2001 Honda Accord starting problem

I have a 2001 Honda Accord that has been running perfectly, but now
suddenly does not start. When turning the key in the ignition I can
hear the starter whirring but nothing else. The owner's manual states
this is most likely an electrical problem of some sort. Dutifully, I
pulled out all the fuses inside the cabin and under the hood and
checked them. None were blown. What are the most likely sources of my
problem and how expensive is it likely to be to fix?

Thanks for any help anyone can give.

 

electricked has described what could be a starter that is
turning but not engaging. Starter must slide a gear into
place to turn engine. When starter is not running, then it is
not connected to engine. Sounds like that engagement solenoid
is not working but starter is rotating anyway. Repair
requires a whole new starter.

 

Make sure the battery is good. If the engine is not turning, then it's most
likely the starter itself. Might need a replacement or repair, whichever is
cheaper. For a 98 accord the starter is $140 after you return your broken
starter. For a 2001 accord it might be a bit more (around $200).

As far as fixing the starter, I'm not sure how much it'd cost, but it's
almost in the same range.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

--Viktor

 

I forgot to mention. Those prices are just for the starter itself. Count in
about an hour of work ($60) and you got about $250 for the whole fix.

Check you warranty for your accord before buying any parts. You might not
have to pay anything if the parts that need to be fixed are under warranty.

--Viktor

 

When you say you hear the starter whirring, is the engine cranking, or is it
just the starter spinning freely?

If the starter is spinning freely and not engaging the engine, then you have
a starter problem.

If the engine is actually cranking, but does not start, the first thing to
check is whether the electric fuel pump is running. Try turning the key to
the run position (warning lights on), but don't try to start it. Listen to
hear if there is a faint buzz for a few seconds. If you don't hear it, then
the fuel pump is probably not running. If this is the case, then double
check the fuel pump fuse (substitute another one of the same rating).

If the fuel pump checks out, then look for spark.

 

Thanks for replying. No, the engine is not cranking, just the starter
spinning freely.

Yes, I listened for the fuel pump. I did hear the short buzzing sound
that I was told indicated it was working. I should have mentioned that
in my original post.

 

Thanks Viktor,
The 3year 34k warranty ran out last month. Do you think there is any
chance I can get Honda to pay for a new starter. 3 years seems kinda
lame since Honda prides themselves on reliability. Do you know how
long starters last on average?

Thanks again.
Drew

 

Thank you. I know little about car repair, and thought that since the
starter was whirring but no cranking that meant the problem was
elsewhere. Thanks for helping straighten this out for me.

If it is just the starter should all the electronics/indicators in the
cabin still work normally? For instance, the radio/cd player doesn't
work and all the door and trunk open indicator lights on the
instrument panel stay on even thought they all are closed.

Thanks again.

 

Check your battery terminals for cleanness, as well as the ground wires.
Retighten after putting vaseline on the battery terminals. Having the
power OFF will probably reset a couple of your problems. If you have
immobilizer, read what your manual says about avoiding troubles.

Has your dealer checked whether your model qualifies for the ignition
switch recall (and any other TSB stuff)?

You didn't mention the mileage, but I'd guess a starter would last
150,000 miles without service, depending on whether you were delivering
pizza or not.

'Curly'

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

 

Hi Drew,

I read your other recent posts. First thing I'd if I were you is clean up
the battery terminals and try to start the car. If it's still not working,
I'd measure the voltage on the battery. It should be around 12.5-14.5 with
the ignition turned off. Sometimes the battery would have enough charge to
pass the initial test, but then when you try to start the car, and the
voltage gets too low, it still indicates a damaged batter (for the second
test, you need someone to turn on the key while you measure the voltage). If
the battery is fine, then it's very possible that the problem is the
starter.

As far as the warranty goes, no, honda will not waive the fee for fixing the
problem if the warranty has expired. You might try and look for recalls on
your specific vehicles and see if the starter might be defective, then they
should replace it for free.

In any case, it seems like your car is fairly new, and it's a little early
for starter problems (usually after 60K) you might have problems if you
start the car on/off frequently but on the new cars even that's rare.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

--Viktor

 

(General Bowen) wrote in

If the starter motor spins,but the engine does not crank,the starter drive
is bad.It's supposed to spin out and engage the gear teeth on the
flywheel,it may be stuck,may have teeth broken off either the starter
mechanism or the flywheel.(could happen if someone re-engages the starter
after the engine has started running.)
But the starter and it's drive are replaced as a single unit.There may be a
coverplate you can remove to check the flywheel.

 

Though they looked perfectly clean already (no buildup whatsoever), I
cleaned the terminals--though I didn't slap any grease or vaseline or
whatever on it because I did it before reading these news posts yesterday.
I wiped away the dust from the "eye" and peered in and it was bright green
(indicated it was adequately charged)--I wonder if a bad battery can still
show up in the eye as being good.

Anyhow, I tried starting it and it didn't work again. I saw in the manual
that you can hold the key in III position for up to 15 seconds at a time. I
didn't know what was harmful and was scared to do it for that long before,
and only did it in very short bursts, so now I held it for about maybe half
that or less and the care started. I let it run for a few minutes and then
shut it off and started it again. It started normally like it used to.
Haven't tried it this morning yet.

I was going to take it to one of those battery places that offer a free
electrical system check. They say that is a 25 dollar value or so and I was
wondering just how good of a diagnostic this check is?

I bought it used and wasn't aware that when you disconnect the battery and
the anti theft device disables the radio and you need to punch in a 5 digit
code. And the code wasn't in any of the materials the previous owner gave
me!!! I called them and left a message, hopefully they didn't lose it.

Drew

 

I haven't been able to find any readily available recall info on the net. I
looked at honda.com and didn't see any obvious links to recall info. I am
going to register there and also call the original dealer.

The car has only 40,000 miles and I would be very disappointed if things
like the starter were breaking down already.
Thanks.
Drew

 

Sometimes, Honda discovers a unique or rare problem deemed
so unacceptable that if the car is brought to the dealer for
service and if the owner is original, then problem will be
repaired at no cost. One such problem, that took four hours
to replace a maybe $400 part, cost me nothing on an Accord
with 98,000 miles and 9.5 years old. Yes, that many miles,
that old, and I paid nothing.

No links will be provided on net. But get access to those
'proprietary service bulletins to learn even many trivial
things that might happen - and are never reported on web. If
Honda had identifies this as a unique and unacceptable
problem, only a dealer (assuming you took it there for service
and are the original owner) will tell you about the 'free'
correction.