dkocian

My 2007 Honda Civic has a starting problem. It will just barely turn the engine over one or maybe two rotations. Sometimes it won't turn it over at all. New battery. I charged the battery, cleaned the connections, and tested the battery with a load tester to make sure it was 100%. No change.
Getting to the starter is a real pain. Have to do it from underneath the vehicle and remove part of the exhaust system first. Want to avoid that unless I am positive it is the starter. Any way to check the connection to the starter or solenoid without getting underneath the car? Anything else that could cause this? I put a clamp ammeter on the positive cable from the battery while it tried to crank and it pulled a max of about 225 amps. Usually only pulled about 75 amps. Since it tried to crank, I don't believe the interlock safety switches could be the problem, but welcome any suggestions.

ezone

All right! Someone with good tools!


If it's pulling far more amps than it should (and the engine isn't locked up or unusually difficult to spin), replace the starter.

dkocian

Thanks. That is what I have finally figured out as well. I was hoping it was just a bad connection at the solenoid, but apparently not. Very weird. Starter will turn the enginre over one time. Does it every time, over and over, but will not turn it over more than once. Acts just like a bad battery, such as one having a bad cell, but this is a brand new battery and I checked it with a load tester. No problems.
Car is so low to the ground, and it is so hard to replace the starter (you have to remove part of the exhaust system) that I finally just hauled it to my local repair shop to have them replace it. Will see what he says about it.