Accord 2013 intermittent starting problem
 

Hi,
I have this strange intermittent starting issue on my 2013 accord lx 4cyl 55k miles
new battery

​​​​​sometimes it starts in 1st try, but sometimes it takes upto 8-10 tries to start the car.

all I hear is a click sound when I turn the key, no crank at all, but when it cranks it starts rightaway.

I tried using the spare key, replaced battery, cleaning the battrey terminals but no luck

I talked to dealer and they said keep driving until it dies then tow it to us.

looks like it's common issue with 2013-2017 models, many owners are complaining but not sure if it's starter failing or relay or any other electronic Part ?

please suggest how to pinpoint the cause of this problem, don't want to pay $800 to delar just to replace starter and to find later that same issue still exists.

The starter circuit is pretty simple and only has 2 wires. The red + battery cable is the power supply. There is a small wire (blk/wht on older accords) that supplies 12V when you turn the key to activate the starter motor.

I'd start with the simplest and free test. Stop by an autoparts store and have them test the battery & starter. Their tester measures current to the starter and is a free service.

You can also disconnect the battery and clean the + battery connection at the battery and at the starter. I'm not sure how easily you can access your starter on the 2013 accord. Is your accord a 4-cylinder or V6?

Thanks for the response, it's 4 cylinder and starter can be accessed from the bottom, might need to jack up the car, they made it tough on this one.

not sure if there is any other easy way to test the starter.
Would o'Riley / auto zone do free test for starter ? (Without taking it out of the car)

also, if starter is failing just in 55k miles (or earlier for other owners) , is it indication of any other issue with high friction in flywheel or tough to turn the engine / things not smooth enough in engineand starter has to do extra efforts?

Mileage is tricky on a starter, because wear depends on how many times you start the car and not road miles.

The parts stores can do a starter test by just connecting to the battery, so you wouldn't have to remove the starter. Not a perfect test, but it a simple first step for a diagnosis.

You can to a voltage drop test on the + battery cable from the battery to the starter. Just hook up a volt meter to each end, set to voltage, then measure the voltage when you are trying to start the car. It is a simple test if you have decent access to the starter.

So, I got the battery, starter and alternator tested at OReillys, test result were :

when car started :
battrey : pass
starter : pass (~95 volts)
​​​alternator : failed (voltage was varying )

when car did not start (just click )
starter : failed (35 volts )

they suggested to replace both starter and alternator.

still thinking could it be bad relay ?

does this give any symptoms of any other issue ?
either electrical or mechanical?

guessing for some reason starter has to put extra effort to turn the flywheel? is it possible that it has more friction to turn ?

I did get extended warranty via previous owner , which was originally given by honda delaer.

have only powertrain left, while non-powertrain has expired , would it help me in anyway.

I know prior owner was rear-ended by a truck couple years back, would that accident might cause any issue like this ?

please suggest whats the best option for me in this situation.

I did everything that eveyone had suggested and it ended up being the ignitiin switch, and the first one I got was bad. It's a dry start I think is what they called it, try that and all should be good I haven't had any problems sense and it's been about a year, now speedometer don't work and I've tried everything more than once

Thanks Holly :)

prior to changing the ignition switch, were you hearing the grinding noise when you tried to start the car or just click noise and car was getting started in a random try?

also, how did you pinpoint that the ignition switch is the culprit? any specific test or you were replacing every suspected part

i checked few videos for ignition-related they had grinding noise, which i don't have.

well, i think now you got the good issue :) hope your speedometer is not adding miles to your odometer.

The issue is the 4cyl had the bare minimum battery put in it. Which sucks for the consumer. I had issues with mine since I drove it off the lot new. I have been in your situation and it's not fun. I went through everything. I changed my alternator, still same thing. I decided to rebuild my starter which is real easy to do and a lot cheaper. I put it back it and it cranked right up and never had an issue again. It didn't make since but it worked. Later I started having another issue which charging and decided to upgrade the battery to the 3.0 size which need a bigger ground cable and battery holder which can be gotten at a junk yard. Once I changed everything out it has been 6 years and not one issue. I was changing my battery at least every 2 years since new. Just my .02.

Thanks Sean,
when i was getting the new battery i thought about getting the bigger one too. but wasn't sure if its goona harm the car in anyway... would you be able to share what size battrey you got now ? make / size /cc /ccc etc ?
i tried at to look for v6 model at costco but they only have for 4cyl.

I went to Walmart and got the pic below. They are hard to find because they sale out quick. Also had to purchase:

31512-SDB-A01
31513-SP0-010 x2
32600-SDB-A00
31521-SDB-A10

Just like I said previously you can buy the V6 parts from a junk yard much cheaper than getting it new.