1988 Honda Accord LX-i Starter Problems...

I have a 1988 Honda Accord LX-i. I replaced the starter back in January
because the original one was beginning to drag pretty badly. Since that
time I have burned up 5 new (re-built) starters!!! The parts store is
replacing them each time under the warranty, but this is becoming a total
pain... I asked a mechanic friend of mine, but he says that there is
really nothing that he knows of on the car which could be causing the
starters to go bad, and that the motors are just burning up... Each time
right before the starter dies, I have noticed that my tachometer needle
swings to the right when I engage the Ignition switch??? Do you know of
anything on this model of Accord that could be the cause??

 

I had a '89 LX-i that was doing the same thing. It would always start,
but sounded like the starter was weak.
Try something with yours. Unplug the coil wire at the coil. Try to
start the car. On mine, the starter would turn normally. It would also
turn over normally with the main injector fuse unplugged (under the
hood). If yours is acting like mine, I can tell you that changing the
coil, distributor, computer, and injectors didn't fix it.
I think my car had a lot of carbon build up on top of the pistons. This
was increasing the compression to the point the starter was having a
hard time turning it over.
I worked on mine for over a year. I had bought it from a "little old
lady" who only drove it to Church and back. I was never able to fix it.
I couldn't bring myself to take the head off it. I sold it last month to
a kid who had just blown up his Civic.
Good Luck! Let me know what you find. bob

 

There is nothing between the Battery and the Starter Solenoid that I can
see? There is simply a hot wire from the battery's positive terminal to
the Solenoid (which is part of the starter in this case), and the switch
wire from my ignition key.

I thought that the Voltage Regulator controlled the voltage going into the
battery? Am I wrong on that? (very possible...)

Also, enlighten me on the effect of the ignition coil on the starter,
because I am unaware...

The car starts fine when the starter is working properly. I just keep
having to replace the starters because the motors are burning up?...

 

You could have a defective voltage regulator or defective ignition coil.
The ignition Control Module (ICM) should also be checked. If you don't
know how to test these items, I advise you to take the car to your
favorite mechanic and have him or her check those items and all other
aspects of ignition system.

 

You mentioned that various starters have stopped working. It's my guess
that excess voltage or a lack of voltage is causing the starters to stop
working. You can keep replacing starters or take actions that correct the
voltage problem that is causing the starters to stop working. Testing all
aspects of the system--including voltage regulator, coil--are part of the
process of figuring out the source of the voltage problem.

 

=================

All DC circuits require a positive and a negative side to function...
have you checked all the points where the engine, and battery are
grounded? The current will use alternate routes to ground if the heavier
ones are corroded or loose.

'Curly'

 

I'd say, the parts store replacing starter after starter tells the
whole story....they know the rebuild quality is LOW...and I'll bet
they have lots of other customers with similar problems???

I'd demand that they get you a starter from a different rebuilder...or
a refund and find a new supplier. I assume (?) that when you start
the car, it fires right up...not that every day you're cranking for a
long time???

Anyway, that's my opinion....but you didn't say what goes wrong with
the rebuilt starters?? Same as the orig?? or??

Seeker

 

I would check the wires and test the battery. The wires should have very
low resistance, say like 2 ohms. Maybe corrosion on your battery posts or
where the wires connect or just bad wires are causing a voltage drop that is
causing too much amperage to be drawn. That can burn up those motors,
especially if they are cheap after-market rebuilds. The other thing to
check are the teeth on the flywheel. If they are damaged the starter might
not be disengaging or could be binding one way or another. The needle on
the tach hopping sometimes happens when the voltage gets funky, like when
the is getting drained way down from trying to start it. I don't know the
exact cause but I have seen it and I do not think that it is a symptom that
indicates the cause of your problem. I think it is just a symptom of the
effect of the starter dying on the electrical system.

 

That's a possibility too. I had a '90 Mercury Sable and bought a rebuilt
starter for it from AutoZone. I had to replace it every 6 mo. or less.
They cut me off and wouldn't let me get another starter. So I went to
another autozone that didn't know the history. The replacement one I got
there had a screw hole that wasn't deep enough. How does that happen if it
was rebuilt from a starter that was once on a car? I think the hole was
slightly blocked by a part of the motor body that was slightly rotated out
of the proper place. I brought it back and the guy spent an hour trying to
thread a bolt into it before he would admit the fact that the hole was
messed up. I've known people that had to their starter replaced every 6
months until they switched brands. So it could be just that the starters
are crap. It is easy to check the wires and battery, though, just to be
sure.

Aron