No Crank, No Start Diagnosis - EricTheCarGuy 

Can I just say I am a single mother who knows nothing about cars but the way you explained everything in this video allowed me to understand what you were saying without confusion.

Thanks a MILLION brother. I just fixed a "No Crank, No Start" issue on my 1999 Honda Civic with few taps on the starter. I really appreciate you taking time to make these videos for us non-mechanics.

I have a tip. On Chevy Silverados after you have been driving on snow covered roads on your way to work during the winter. After you get off work the starter won't crank. What happens is the drain hole in the starter housing gets snow and water packed up there into the starter gears. It then freezes and won't let the starter turn over. You need to go under the pickup with a little benzomatic propane torch and warm up the starter to melt the ice. After that I put a dab of door and window caulking over that hole and have had no issues with my pickup starting for the last 4 years now.

But yeah... Eric is a good mechanic and its awesome that he has chosen to be a great and generous communicator as well.

The moment you pulled out the dipstick and saw no oil I died a little on the inside.

This video saved my butt. My Xterra wouldn't start, in fact the ignition wouldn't even turn on. Just heard a relay clicking. Thought it was an electronic problem, but like Eric said, I started at the beginning- the battery terminals. Turned out the ground was just a hair loose, and had a tad of corrosion on it. Cleaned them both, tightened them down, started right up! It's amazing how important good battery connections are.

You can see him progressively become more annoyed with how the owner maintains their car lol.

This am my ‘01 Tundra had the no start no electronics situation. As a 72 yr old woman alone I can tell you it’s a freak out. Had it not been for you - I don’t know what! I take care of that baby, we’ve been through good times and bad together, so I knew the battery was good. As you say, CHECK. I checked the terminals and she started honking! Noticed the bracket had come loose. I love you. 💕

to kill one engine is misfortunate to do it a second time is utter stupidity no wonder eric looked slightly pissed off.

I had the same issue with one of my customers. I went through the same process. He said it wouldn't start. Great video, you are really helping people out there.

You rock Eric. It was simple as connectors loose. Thank you for doing what you do bro!!!

Thank you for this video, your advice on checking the simple things before writing off the battery or other things saved me going to the shop and buying a new battery! Turns out the terminals weren’t fastened enough on my battery and now it’s all good. Thank you!

Thanks Eric I've been in the field for about two years and your videos help with my dg. Thanks a lot

Eric, you totally rock. I love all your "Eric The Car guy videos. You've helped me out tremendously numerous times. Keep it up for all the other Honda Girls out there.

This is why an honest mechanic is worth his or her weight in gold . The first thing to check is the oil level . If the stick comes back dry, your eyes should start to water . If you try and spin the engine over by hand with no luck, start balling your eyes out because a new or rebuilt engine is the only fix . Always check your oil level and change it on schedule , especially if you have a leak . This video was an extreme case of negligence resulting in a worst case scenario seized engine .Thanks Eric, sorry for your loss .

Thanks Eric I just went through this and after tapping on the starter it fired up. My 91 civic wagon has only 60,000 so it is worth working on. Thanks for saving me $ and giving me a warning on my starter. Happy guy who will be back as I subscribed.

Dude you saved me. I was steps away from missing work. Thank you for the step by step diagnosis.

Amazing job on educating, Eric - professional terminology, king tone and not condescending. That's why we love you! I learnt so much about cars from you and my friends that I don't really need to see any more, but I come back and watch for recreation and pleasure. Your videos have more re-watch value than most blockbusters!

Eric I love you!!! My 00 Civic worked just fineyesterday but today would not crank over and I just heard a click. Thought it was the starter but then when I looked at your video and you said to check the battery terminal connections....I said to myself....the one terminal was disconnected to reset the radio codes yesrerday and my son apparently did not tighten the terminal connector tight enough. Sure enough I went and could move that terminal and wiggle around the connector.....my son then tightened up this terminal and I was able to crank on the car. I LOVE YOU!!!! Thank you for all your wonderful videos on Honda Civics. I have two.....a 98 and now a 00 Civic and these videos are GOLD. This was a very easy fix....should have thought about this but yesterday after resetting the radio we were able to take several trips around town and it started right up....now having the car sit overnight in the very wet and cold Ohio night....it apparently backed out enough to be a real PAIN!!!! Have to get some dielectric to stop this from happening again.

Nice vid! Finally a vid thats informative and not too much unnecessary talk. I often skip Eric's vids because its too long. Thumbs up!

Hey Eric, Just wanted to say thanks for this super helpful video! Used it to diagnose a click only, no start issue with my 1990 Harley. Turned out to be an old starter relay, and it took me maybe 10 minutes after watching this video. I started watching your old ones back when I had a Honda and they were helpful back then too. Keep it up! 😁

Eric, thanks for tipping me off on what my problem was. It was the alternative alarm system I had installed. The engine wouldn't turn over because of that. I switched to the alarm system provided by Subaru and that resolved the problem. The car started right up.

An “oldie but a goodie”, Eric! I bought a 2001 Civic a while back (on the cheap), with this issue: had been run totally out of oil. That engine was locked up and wouldn’t budge, for sure! Either way, I had bought the car for the body, which was in decent shape and it received a heart transplant shortly after and put back on the road. For the record, (never having done an engine swap before), I watched one of EricTheCarGuy’s videos on the subject and said to myself, “I can do that”. Props for always giving us simple, informative videos to follow along with and learn from. *P.S. Let it be known: adding oil after the fact DOES NOT take back what damage has already been done, folks! Sorry, not sorry 😢

My 88 civic threw a rod on cylinder #2 due to very low oil while my brother was driving. Wish I had seen this video before I went thru the trouble of replacing water pump and timing belt. Great video as always.

So even after the lesson of the expense of replacing 1 engine from running out of oil they let it happen again? Ignored the valvetrain ticking, ignored the check engine light, ignored the oil light, ignored (I'm sure by now) loud rod knock, ignored the temp guage reading hot by now, ignored the engine getting out of balance, ignored the growing loss of power by every second! Good greif! Someone HATES this car or LOVES eric!!!

Thanks Eric! Just ran through the simple tests and it was the fuse - you saved me towing and goodness knows what else!

Thank you for your time and work you put into your videos. You are doing the world a service.

i can hear the complete and utter enthusiasm in Erics voice! change your damn oil people.

Thanks for the video and helping distinguish between the issues. I thought I had a bad starter, but after watching this I Checked the battery first like you said, afterword I cleaned the corrosion off the battery with some vinegar I was able to get my truck running. $2 vs $300 fix. Thanks!

thank you eric, I've been learning a lot from all your videos. I saved a lot of money. by doing my own work by myself.

Wow! A retro Eric the Car Guy video popped up on me. Boy, how you and I have aged in what seems like a couple of years - but is 10 years ago now. All the best in your new adventures.

Hey Erick thanks for all your posts you help many people including me you are indeed a very good and honest Mechanic

This guy really broke it down! Badass man. Great video, sorry your engine is seized. Glad mines not. I was able to turn my crankshaft.

Brand new, 200,000 miles on the clock :) I have the manual gearbox, great car.

Holy crap. That’s about the most common sense approach to ANYTHING I’ve ever seen. Thanks for sharing your trouble shooting expertise.

I'm always learning new things from you...thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

Very simple and as usual straight to the point. Great instructions. Learn folks, Keep it simple and trust your instincts. I admit that I would have gone for the starter without checking the engine, The battery and connections would be first. Again Thank You.

Totally love how honest you were in this video for example the battery strap, holding the battery down. You got my 'like 👍on this video!

You just saved me a couple of hundred dollars I'm sure because I wouldn't have looked at the clutch from inside the car. I figured it was a clutch issue but not something as simple as that. Thank you so much for posting your video.

Thanks for the video. I always think worst case scenario. I probably wouldn't have taken the time to go through every fuse in my daughters pt cruiser. Saved me a lot of time and money. Thanks again.

The 2nd thing, after the battery, anyone with a manual gearbox should check is that their clutch safety switch stop pad didn't break. This will show symptoms of full 12v power, working lights, but no crank. It's because when you depress the clutch pedal, it's not pressing the safety switch, because the little rubber pad broke and likely fell into your floorboard. Check the floorboard under your steering wheel and see if you find little pieces of plastic down there. Then, reach up under to the top of the clutch pedal assembly and look for a switch, and see if the little plastic/rubber stop/bumper is still attached to the pedal. If not, then that's your problem.

Just stopping by to say that u are the best. You do great videos man!! Keep it up and thanks for taking the time to help us!!God bless you!!

Nice job Eric. Very useful, and well paced.

MR. Eric, thank you for an awesome video on No Crank, No Start Diagnosis. Thís is what happens when people neglect a car.

I've found customers with no start, no crank conditions on older vehicles can also be caused by water damage in starter relays. Especially in the winter time after a pressure washing. It's possible to salvage the relays slot of the time by drying them out over a heatin vent or a heat gun.

I know it isn't the battery for me because i literally JUST replaced it with a new one. I am leaning towards alternator.

Eric. Best presentation ever. Thank you. Have a great day.

Thank you so much! This saved me so much! I am truly grateful for you and this video.

This owner does not need A new engine...what he or she need's is A bus pass!!

I appreciate it Eric, I tapped my started and it started right up

Nice to see actual mechanics still around

I remember my mum having to start our car for a month or so by whacking the starter motor with a hammer xD... What was even worse is my dad was a mechanic haha

Eric, you are hilarious and make learning simple. I have wanted to know more about my car forever...even always wanted a model car in childhood I never got...I'm a female. I told someone, that while injured and down long term, it is just fun and interesting listening to you, and you make me break out laughing every video. And your easy to learn from. I'm gonna keep watching, maybe until I know everything, lol. I'll be building a car in no time, I'm pretty sure now. This is kind of like going to a museum, but better, cause everybody has a car. I'm thinking I am going to feel less tormented when something goes wrong with the car, and more interested in the fun of it being a puzzle I might be able to figure out myself, and have something else I can argue with a man, and be right, lol. That I also like, although playing dumb also can work to my advantage...I'll have to wait for the situation to know how to play it ...lol...best, lol. But you know I am not going to get stranded...maybe only you, lol.`..until it happens.

This video didn't necessarily help me at this moment but just wanted to say your videos are dope and hella helpful all the time even when not helpful for the particular issue at the time cheers

Thank you for making this video...Eric so very helpful to me right this very moment.

I like how he explains things. I'm glad that people like Eric exist.

Hello there BUddy! Thanks for another great video! I would like to say thank you for all your support and what you been doing so far! I myself learned most of mechanical stuff with your videos that ive been watching for last 7 years!!! you have been a star and inspiration for me here in UK. Thanks to all of this Ive managed to work at Main dealer Toyota now and got up to Diagnostic Tech and MOT tester. Best thing is that Ive created my RU-vid channel to help people out like you do and managed to get myself a Barn/Studio/workshop to do that! Recently bought a car lift and loads of other stuff for it, so its going great! I just wanted to say BIG THANK YOU for being an inspiration and a great Guy! If you Got a Sec a Subscribe from you would mean a LOT! trust me! Keep up good work and Stay Dirty!

You r the man dude thank u I've been watching your videos for a year now and I haven't had to take my vehicles to a mechanic you are the man bro God bless you merry Christmas happy New Year brother after watching you videos I'm a mechanic now certified Pro JK but in all real thank you bro

I really appreciate the efforts you go through to produce your very informative videos; i watch them all; I live in the boondocks and own a 70 chevy c10 pickup; I had a starting issue- the starter would not disengage from the flywheel?? so I replaced the stater "same thing the stater "would not disengage" I called a local mechanic and he suggested i have a bad "IGNITION SWITCH" so I replaced the ignition switch following all the directions which included the key&cylinder lock !! The battery is producing 12,47 volts/I have radio/headlights/heater&all accessories I did position the new key cylinder in the accessory position, then turned the key 1 click to the right which is the off position for the ignition system "in-dash not column-mounted" turn the key to the start position "no click no crank" my problem is I do not know how to" test the switch or the stater" at 73 years of age it is very difficult to twist my lower body under the dash- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated; I have a voltage meter/and a test light I just do not know how to figure out where to start NOTE; when I replaced just the stater the truck would start- but since replacing the ignition switch "no click-no start"-SORRY ABOUT THE LONG MESSAGE!!! PATRICK.P

"my car wont start" "yeah youre gonna need a new engine"

I feel his pain about what happened to this poor Honda. My old 2004 Nissan Altima had 295,000 miles on it. Granted it ate oil like a mother fucker lol, had to keep at least 4 bottles of oil to make sure it didn’t run bone dry. But I checked it everyday simply because I didn’t want to destroy the engine.. until the damn transmission gave out on me. Hate when an irresponsible owner gets the keys to a reliable car and just kills it from not doing basic maintenance

Thanks a lot. Hitting the starter worked for me Saved me at least $250, wouldn't have been able to work tonight

Found this video and tapped my altenator 3 times and it worked! Thanks!

Owner blew up 2 engines. I wouldn't let the owner drive...

Solution to the issue? Take keys away from driver Lmao 😂

Lol. You know what men. Thats why i watch your videos. I was going crazy pulling my code reader getting a multimeter. And when you said not to overthink it, i calmed myself down and run all the simple test you just did. I knew the topping on the starter but i was already thinking about a transmission or limp mode problem. It was the starter 😅. Thabks Eric.

you saved my vans life last night with 2 videos! yaayy engine has 459000km and going strong!!

Cylinder 4 was the problem other 3 were normal wear.

Eric my dads 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS had the same problem he put the key in and it would try the start but wouldn't he would try a lot of times and get it to work so he took it to the auto shop and got the starter changed and it worked again he changed the battery the first time and wouldn't start so that wasn't the case he even jump started it but the problem was the starter needed to be changed 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS.

Awesome stuff Eric. Thanks for your vid's!! Appreciate it!!

I had a no crank no start on my 93 civic. My dash lights would go dim and there's no clicking sound. I checked my battery. The terminals seemed to be good nd clean but when i wiggled the negative terminal it was loose and i just tightened it up a bit and it starts up just fine. Video was very helpful. Thanks man.

1:04 Had the same sound on my car after swapping the engine. Forgot to connect the main positive cable for the starter.

...my 2011 Ridgeline is now at “no crank no start” in my driveway. Watching this video made me feel so sick in my stomach....

I must admit that Eric is very good diagnostic mechanic.

My Acura 2002 RL No Crank, No Start just one click. Perfect Battery. Starter? Key? Any Ideas? After 3 or 4 tries it cranks right up and starts and Runs amazing. Thank you Eric for all your videos and time over the years.

Unrelatable but can you make a video on how to repair the code p0740 for Honda's or any car in general ?

207K Miles going on its 3 Engine. I have seen a Honda Civic on the 1st Engine with 300k Miles on it. Only thing they have changed is the plugs, plug cables, filters and other basics. What the owner has had to change a lot was....The Oil...

WOW, 4.5 million views and for good reason, his vids are the best and very well done.

Thanks for this video man@EricTheCarGuy

I am a sunday guy ever sunday morning wind I get up I check out all the cars in the drive way but then agen I own a auto repair shop and I just feel a qt of oil is a lot cheeper then a motor but that just me ... and my 1984 dodge 150 318v8 now have 517,000 miles on it I wish I code say the same for my chevy lol

This is the first time I've watched this guy and I enjoyed the video. But does he always look like he's been awake for 72 hours straight? LOL

Well explained... Much appreciated. I have my CRV RD1 has no cracks, no start, no ignition when turning on the key, totally nothing is happy but the battery is okay. Don't know what can I do about it!

Thank you for this video! It allowed me to get my pilot working tonight

Great video!

driving my 86 nissan truck, lost power, truck shut off, tried to re start in since it a 5sd, clutch in ,whined no catch. came to a halt dont even whine. but the oil ,battery, brake lite stays on ,. full of oil.

Also tried starting fluid and still no start 03 Volkswagen GTI could really use your help Eric diagnosing this problem it is a turbo 1.8 thank you buddy love your videos

+EricTheCarGuy. Eric, you're probably the best guy I've seen on RU-vid when it comes to vehicles. At any rate, we gave our Grandson our 1998 Honda Accord when he turned 16, [just got his license]., because it's so reliable, also I felt that it would get him through at least college, or sooner if he had the cash to buy something with 4 wheel drive because we live in Michigan & the winter months can be scary, so there was also that concern. Also the cost of Insurance was pretty low. Since his girlfriends grandparent's decided to fly them out to California for a week, giving me some time to fix any issues he was having. Since I hired his next door neighbor to do most of the work due to an accident which damaged my back. I'm hoping I'm wrong but after his Honda was done being worked on, I decided to do one last test drive last night after the mechanic went home, since my grandson & girlfriend were on their way back from the airport. I let it warm up a few minutes & as I started to back up I noticed something pooled up on the drive where it was parked, [antifreeze]. Next when I decided to turn the car around & back it into the driveway, it wouldn't start. Well the ignition wire to the starter came off. I figured out where that went, re-connected it & backed it into my driveway. Now I have the antifreeze leak & also a vacuum hose that was disconnected from somewhere around the starter. I hate to think this mechanic messed with it while I was in my house but to have these two thing's all of a sudden to happen really makes me wonder. So with all said, do you know where I can a partial diagram of the vacuum hoses from under the battery to the starter area. I've tried to find any images so I can re-connect this vacuum hose? Now that it's daylight now, I wanted to try & take care of the vacuum hose issue & then try to find the coolant leak. [The coolant only leaks when the rad cap is on & the system is under pressure]....

Hey Eric, it would really be a big help if you could do a "Crank, No Start" Diagnosis video. If possible a 1994-2001 Acura Integra would be an incredible example car :) Thankyou, love your vids

Eric the car Guy awesome , superb video you need to have a TV show

2.2k Thumbs Down? This was a well put together, easily understood and easy to follow video. Some people must have had very different expectations for this video, or just a lot of haters?

Oh yeah Eric! Forgot to tell you the story on my '97 Honda Accord, No Crank, No Start. 1.) First I removed the Main Relay box under the dash and found it had 2 Cracked Trace connections, on the logic board, 1 possible failing condenser. This made it start and run but, once it came up to temp in the passenger cabin, the main relay box and board got warm, the connections expanded and the engine would start missing. I replaced the Main Relay box (under dash) few bucks from Amazon. 2.) I had 2 spark plug wires grounding out in the spark plug wells, in the valve cover, filled with oil, my bad. Replaced the "O" rings, cleaned the plugs and wires with solvent. 3.)An old connection for driving lights left a fuse corroded, not sending any voltage to the fuel pump. So, no fuel pump, no starter signal, no crank the engine. I also found the timing was off, I had a garage replace the "O" ring around the distributor base some time ago, the oil leak dripping on a heater hose caused a leak. When they got done, they didn't tighten the distributor bolt, timing was retarded. When we finally fixed all the shorts and started it, fuel built up in the exhaust system ignited and popped my resonator apart, haha! Peeled it open like a label on a can. But now it's running like a clock, with the engine check light on because, I still need to do the timing belts and repair the exhaust system. I'd like to make it all stainless, but I can't find the "Ahead pipe" and the short 02 pipe in stainless. I've seen a long collector style header for it, "not stock location" racing only. Not sure if it would solve the problem anyway, unless someone makes me one, $$$$! Thanks for the help, I check back often ...

Who ruins 2 engines from the same mistake?! You think they'd have learned their pricy lesson after the first time

You can fix the vehicle but you can't fix stupid...

Eric a my name is Sam. First your videos are awesome brother. I've been abel to be patient when troubleshooting a vehicle. The old saying is true, thanks for teaching how to fish.

I own same car as it's also the same year & everything. It's got a couple of modifications, but it works like a beauty.

Sounds like whoever owns that car shouldn't be allowed to operate a motor vehicle.

5:00 Jeremy Clarkson would approve

I just want to share some info. I recently bought a 1998 Civic LX manual transmission with 1.6L engine. 266,000 miles. Coolant fan didn't come on at temperature it should've, couldn't find the problem, all the individual parts seemed ok. So I added a switch and a bypass until I could fix it right. It ran ok, little bit rough occasionally, after a month it died while driving. No codes, no ECL, crank but no start. No spark at plug, no spark at coil. Proper voltage to ICM, voltage to injector, good signal to injector, but no flashing on ICM blue wire with tester. Replaced coil, then a new ICM, NO GOOD. Then a new distributor because you can't just replace the pickup coil. STILL NO SPARK. So I ordered a used ECU and when I swapped it out I immediately had spark. It ran beautifully, AND the coolant fan problem was gone. Also it was smoother and ran cooler than before. My takeaway was that the rough running and loss of coolant fan was an indicator of a failing ECU. ALSO, I did not reprogram the ECU.

I work at a chain preventative maintenence shop. I cannot stress enough how important it is to change your oil regularly! The amount of people who dont care and/or are ignorant on this matter is far too high!

Thank you