03 civic coupe lx

i have not done anything to this car except change oil and air filter.
it is becoming harder to start. i mean rather than start in 2 seconds
now it takes 4. any thoughts

 

Battery?

 

maybe time for new spark plugs,too.

I suggest doing the entire major maintenance sequence closest to the
mileage on the vehicle.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

 

A 6yo battery is probably a tired battery, especially in certain
climates.

You also might want to look into new plugs and wires.

 

There are very few climates I can think of that would support a 6 yr
old battery. LA? Hawai'i?

 

I'm in Buffalo, and I've had some last that long. Not many, but some.

Heat is worse on a battery than cold...

 

The North American Northeast climate is very kind to batteries. Properly
cared for, a quality battery up here will last eight or nine years.

My original Panasonic lasted eleven summers and ten winters. Cranking got
noticeably slow towards the end, so I replaced it with an Interstate. I
just replaced that Interstate after eight years with a second one.

The 8-year-old Interstate could no longer hold a full charge, topping out
at 12.54V. Plus the seal between the positive post and the case had become
compromised, resulting in furry green corrosion, something I've not had
since my '82 Corolla. The post/case break happened in the last few weeks.




Plugs, definitely. Wires, no. I believe this model has a coil pack for each
plug.

 

(bootsie43 tim) wrote in @baytvnwsxa002.msntv.msn.com:

Turn the dome light on. Now crank. Does the dome light dim a LOT?

Does the starter sound like it's actually cranking more slowly than it used
to?

Do your headlights dim at idle, but brighten when you rev the engine?

If the above are true, your battery is probably losing its oomph.

 

I'm not sure about "very kind," but you can definitely get good
battery life up here. I average 7 years, as long as I don't do dumb
things like let them die from phantom loads in Winter. Basically, you
want to keep the battery as nearly charged as possible, with only slight
dips in charge to start, but without overcharging. You do that by
keeping the car in good enough tune to start quickly in all conditions.
This prolongs both battery and alternator life.

Yikes. Yes, plugs can fail as early as 60k miles. Wires last much
longer if they don't get baked by excessive heat.

 

But, this model has no wires to change...

 

Yeah, but the replacement price of a failed coil pack will shatter your
budget! And when one bites the dust, the rest won't be too far behind...

JT

 

i found if i wait until the fuel pump stops the starting is the same as
before. so simple

 

Try cleaning throatle plates and idle air control valve , no one seamed to mention fuel filters any
more ...and get new plugs , and get the ones thats recommened for your car , not some fancie racing
plug