No start diagnosis?

Slacker said:
My .02:

A weak starter that hits on the compression stroke will often not have enough strength to get past it.
The same starter, hitting on the exhaust stroke, will be allowed a "running start" before it hits the compression stroke.

This is (likley) why it started after you attempted to roll start it.
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Sounds plausible to me.

Went to Advance Auto and battery checks out fine. So does starter and alternator, but the handheld diagnostic machine they bring out to the parking lot performs only very basic testing of the starter.

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Pull starter and have it tested in the store, I had similar problem with our '99 sable,
battery and starter check OK in car, pulled starter and bench tested it pass twice,
asked the young lady to test it again and it failed! It would fail on each third test.
Most likely a bad winding.
 
Button Pusher said:
Pull starter and have it tested in the store, I had similar problem with our '99 sable,
battery and starter check OK in car, pulled starter and bench tested it pass twice,
asked the young lady to test it again and it failed! It would fail on each third test.
Most likely a bad winding.
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Yeah the Advance Auto guy mentioned the starter tester they have inside the store, but he figured the starter would very likely test fine on that. Especially if the problem is what @Slacker suggested. It starts >99% of the time (yesterday was the first failure to start since January). And when it doesn't start, if I push/roll the vehicle in gear, it will start fine then.

Also, the starter is 16 years old, if that matters.
 
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I would definitely look at the starter. What kind of Honda is it?

I know you've checked the positive and negative terminals, but on my current car, even without corrosion or the appearance of the terminals being loose, I have had to tighten them to get the car to start before. I don't remember if you said you actually put a wrench to them, but it might be worth a shot.
 
Short Fuse said:
The battery can have 12 volts and still not have enough current avalible to start the car. When you get it started again go right to the auto parts store and have the battery load tested. At 5 years no matter how it tested I would replace it just so it did not leave me stranded in the near future. If the battery tests good then have the alternator and starter tested. Most likly will be a bad battery if not then there is probably a bad spot in your starter motor.
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Told ya so.
 
Since the August no-start was the first time since January, figured I'd get into the cooler weather of September before I had to deal with this. No such luck. Another no-start this weekend.
Slacker said:
My .02:

A weak starter that hits on the compression stroke will often not have enough strength to get past it.
The same starter, hitting on the exhaust stroke, will be allowed a "running start" before it hits the compression stroke.

This is (likley) why it started after you attempted to roll start it.
Click to expand...
Makes sense to me. With this weekend's no-start, I was parked nose-first in a parking spot, so I put the car in reverse and rocked the car back an inch or two. Started right up.

Mike Overlay said:
Could be a starter. Could be battery. Could be loose/corroded cable.
Test battery for at least 12 volts. If so, then make sure small wire at starter is getting power while key is turned to start position.
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Checked the lead into the S terminal - getting ~11.5V there when I turn ignition to Start position. I guess that rules out any problems with the ignition switch and neutral safety switch, and odds are very high the problem is the starter. So I'm going to buy a remanufactured starter.
 
drypowder said:
Since the August no-start was the first time since January, figured I'd get into the cooler weather of September before I had to deal with this. No such luck. Another no-start this weekend.
Makes sense to me. With this weekend's no-start, I was parked nose-first in a parking spot, so I put the car in reverse and rocked the car back an inch or two. Started right up.

Checked the lead into the S terminal - getting ~11.5V there when I turn ignition to Start position. I guess that rules out any problems with the ignition switch and neutral safety switch, and odds are very high the problem is the starter. So I'm going to buy a remanufactured starter.
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Try for a new if possible. Usually only a few dollars difference
 
Mike Overlay said:
Try for a new if possible. Usually only a few dollars difference
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At Advance Auto, the Carquest starter for my car is $88 for reman vs $174 new. The reman has limited lifetime replacement, whatever that means - I guess they'll replace it for life for original purchaser if it's not damaged by a wreck or owner not doing something stupid.
 
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drypowder said:
At Advance Auto, the Carquest starter for my car is $88 for reman vs $174 new. The reman has limited lifetime replacement, whatever that means - I guess they'll replace it for life for original purchaser if it's not damaged by a wreck or owner not doing something stupid.
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what are you working on? year, make, model, color? day/night rearview miorror?
 
Picked up a reman starter at Advance Auto. Got 'er done in the parking lot. The thing that consumed the most time was looking for a dropped socket somewhere between the engine and radiator fans. Never found it; I suppose next time I jack up the front end, it'll be smiling at me.

Car started right up; tested several times, so I think the starter was the problem. The old starter looked like it was OEM Honda, so it put in 16 years before meeting the recycler/rebuilder.
 
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