2001 Honda Accord starting problem

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.

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

...

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'

When you hear the starter whirring but apparently not engaging with the starter ring, check to see if the cam belt pulley is rotating. If it is, then the symptoms are the same as I experienced recently with my 2001 Accord 1.8S. In my case, the engine was flooded with fuel, following the motor last being fired up for a few seconds to move the car away from our garage door. The injection system, assuming that I was going to be moving off on a longer journey, provided more fuel than was necessary and, the unburnt juice having no place to go, it went into a state of over supply. Subsequent normal attempts to start the car just added to the problem.The remedy in my case was to turn the ignition key to the start position whilst flooring the gas pedal and hold both positions, key and pedal (this is important) until the engine fired which it did after around 20 secs. The car now runs faultlessly as before.

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.

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

...
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I have a 2001 Honda Accord. I haven't had any problems with it until recently. It will start up, then die. Unable to restart, then wait several hours and car will start up the first time. Any suggestions as to what the problem might be? It only has 45600 miles on it.

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

...

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.