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Hi Everyone,
I have a 2006 Honda Civic, with about 116000 miles on it. Recently it started giving me starting trouble such that I am losing confidence in the car.
Infrequently to now frequently, it either will crank very heavily or won’t crank at all. After a few tries or switching off the ignition switch off for a few seconds, the car will start.
Recently this problem has become frequent and I am afraid that the starter motor might be going bad.
I already checked the battery with initial voltage and the load test. It seems fine.
I have not done any of the voltage drop tests on the starter, as it is located underneath the intake manifold.
Can you guys help me out with ruling out or narrowing down the issue?
I saw the video and will check the starter relay on it, but could not find the neutral safety switch on it.
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Try a cranking voltage drop test between the negative post and ground on the engine to check ground strap. Should be no more than 0.25 V.
see if this help[s.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-no-start-problems
Thank you for the reply. So today the car would not crank at all or barely crank.
Cranking voltage drop due to none to a little cranking varied but I did get a reading of 0.32 V a couple of times.
[quote=”rjsng” post=93673]Thank you for the reply. So today the car would not crank at all or barely crank.
Cranking voltage drop due to none to a little cranking varied but I did get a reading of 0.32 V a couple of times.[/quote]
Are you measuring 12v at the starter? If so starter would be suspect.
If not a full 12v relay or cables would be suspect. Are your battery cables
clean and tight? Also is the battery in good shape?I recently replaced battery like 8 months ago and tested it again today. Battery seems fine.
12 v at starter is my next step, as soon as I get to the starter… It’s a little b**** to get to on my car.
I know how annoying it is when a car lets you down like that. While you’re getting at the starter, take 10 minutes to clean the battery posts, clamps, ground connection and positive starter connection with some sandpaper. Even if it”s not the solution, it’ll stand you in good stead to have good connections if you have to replace the starter.
I can’t stress enough how the battery connections are important. This video illustrates that point.
That said, if your connections are clean and tight you might have a starter issue. You can try tapping on it with a long pry bar the next time it won’t crank. If it cranks after you do this, then the starter is most likely the problem.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
Thanks guys.
So finally I was able to get to the solenoid wire..
I saw the battery voltage and the voltage drop.. Everything seems fine before the starter, plus the bendix seems to be stuck above..Got a heck of the time to get the top screw off… I did it with a rotator ratchet, a 6 inch extension socket, obviously a 14mm socket and last but not the least a lot of muscle power…
Recommend this video for good leverage place to work on the top screw, especially..Still trying to get the positive cable out.. Then the starter be out of the car.
Will post further pictures once I am done replacing the starter on the weekend.So guys I got the starter out.
Seems like the problem with the override clutch. Bendix isn’t engaging whenever I touch the starter terminal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqCPwreUmP4
Suggestions?
That’s strange. Can you manually move the pinion gear out with a pick or similar?
I’ve not seen a engagment mechanism stick like that before. I would be dismantling the solenoid and yoke to find the sticking point, but if you’re not inclined to do that then it looks like it might be new starter time.
Thanks guys for all the suggestions, Y’all Rock!!
Special thanks to Eric, without whose profession help, I wouldn’t have been able to pin point the problem and !!fix it..!!Yes, I replaced the starter and it works great. Didn’t drive it too much though, Airbag sign came on for a moment on my first trip and freaked me out.. Didn’t see it again though. Hopefully everything is fine.
Starter was faulty, I opened it and first of all saw a lot of black dust. Don’t know if that normal, but I am assuming it’s from the wear of the parts.
Armature had weird wear marks, presumably from contact with the permanent magnet.
But major problem, I think, was that the gear shaft was stuck and would not turn freely.Replaced with the one from local autozone store.
Sticking out gear clutch seems to be normal for this 2006-2011 Honda Civic EX AT. Weird starter, the solenoid is inbuilt.
Anyways here’s a brief summary of my action on it.
Tools:
1) 3/8″ Ratchet with 4″, 6″ and 10″ socket extensions.
2) socket sizes: 10″, 12″, 14″.
3) Very useful: Rotator ratchet, got one for cheap from walmart, 20 bucks.P.O.A
1) Jacked up the car and secured on jack stands.
2) Got the passenger tire and splash guard off.3) Got underneath the car and removed the intake manifold bracket. Secured with two 10″ and one 12″ bolts.
This is a must for easy work around.
4) Got the Bottom 14″ bolt fastener off the starter, from the passenger side.5) Top bolt was tricky. Many claim to get it from passenger side wheel, using a swivel socket.
I got it from behind the front subframe, using 6 inch extension socket and long ratchet.
Note: Remove the cables from the harness clamps, it makes the job much easier.
6) Got the starter out from the passenger side opening.**Note** Working from behind the front subframe is recommended.
Advantages: Better view of the starter, more space to move your tools and hands around, Positive voltage drop and other electrical checks possible taking the starter out.Installation (Easy)
7) Got the starter in place, through the passenger side tire area.
8) Secured the top 14″ bolt, working from behind the front subframe, using 6″ extension socket and a slimmer 3/8″ ratchet. (Barely enough clearance, 4″ socket extension is recommended that I didn’t have at that moment).
9) Secured the bottom 14″ bolt ** Piece of cake**
10) Double secured both the bolts with torque wrench.. Top bolt: 33 lbf-ft; bottom bolt: 47 lbf-ft.
11) Secured the positive battery and solenoid wires. Checked for voltage drop and battery voltage.
12) Secured all the cables on the harness clamps.
13) Put back the intake manifold bracket.
14) Put splashguard and tires back on..
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