If Your Engine Won't Start; Nothing Happens Or The; Very Slowly - Honda 2000 Odyssey Owner's Manual

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If Your Engine Won't Start

Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Taking Care of the Unexpected
Your vehicle has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 77).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
or Neutral or the starter will not
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jump Starting on page
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem. (See
Emergency Towing on page 317.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 257). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
303 . from a booster battery (see page
303).