So, a few days ago, I went to start my Fit and it did a thing where everything clicked like 20 times in a row then failed to start. After a few more tries I got nothing.

Now, I thought I might have left the dome light on, so I thought it might be the battery.

I have one of those battery trickle chargers, I plug it in and it shows the battery at ~40%. I charge it for an hour and it starts right up, I drove it around for 45minutes and came home.

The next day I went out shopping with a bunch of stops no issues.

Cut to yesterday during the snowstorm, I went to shovel and move the car.... nothing.

So today I broke out the battery charger again and this time saw the "check charge system" warning once I charged it for 45mins and turned it on. (the charger had it at 50-something % battery)

So, I am assuming the battery, but I want to do due diligence.

Some notes:

* "Check Charge System" - FIXED! - 2016 Accord Sport Won't Start - FIXED! - Page 2 - Drive Accord Honda Forums

This thread is talking about some relay being the issue

* Both times this happened, I did not lose enough charge to have to put in a code in the radio

 

Charging the battery that depleted takes more than 45 mins or an hour. It can take upto a few hours to get it to 80% and more for 100%. If you get "check charge system", the alternator may be bad. Have it checked it out if your alternator is properly charging the battery.

 

Well see, thats the weird thing - the charger ( similar to this )

Said the battery was full after the times I listed (or very close) and had started at ~50-60%.

So, I don't know if that just means the battery is toast or something else is keeping the car form properly charging/starting. With that said...

How does one verify an alternator?

 

Easier to verify the battery first with a load tester. Is that still the original battery?

 

go to autozone. they can also check your battery. double check your ground and positive cables, see if they are loose.

ecu won't show charging system problem if the alternator isn't bad. your charger would give it enough surface charge to let it start may be, but turn off the car and try again it probably won't.

also a bad alternator may start leading your battery to the end, diminishing its charging capacity, hence you getting 100% in a short time. i recently had an issue with my battery doing this. it will be a full charge in less than an hour. my voltmeter mod would tell me the battery would only be 13 volts with the engine running when it should be at 14v. i thought it was the alternator, but i got a new battery and voila 14v. haven't had an issue since, even with multiple starts in succession and short trips.

good luck!

 

Yeah - I have been reading more and it's possible it's just end of life?

 

After that first charge, it started up fine for at least 30 hours (I used it a bunch for errands the next day). I did stupidly not pack the charger with me when I did those errands though, but that problem is rectified.

Good call on bringing it to autozone. I didnt want to bring it to a shop and have it be a boondoggle if it was something esoteric but they (autozone) will test for free iirc.

 

I am having this exact same problem. Last Wednesday, my car would not start. All the warning lights were flashing, and it made the ticking noise. I was stuck in a parking garage, had AAA come out and once they got there it started. They tested my battery and said it was at 90%. I have since had the clicking when I start it, especially when it sits overnight or all day when I am at work. I have since taken it to the dealer because I thought I might get some free work due to parts still being under warranty (my car has just over 30K miles and is just over 3 years old). The dealer had it for 7 hours and could identify no problem.

Today, Monday, five days after the initial problem, I am now getting a "check charge system" warning on the mileage display. I have no idea what to do. At this point, I have been assured by 3 different companies that my battery is fine. The dealer said the next step is checking the ignition button but they were unable to get the problem replicated (of course!).

Did you ever figure out what was wrong with your Fit? I never thought of the alternator but some research on this site points to that...

 

Oh yes! It was ONE dead cell in the battery, which I feel died a little early but oh well, I replaced it. (I did bring it to a dealer to properly test and make sure it wasnt mice or anything else)