quick ? for manual drivers

[XxDark_AccordxX]

Ive got a strange question for you guys who have manual accords. someone the other day told me its a bad thing if your car starts in neutral without pushing in the clutch. well mine has done that since it drove out of the dealership brand new. is that a bad thing?? cuz its been having problems starting lately and im just wondering if any of your guys accord does that along with mine. according to this guy i talked to the whole clutch thing has something to do with my car not starting sometimes. but i mean after all these years? :sadwave:

[Vinny]

Not applicable to your car. Only the 89's have a "neutral safety switch" the 86-88's do not have anything to prevent them from starting with the clutch pedal not pushed to the floor.

I hashed this one out about a year ago on here and I even have the wiring diagrams from the electrical service manual to back me up.

2 words of advice
Welcome back to the site Jan, dont be such a starnger
Go find a mechanic that has a clue


Fill us in on the not starting details and we'll see if we can steer you in the RIGHT direction

[XxDark_AccordxX]

lol thanks vinny. i figured it was something wierd if my car came brand new like that. thanks for the help as always and i finally got my internet back so ill be able to come on again.

[XxDark_AccordxX]

starting details...leme see. sometimes ill turn the key and it just wont start. wont crank or anything. the lights come on on the dash but thats about it. itll do that a couple times but if i turn it off and try again a few times itll kick on.

[Vinny]

Someones gonna tell you its a main relay :D But your carbed so its not. I'd suggest that you take it in and get the battery tested and the charging system checked. You may have a dead cell in the battery. If they check out then it could be a starter or a bad ground

Does the starter even click when you try to start it or do they lights dim?

[XxDark_AccordxX]

nope i had the battery tested already and the charging system checked. everythings okay and thats when the guy told me about the clutch. yeah it just clicks and thats it. you know what its similar too? on my husbands car when you try to start it and you dont push the clutch it just clicks. just like that but mine has been doing that with or without the clutch.

[Vinny]

Congrats on the title change to MRS, my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail :ugh:

I'd think either a bad ground or a starter if the electrical system checked out

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

Sometimes it seems as if the spade terminals on the wire going to the starter solenoid tend to spread apart a bit and not make the greatest contact with the terminal in the solenoid. Very possible though it could simply be the starter and/or solenoid has gone bad. Use a voltmeter and check for any voltage coming out of the solenoid (on the large wire going from the solenoid to the motor). If there's 12v, then the motor is bad.

[markmdz89hatch]

I had a similar problem on my coupe. Turned out, the wire power to the starter had separated at the spade end. The power would arc to the starter if the wire end was close enough to the contact, and the car would start. But other times, nothing at all, b/c it was not getting any juice. As Jared mentioned, either replacing that wire, or even just the spade terminal can make all the difference in the world.

As for the clutch thing. That's really just a safety precaution. If someone tries to start the car while it's in gear without the clutch depressed, the car will lunge, stall, and there's a good possibility you're going to hit something. By forcing the clutch pedal to be depressed, it doesn't matter if you're in gear or in neutral, the car will stay put b/c the clutch is disengaged.

Sorry for the long post.

[Ludi Mali]

my dad's 96 camry has that same starting problem. If he just holds the key in the start position for like 10 mins it will eventually turn on, its the weirdest thing. checked all the stuff you guys said and its still no good. I'm guessing its the ignition switch.

[NXRacer]

the most common problem for no start on the turn of the key is a bad solenoid or igintion switch. My my experience dealing with many different hondas, i'd be willing to bet its just a bad connection somewhere on the starter since your battery seems to be fine.

[Wipeout]

Mine does the same thing. When I turn it to start, nothing happens sometimes. I try again and it's good. Sometimes I have to turn the key twice or three times, then it will work. It's not a starter problem I don't think. Anyway, when I start my car in first without the clutch in it just starts driving. No jerking or anything. It just starts going. It's pretty cool, and it takes onlookers by surprise. :P