EG Civic battery or starter motor problem

[Lil Dan]

Hey guys,

Just came across a problem of late.

On Friday night when I drove to the mall etc, everytime I went to arm my car, the alarm would always go off after arming (I took it as a sign that the battery was giving out, hence the battery back up alarm was going off sensing that someone was tampering with the main battery).

On Saturday, car would not kick over and I had to jumpstart it to get it moving, so I thought i was the battery that was giving out so went and bought a new Century battery.

Monday morning - went to start the car and it wouldn't kick over until about the 3rd or 4th time. It was the same deal this morning, but after that would motor on smoothly.

WTF is going on? Is it my starter motor thats about to die? It's not an issue where you turn the key and it just won't kick over after a few seconds, but more of a 'when you turn your key nothing happens (like when you have the car in first and crank it and it just hops).

[Centurius]

have you checked what voltage the battery is getting while the car's running? could be a case of the alternator not charging, in which case even a brand new battery will run flat, though it shouldn't over the space of two days (saturday-monday)
what happens exactly when you turn the key? does the motor turn at all? could be an issue with the ignition switch contacts, or the starter.. if it's the starter, giving it a 'nudge' with a hammer or screwdriver handle helps sometimes, though obviously only a temporary solution if the starter is actually the problem.