Just laid off...need advice about broken down car

Have you tried talking to your husband's grandfather? I mean does he really need it, or would it just like it back to have? If I were you I'd be upfront about your situation and don't spend any money you don't need to (i.e. borrow his truck for as long as you can).

If you do give the car back, you should find out what's wrong with your car and how much it would be to fix it. Obviously you shouldn't invest more into the car than it's worth. But I don't know if purchasing a new car is an option either. Because you'll have to get another car that will break down because you won't get financing for a newer car.

If he's not working and you're not working as much, is public transportation an option? I know it's not the most glamorous of lifestyles but if you technically don't have anywhere to be then that might be your best bet.

Save your money as best you can you don't want to fall behind on any payments because that will only compound the situation. As much as I hate to say it, you really need to focus on yourself first and let your mother take care of her own problems. Try and work more hours until you can handle the bills comfortably.

These are just my opinions of course.

Honda is a good car from what I heard, but that '89 is over 20 years old.
How bad of a fix are we looking at?


Personal opinion: get as much out of the 89 Accord and get the best newewst/new truck you can get.

Maybe find a cheaper place to live?

What problems is it having? Get a friend or neighbor to try to help you diagnose it, may be as simple as a dying battery. Find a u-pull-it type salvage yard around you, there are plenty of these cars that you can pull a good starter or other parts from.

Quote from MisterV : Have you tried talking to your husband's grandfather? I mean does he really need it, or would it just like it back to have? If I were you I'd be upfront about your situation and don't spend any money you don't need to (i.e. borrow his truck for as long as you can). If you do give the car back, you should find out what's wrong with your car and how much it would be to fix it. Obviously you shouldn't invest more into the car than it's worth. But I don't know if purchasing a new car is an option either. Because you'll have to get another car that will break down because you won't get financing for a newer car. If he's not working and you're not working as much, is public transportation an option? I know it's not the most glamorous of lifestyles but if you technically don't have anywhere to be then that might be your best bet. Save your money as best you can you don't want to fall behind on any payments because that will only compound the situation. As much as I hate to say it, you really need to focus on yourself first and let your mother take care of her own problems. Try and work more hours until you can handle the bills comfortably. These are just my opinions of course.

We haven't talked to his grandfather yet because we JUST found out last night (around 11pm) that he was laid off. His grandparents do have another vehicle that they can use and I'm fairly certain that he'll be OK with us borrowing it a bit longer but I know he wants it back as soon as possible.

We have a friend who looked at the car and he said he could not figure out what was wrong. The car changes its problems depending on the day and the person testing it. He said the car would pretty much have to die and never start again to truly figure out what's wrong with it.

Public transportation is definitely an option and we honestly don't mind it. It all depends on where the job my husband gets is located. We are about 2 blocks distance from a bus stop and we live very close to the grocery store as well. As long as the job he gets is close to a bus stop and it starts and ends during bus hours, the bus is a good option.

I'm working as much as possible and DH is putting his name in at the local temp agencies. Hopefully he'll have another temporary job sometime next week.

Quote from DNC : Honda is a good car from what I heard, but that '89 is over 20 years old. How bad of a fix are we looking at? Personal opinion: get as much out of the 89 Accord and get the best newewst/new truck you can get.

Quote from MISHNAH : What problems is it having? Get a friend or neighbor to try to help you diagnose it, may be as simple as a dying battery. Find a u-pull-it type salvage yard around you, there are plenty of these cars that you can pull a good starter or other parts from.

We've had someone look at it and he couldn't figure out what is wrong with it. That's bad because he's been a mechanic for 20+ years. He thought he figured it out and he ordered the part for what he thought it was. Before it got there, someone left the door open and the battery died, they charged the battery and the car started the next time they tried it. We brought it home and then the very next time we tried to start it, it wouldn't start. We had the battery tested and was told it was fine. I think they also ruled out the starter. It's been about 2 months since they worked with it so I'll have to ask but he's a very competent mechanic so I'm sure that was the first thing he tested.

Quote from GGPJON : Maybe find a cheaper place to live?

The apartments we live in are about as cheap as it gets in our area without venturing into the drug and gang area or section 8 - which takes 2+ years to get in our area.

How old is the battery? If its more than about 3 years old, I would definitely recommend getting a new one. After a few years, they dont hold as much of a charge and start causing random problems. Its also the easiest thing to change.

Do you get a click from the solenoid when you turn the key?

You can also get a mechanic to jump the starter relay, there could be a problem with the starter relay failing, or even the ignition cylinder have a bad contact.

First off though, I'd definitely look into the battery. The simplest things are usually the biggest troublemakers.

Quote from MISHNAH : How old is the battery? If its more than about 3 years old, I would definitely recommend getting a new one. After a few years, they dont hold as much of a charge and start causing random problems. Its also the easiest thing to change. Do you get a click from the solenoid when you turn the key? You can also get a mechanic to jump the starter relay, there could be a problem with the starter relay failing, or even the ignition cylinder have a bad contact. First off though, I'd definitely look into the battery. The simplest things are usually the biggest troublemakers.

I'm not sure how old the battery is. We just bought the car in February 2010. I'll check it later today. I'll check for that click too. It's been about a month or 2 since we even tried to start the car since we've been borrowing his grandfather's truck. I can tell you that when we turn the key, it sounds like it's going to start but it never does. It makes the chugga chugga sound, if that makes sense.

I'll definitely look at the battery today though and if it's older, we'll buy a new one. If we don't need it, we can always take it back.

Quote from jersharocks : We haven't talked to his grandfather yet because we JUST found out last night (around 11pm) that he was laid off. His grandparents do have another vehicle that they can use and I'm fairly certain that he'll be OK with us borrowing it a bit longer but I know he wants it back as soon as possible. We have a friend who looked at the car and he said he could not figure out what was wrong. The car changes its problems depending on the day and the person testing it. He said the car would pretty much have to die and never start again to truly figure out what's wrong with it. Public transportation is definitely an option and we honestly don't mind it. It all depends on where the job my husband gets is located. We are about 2 blocks distance from a bus stop and we live very close to the grocery store as well. As long as the job he gets is close to a bus stop and it starts and ends during bus hours, the bus is a good option. I'm working as much as possible and DH is putting his name in at the local temp agencies. Hopefully he'll have another temporary job sometime next week.

I'm sure if you explained your situation to his grandparents they would be more than willing to let you borrow the car until you get on your feet. If things work out though and he gets a job close to a bus line. You should opt to use public transportation if they still need the car back.

Quote from jersharocks : I'm not sure how old the battery is. We just bought the car in February 2010. I'll check it later today. I'll check for that click too. It's been about a month or 2 since we even tried to start the car since we've been borrowing his grandfather's truck. I can tell you that when we turn the key, it sounds like it's going to start but it never does. It makes the chugga chugga sound, if that makes sense. I'll definitely look at the battery today though and if it's older, we'll buy a new one. If we don't need it, we can always take it back.

It may be the battery, either it is bad and needs to be replaced or filled up (whatever it is called), or there is corrosion between the cable, which can be cleaned [howtocleanstuff.net]. Try to start it with another car. (If not the battery, then it may be the starter.) If the battery needs to be replaced, it may be under warranty.

If this is a store brand, for example DieHard (Sears), Duralast (Autozone), Prostart (Pep Boys), etc, then you can just ask the store to check whether it is under warranty. You may also contact the seller for either a receipt (unlikely) or store name, because the store can search their system for the customer name regardless of brand. Autozone replaced my store-brand battery even though they couldn't find my info in their system. They also will test and charge it [autozone.com] for free.

There should be a sticker on the top or sides of the battery with a MM/YY date code, as long as its under whatever warranty is printed on the label, you should get some money for it. You dont really need a receipt as long as there is a date sticker.

From what you say, its cranking hard or slowly, so I'm leaning towards a failing battery or corrosion on the battery terminals.

A volt meter will let you keep tabs on how much juice the battery has. They go on sale for dirt-cheap at Harbor Freight all the time.

If the car wouldn't start, but then you took the battery in and the place said it's fine, then I really doubt it's the battery. If the car ever started fine after that day without have a charger put on it, then it's definitely not the battery. Having it sit for two months isn't going to help matters. You may have to put a slow charger on it soon to keep it well-charged. You can get those cheap at Harbor Freight too!

I'm still not sure what exactly the car is doing. You said it seems to change the problem every day.

Sounds like the car turns over fine, (chugga chugga), so unless it's doing that really slowly, neither the battery nor the battery cables are the problem. Need more specifics, though.

Cars run on 3 things: spark, fuel and air.

1) Check ignition system. Take spark plugs out and ground them to the engine to check for spark.

2) Check if gas is fresh, check fuel filter to make sure it's not clogged, listen to injectors for click-click sound to make sure they're working. Spray engine starting fluid in the throttle to help starting.

3) Air - get new air filter, clean air sensors.

4) Compression - this is not a common problem but have your mechanic do a compression test, if the cylinders don't hold compression then it would not be worth fixing (will require rebuilding engine).

If it's stick shift you can push start it.

Old accords (any old car for that matter) are built with the most basic components, they don't have a lot of electronic gizmos and stuff that can go wrong.

I think a bit of mechanical knowledge and a couple hundred bucks of parts should get you going again easily.
Buy a Haynes/Chilton book from any auto parts store, it will save you a ton of money in the long run and you'll learn a lot about how to keep your car running in good shape.

Read this, and go through the checklist one by one to narrow down your problem:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/car_wont_start.htm