borrow my dad's tools because mine were stuck in my trunk lol

You could fold down the seats, reach in, and grab the emergency release from inside the trunk.

Best bet is to probably start carrying a lithium jump pack.

 

[bscags]

The car died on me before I had a chance to get it checked lol turns out it was just the battery. I replaced it and the car is working fine.

Is there anyway to open the trunk when the battery dies? I had to borrow my dad's tools because mine were stuck in my trunk lol

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