Rough start on 2003 Accord
 

I'm working on a friend's 2003 Accord EX (4 cyl engine). I just replaced the starter, as it was bad (click but no spin on the bench). But now when I try to start it, it sounds like someone is hitting the engine with a sledgehammer. The engine does crank, and sometimes it will actually start. Once it does start, it runs fine. I'm guessing that the starter is being cycled off and on, but I'm not sure why. The battery water level was below the cells in a couple cells, but jumping the car with another battery gives similar results. Could it just be a bad battery, or is there something else to try?

Does the noise occur when starter is first engaged or continues during starting?

It could be a starter problem, and you may want to consider a return and replacement. It should not make a slamming sound when starter gear engages flywheel if starter is installed correctly (correctly mounted and aligned).

good luck

So it turned out that the new starter was defective. It tested fine on the ground and on the bench at AutoZone. But in the car, with jumper cables connected directly to it, the motor was being switched off and on rapidly. When I took it back, they didn't have another one, but I finally found another one at a different store that worked fine (and was $50 less, and remanufactured in the USA!)

Thanks for posting your followup. Glad to hear problem resolved.

good luck