my sister's accord wont't start and we changed the battery since it was old and the alternator but it still has problems starting, could the problem be a bad cable? has this happened to anyone else and how did they fix it?

 

EFI or carb? You may want to check the Main Fuel Relay since they're notorious for malfunctioning, causing the related symptoms you describe.

I believe engines equipped with a carb don't have that relay. Maybe someone will chime in here and give a definitive answer.

 

When you say problems starting do you mean it turns over a long time before it finally starts or does it turn over slowly sometimes (or not at all)?

Once it does start, does it run good/normal?

It could be a variety of things but if you feel it might be the cables or their connections just make sure they're tight w/ no corrosion on them. You can follow the positive battery cable to where it connects to the starter.

Also check where the negative battery cable grounds to the chassis and the ground running from the transmission to the chassis.

If the cables look very dark (or even black ) it wouldn't be bad to replace them but otherwise I doubt that's it.

 

well the starter doesn't turn at all unless I jump the car and then once its started the engine starts slowing down and dies and I'm guessing its an electrical problem since the car won't start at all once it dies and won't start unless its jumped

 

My guess would be alternator. Check the connections on it but since you replaced the battery (assuming it was putting out a good 12 volts when you put it in) I have a feeling you'll need to rebuild/replace the alternator.

I'd suggest testing to see if the alternator is putting out anywhere near the right amount of juice but since the car won't stay running...

If you find out that it is in fact the alt I picked up a rebuilt Denso for $160 total online. PM if you want the location.

 

I was doing some research on google and found that on these accords a common problem is the distributor igniter going bad and it sais this also makes the car not start, is that true?

 

It's true that the ignitor, sometimes called the ignition module, could cause the car not to start.

If you suspect the ignitor you can follow the steps in a repair manual and do tests on the ignition coil reistance, power from the ECU, etc. so you can rule out everything else.

However, the ignitor itself going bad wouldn't prevent the battery from being charged by the alternator or cause the battery to drain overnight - requiring it to be jumped the next day.
If there was a problem with the distributor or anything under the distributor cap, even the cap itself, the starter would still crank the engine even if it wouldn't actually start.