starter problem

[headbanger]

Ok heres the problem it has done this for a long time and will be the deciding factor on if I get to go to import alliance or not.Reason is its pretty embarassing when your car looks pretty decent an peeps are looking at it when you start an it wont start lol.When I try to start my car motor will turn a little way over then drag.Kinda like a dead battery but not.Then sometimes it will just click and if you keep clicking it will start to turnover again but only a little at a time.Then sometimes it will turn right over an fire.Its not out of time cause it runs perfect.Ive tried 3 different starters the one thats on there now is not a reman but a brand new lifetime warranty starter from advance.I did put a transmission in car a couple of years ago but bell housing is pulled up nice an tight tranny came out of an lx an I put in my lxi but according to book it is the same as numbers on tranny's were the same.This problem drives me crazy as it is the last real mechanical problem with my car I also resoldered main relay as well.One guy told me I might need to shim starter was wondering if any of you guyz has had this problem be4.

Thx guyz I really appreciate all the help.(live long an prosper)

[MessyHonda]

how is the battery? after i swap on over to the napa brand optima my car would start up really good...i also thought my starter and main relay were going out. i even replaced the alternator.....have autozone test it

[2oodoor]

battery connection issue I would guess, also check you put the big ground wire back on the tranny case

[headbanger]

It has remained the same with 3 different batterys.I also put one of those grounding kits in and I connected to tranny as well as all major components on the engine.I had autozone check the battery that is in there and he said it is borderline.But when I tried to leave autozone I had to set in parking lot for 10 minutes clicking an coaxing starter be4 it finally cranked.Is there any electrical components between starter an switch that could go bad that would cause this?I also replaced alternator awhile back as well.I have that big 4000 watt amp in there but I usually wouldnt be using more than about 1000 watts of it cause I dont turn up loud unless some1 says lets see what shell do so I dont think it is the problem.I figure battery is reading borderline because it acts like starter is under a huge load trying to start so I figure thats why battery is a little weak.Also is there anything you think I might have gotten out of kilter when I put tranny in that would only cause this an no other visible problems.I thought maybe some how I screwed up torque converter but you would think that there would be some kind of other problems steming from that IDK its driving me insane though.People are probaly like look at him his car is all clean an pretty but half the time it wont even start.lol. Oh yeah an when I take starter out it will turn over fine as long as it isnt in the hole bolted down.I also replaced battery cable clamps as well.

Thx guyz

[jasonrebellion]

at the risk of sounding like an idiot.......when you changed starters did you change solenoids?

[headbanger]

at the risk of sounding like an idiot.......when you changed starters did you change solenoids?





yeah.

[MessyHonda]

try switching out the ignition switch

[russiankid]

What kind of battery clamps do you have?

[89T]

almost sounds like a bad power wire.

[headbanger]

Yeah I changed cable ends awhile back hoping this was problem.But I was let down.Here is a pic. of cable ends
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii281/balldropr/101_0752.jpg

[MessyHonda]

have you replaced the actual wire that goes to the starter?

[headbanger]

have you replaced the actual wire that goes to the starter?

no

[Oldblueaccord]

Well as far as the pic you post all I got to say if OMG :huh:

Now need some info....

Battery voltage at rest: should be 12.7 V

Battery voltage with the car running: should be over 14 volts

Battery voltage when the car is cranked over I got to look this up but should be about 9 v I think anything more and the brushes are bad.

My car will start up with about 11.1V at the battery at rest with the original starter.


wp

[griffonks]

I think Messy may be right, could be the ignition switch. I have seen this a lot lately.

[nswst8]

Battery is border line from last testing at autozone. With you amp you may be killing the battery.

BAttery voltage at rest 12.5 or better.

When starting if it dropped below 9.6 volts battery bad. (Spank! Spank!)

When running 14 volt or better is good.

With everthing else you have tried, It could be the ignition switch contacts going bad on you. I had to replace mine years back.

[headbanger]

Okay my cars stereos capicator has built in voltage meter it is reading the following.


At rest its reading 13.56 volts
At starting it was reading around 10 volts looked like the lowest it went was 9.44
when car is running its reading at over 14 volts

O and if I take switch out can I get it apart an clean it with contact solution you think?
Cause I really want to keep master key for locks an switch instead of having 2.

[ecogabriel]

Short question: is your starter a Nippondenso or a Mitsuba?
Short answer: Nippon starters fail when solenoid contacts wear out; those contacts are replaceable. I got the problem with two different cars that by coincidence had the same starter brand (Nippondenso). The symptoms: exactly like yours: car that refuses to crank, that may "click" instead of turning over, that would require from a few to several attempts... all of that

I would write what my experience was with the repair(the cars were my wife's Camry, and the 5G Civic I generally drive), but I found this link that will be a lot better than any talk (in fact, I deleted all what I have written)

http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/Nippondenso.html

A few words: I bought the contacts for the Toyota from a dealer (they sell the contacts, but not the plunger). For the Civic, Honda DOES NOT sell the contacts (they want you to buy a whole starter from them.... no thanks!) but I got a complete set from advance auto parts. Both starters have been running without a hiccup since.

Take a look at the link above. If your starter is a Denso I'd check those contacts.

Good luck

PS: from the same site, a photo of a Denso starter; notice the squared-pentagonal cover at the bottom of the picture; the contacts are inside that cover

http://www.wai-wetherill.com/products/partimage.cfm?wai_num=2-1011-ND-1

and another link with contacts; not sure if they would apply. Only looking at what you might have in your car would tell (if the starter is a Denso)

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml#Update-II

[nswst8]

Okay my cars stereos capicator has built in voltage meter it is reading the following.


At rest its reading 13.56 volts
At starting it was reading around 10 volts looked like the lowest it went was 9.44
when car is running its reading at over 14 volts

O and if I take switch out can I get it apart an clean it with contact solution you think?
Cause I really want to keep master key for locks an switch instead of having 2.

As stated if it drops below 9.6 volts replace battery.

[headbanger]

As stated if it drops below 9.6 volts replace battery.

It only dropped to 9.44 after I started an cut it off then started again.I was doing that to get starter to do its thing.But what is weird is how sometimes itll turn right over an start an other times it wont.I am going to pull out starter tomorow an take it to advance an trade it for a new 1 seeing as how I got the lifetime warranty one.I love that Dad got it for me for christmas.Then next weekend im going to do a second battery in the trunk if that dont give it enough juice then it will have to be something else.Also can some1 tell me what all I will need to add extra battery.Like do I need a voltage regulator.

[Civic Accord Honda]

no

omg are you serious ? lol no offence man but when i get a car the first thing i allways do is , battery contections , fuse box to battery wire and battery to starter wire then all the grounds... always makes a huge diffrence

have u tried jumping the starter?, put the car in nutral or park. turn the key to on, touch a wire from the postive wire to the white and black wire on the starter, if the car starts right upt hen it could be the wire from the igntion to the starter that went out on my 3g ...

[nswst8]

You can check the starter with a multimeter. Its in the book. I think that you might have cross threaded the starter ground and the contact is not seated. Which is why I believe it is intermittent.

The starter gound is in an awkward poisition.

[headbanger]

You can check the starter with a multimeter. Its in the book. I think that you might have cross threaded the starter ground and the contact is not seated. Which is why I believe it is intermittent.

The starter gound is in an awkward poisition.

When I installed grounding kit I put an extra ground on starter.


omg are you serious ? lol no offence man but when i get a car the first thing i allways do is , battery contections , fuse box to battery wire and battery to starter wire then all the grounds... always makes a huge diffrence

have u tried jumping the starter?, put the car in nutral or park. turn the key to on, touch a wire from the postive wire to the white and black wire on the starter, if the car starts right upt hen it could be the wire from the igntion to the starter that went out on my 3g ...

Ill try jumping starter tomorrow.

[headbanger]

Something else I noticed if I unhook coil wire to distributor cap an turn over motor starter doesnt drag.
Does this mean its the timing? If so I dont get it.Car runs perfect.

[headbanger]

still cant figure out problem but I got a second battery today.Was wondering how I hook it up.Can I just use wire to my amp from battery I knowwire is big enough.But could I ground battery in trunk cause other battery grounds up front so I should be able to ground it in back.I was wondering I shouldnt need battery isolator or anything like that right cause I want them working together.

[Oldblueaccord]

http://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com/aboutbatts/Car%20Battery%20FAQ/parallel.jpghttp://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com/aboutbatts/Car%20Battery%20FAQ/parallel.jpg

I think its the black/white wire that comes off your ign switch and runs to the starter sol. If its clicking and you jump 12 v to this post and it starts there something up farther back in the cuircuit.

Also since i don't see a clutch cable your neutral saftey switch maybe going out or your not fully in park all the time.

Your voltage readings of your battery from your cap seem very high to me actually so it might not be very accurate.

[headbanger]

I put a second battery on with jumper cables and it didnt help starter drag at all.I also turned distributor back an forth there was no change with that either.I am leaving for sanford,nc today so I will try rewiring starter when I get home at the end of the week.I also checked battery and alternaotr with a tester yesterday an it all read fine.I am puzzled but even if I cant get it figured out im still going to import alliance.So maybe you guyz can see what its doing then.Thx alot guyz I really appreciate the help.

[Dr_Snooz]

You mention that you changed your tranny and it started acting up after that. This is admittedly a long shot, but make sure that you didn't get one of the guide pins mashed between the tranny and block. It will put the tranny out of line with the engine just slightly (about 1/16th inch) and could cause problems with the gear mating with the starter ring.

I had that happen with my '82. I had "help" installing my rebuilt auto trans and one of the guide pins got pinched (my "help" had air tools). The rebuild was a bust because the drive plate bolts hit the housing cover and made a terrific clatter. The drive plate eventually sheared clean off of the crank after only a few weeks of driving. The alignment was only off by 1/16". It's a long shot, but a slight misalignment can cause a lot of problems.