tcblu
Mar 20, 2011, 09:35 AM
I posted last month about this prob... I have a 98 honda accord, 130k--> been working great till now.
battery is in good condition and has a good charge.
with the engine off the headlamps off+turned on they are nice and brite.
the check engine lite has been on for a few years, and of course the red engine and battery lites stay on when i teurn the key on.
theres a neutral saftey switch so Ive tried shifting into difererent gear modes and back to park but has no effect.
its been 2 days like this, just now as I was going in and out to gather info to type out the probs here it started up!! then i tried again and it didn't? then it started again. seems to be starting good but I'm afraid I'll get stranded somewhere.
could this be an elec-sensor prob or mechanical with the starting sys?
OK... 1st of all its not due to a bad battery or altenator as was suggested in the original post.
Since that time the car has not started,
Onve during this time I did hear that hi pitch metallic noise when the starter drive gear doesn't pull
Back in after the engine starts and you let off the key so I started thinking potential starter probs.
The car hasn't started now for weeks,
I had time yesterday to mess with it and talked to a master auto guy on the radio.
After explaing to him he offered a few this advice, starter, ignition switch and or voltage drop somewhere before it hits the starter.
He said have someone turn the ignition all the way to engage the starter while tapping on the starter housing and if it started it was probably the starter or less possibly a voltage drop prob because the drive gear didn't pul back that one time.
I gave it a try and it started up when I tapped on the starter :)
BUT
The starter drive wouldn't disengage and I told my GF to let off the key/turn it off!
She said she did but I thought she was just upset and a bit confused because I was yelling to turn it off?
Since then the car starts every time
BUT
It either starts and runs but you can hear what sounds like the drive gear still engaged
OR
The car starts, the drive gear stays engaged and turning off the ign-switch the starter **keeps turning over*** even when the ignition is turned off!
I thought I was going to have to pull a battery cable loose to get it to stop but turning the key back+forth finally stopped the starter the last time I tried it.
I know there were recalls with the ignition switch on this car and I'm near certain we took the car in when mom had it and honda replaced it, not 100% sure but nearly sure it was replaced.
So now its looking this may not be a starter prob at all to me?
So I took the starter off and had it bench tested at the local auto store.
It started every time and stopped, didn't keep on turning over like it did in the car.
So now I'm thinking it's the ignition switch BUT if banging on the starter got it going then maybe the starter is involved?
But ion the other hand if the starter is still turning over after you turn off the ignition its not going to be the starter.. right?
The auto tech guy on the radio said the starter/solenoid did have contacts inside and banging on the starter indicated a starter problem.
Is there more to it when the starter is hooked up to the ignition switch as opposed to being on the bench tester?
Another Q... if it isn't the starter and its something else will the starter be damaged from the drive being engaged while the engine was running, It maybe ran a total of 10-15 seconds all together when I was trying it.
Before I replace a $120 plus starter I want to make sure Its not the $160 plus ignition switch
Or something else entirely!
By the way the guy said there may be a voltage drop but I don't have a volt ohm meter to test it and would a V-drop cause any of the symptoms I described?
battery is in good condition and has a good charge.
with the engine off the headlamps off+turned on they are nice and brite.
the check engine lite has been on for a few years, and of course the red engine and battery lites stay on when i teurn the key on.
theres a neutral saftey switch so Ive tried shifting into difererent gear modes and back to park but has no effect.
its been 2 days like this, just now as I was going in and out to gather info to type out the probs here it started up!! then i tried again and it didn't? then it started again. seems to be starting good but I'm afraid I'll get stranded somewhere.
could this be an elec-sensor prob or mechanical with the starting sys?
OK... 1st of all its not due to a bad battery or altenator as was suggested in the original post.
Since that time the car has not started,
Onve during this time I did hear that hi pitch metallic noise when the starter drive gear doesn't pull
Back in after the engine starts and you let off the key so I started thinking potential starter probs.
The car hasn't started now for weeks,
I had time yesterday to mess with it and talked to a master auto guy on the radio.
After explaing to him he offered a few this advice, starter, ignition switch and or voltage drop somewhere before it hits the starter.
He said have someone turn the ignition all the way to engage the starter while tapping on the starter housing and if it started it was probably the starter or less possibly a voltage drop prob because the drive gear didn't pul back that one time.
I gave it a try and it started up when I tapped on the starter :)
BUT
The starter drive wouldn't disengage and I told my GF to let off the key/turn it off!
She said she did but I thought she was just upset and a bit confused because I was yelling to turn it off?
Since then the car starts every time
BUT
It either starts and runs but you can hear what sounds like the drive gear still engaged
OR
The car starts, the drive gear stays engaged and turning off the ign-switch the starter **keeps turning over*** even when the ignition is turned off!
I thought I was going to have to pull a battery cable loose to get it to stop but turning the key back+forth finally stopped the starter the last time I tried it.
I know there were recalls with the ignition switch on this car and I'm near certain we took the car in when mom had it and honda replaced it, not 100% sure but nearly sure it was replaced.
So now its looking this may not be a starter prob at all to me?
So I took the starter off and had it bench tested at the local auto store.
It started every time and stopped, didn't keep on turning over like it did in the car.
So now I'm thinking it's the ignition switch BUT if banging on the starter got it going then maybe the starter is involved?
But ion the other hand if the starter is still turning over after you turn off the ignition its not going to be the starter.. right?
The auto tech guy on the radio said the starter/solenoid did have contacts inside and banging on the starter indicated a starter problem.
Is there more to it when the starter is hooked up to the ignition switch as opposed to being on the bench tester?
Another Q... if it isn't the starter and its something else will the starter be damaged from the drive being engaged while the engine was running, It maybe ran a total of 10-15 seconds all together when I was trying it.
Before I replace a $120 plus starter I want to make sure Its not the $160 plus ignition switch
Or something else entirely!
By the way the guy said there may be a voltage drop but I don't have a volt ohm meter to test it and would a V-drop cause any of the symptoms I described?