Sorry for the bump but my lil baby has been doing the same thing.

I went outside today and tried to start her up but alas, nothing. I called my roadside assistance company and the guy came out and had the car going in under 10 minutes. I could have sworn it was the immobilizer but I was wrong!

Here is what he did... he tried to jump the starter. Next he has me in the car and try to start it as he's "smacking" the starter. Bingo! Car starts. I asked him if this meant I need a new starter and he said it could be the starter or the starter contacts. He was pretty funny with his response when I asked him if it's something easy to replace if I just bought the part. Guess I really do look like a dumb blonde I have the tools and the patience but I cringe and groan at the thought of buying a new starter (called auto part dealer and it's $380 dollars).

Here is my plan of action as I go into combat.... find out if it's the main relay or the connectors (really really don't want to buy a new starter). Is there something specific I should be looking for with the connectors in the starter?

Not a happy day Having a bit of a pity party. Wondering if I'll ever be able to do a happy dance with my "newer" car.

 

If your starter makes a single click, then the solenoid is not making contact to turn starter motor.

You can replace the solenoid plunger and contacts. It is very easy to do. You would need to remove the starter and remove the bolts on the cover near the battery connections. Make sure that the cover is pointing up, because there is a steel ball inside there that can fall out.

The contacts are pretty easy to remove and the plunger pulls right out.

I found a store on ebay that sells the items for ~$25. You might have to email him for you specific vehicle. Here is a link to that store: http://stores.ebay.com/Alternator-St...enerator-Parts

I put a pic below that shows the solenoid plunger and contacts.


[IMG]local://upfiles/5767/83582CF6BD5B41AB8FCE1DD09C992CF2.gif[/IMG]

 

+1 on the starter contacts. I had the exact same problem on my 94 accord. My shop replaced the contacts for I think like $30 parts and labor. Was dirt cheap.

 

For $122 we purchased the complete starter/solenoid assembly(with life-time warranty)for our college-bound son's 1998 Accord. It made more sense to me to replace the whole thing while I had it apart. As I have electrical expertise, I could have narrowed the problem down to the starter or the solenoid. As I don't particularly enjoy working on cars, I spent the money and completed the job as easily as possible;hopefully this car won't return for the same/similar problem.