Rep Power: 0

My car was working fine yesterday all day until one time when I went to start it... the engine did not turn over and all I heard was fast clicking noises. There were no signs of this approaching, and I do have an Optima yellow top battery that is reading 12.8v

The car starts and runs fine after being push started (it's a 5 speed)

I'm pretty sure it's the starter... (please correct me if I'm wrong)... so my questions are:

1) Where should I look to get a new one?

2) Is this something I can replace myself?

Thanks in advance!

 
Rep Power: 290

Just some quick info I found on a Google search that may help...

Looks easy enough to replace if you know how to get to the starter, although a starter is one of the few things I've never had to replace on a vehicle. --mas


You go to start the car but all you get is a clicking noise or a clunk.

Possible causes:

1. Dirty or loose battery cables: Clean and tighten cables as required.
2. Battery is weak or dead: Test battery and charging system. Replace battery.
3. Battery cables are bad: Replace the battery cables as required.
4. Starter solenoid is bad: Replace starter solenoid.
5. Problem in the charging system: Test and repair charging system as required.

-- from about.com


"Does your Honda starter have the winter blues? The cold, thick oil in your engine's sump can be murder on a Honda starter. It has to cope with this increased viscosity at the same time that the battery is providing minimal motivation to your Honda starter. The end result is a clicking sound when you try to start the car--or no sound at all. You can pull your Honda starter off and have it tested, but when you determine that a new Honda starter is what's needed, you should come here to place your order. So what happened? The brushes and windings inside your Honda starter have most likely gotten worn down to the point where they don't effectively conduct electricity. Cold weather causes shrinkage inside the Honda starter, exacerbating the problem. Many times, the Honda starter solenoid is also shot, and since it's built in to the Honda starter itself, a replacement Honda starter is the best cure. And we have the replacement Honda starter you need, whether it's a new or remanufactured Honda starter, available at everyday wholesale prices. Beware the "supercheap" Honda starter you find at your local parts store. Often, these rebuilt Honda starter units are just cleaned up, rebrushed, and put back in a box. You'll be replacing a cheap Honda starter again before the weather even warms up. So do the job right, do it once, and do it with a premium Honda starter from us."

---from http://www.car-stuff.com/hondastarter.htm

 
Rep Power: 297

hmm.. try switching batteries out...usually a fast clicking sound is the battery being to weak turn over the starter... if you have something to read the battery voltage then connect the thing to the battery and have someone turn the starter for you.. if it drops way low then you need a new one... try some of these things before buying a new starter

1. push start the car again then let it run for like 30minutes or so with radio and a/c off.. make sure nothing is on... then turn car off and try start it again

2. try switching out the batteries with someones who is working or just try it with your stock battery if you have it.. my optima was reading 12volts also like yours but not enough cranking juice to turn the starter.. just clicks.... i got a new one and come to find out it was my alternator gone bad... thats why my battery wasnt charging

3. while the car is running disconnect the battery.. make sure the wires dont touch the frame of the car... by doing this it will check to make sure your alternator is still good.. if it dies when you do this then your alternator went bad

4.... lastly then it must be the starter.. to me its simple cause i fix cars but you have to get dirty so give it a wack.. you have to learn how to fix your car sooner or later

 
Rep Power: 299

Yea its probley the starter. Its very easy to swap it, 2 electrical connections and 2 bolts holding it to the tranny housing.

 
Rep Power: 0

Get someone to try to jump you off. The battery might be almost dead, and that clicking my be the engine trying to turn over. The battery might have enough power to try to turn over the engine, but not enough to do so. That is what my car did when the battery died.

 
Rep Power: 0

Oh! something else i noticed....

I think i might also have some sort of electrical problem associated with this...

At the same time this starter problem started, my amp stopped working... and the fuse wasn't blown. And now, my radio seems to be resetting every few minutes or so randomly.... like the CD will stop playing for a sec and you can see the radio just reset (it happens w/ just the radio on, too).

I'm at work right now, but when I get back I will try the other suggestions... thanks so much.

 
Rep Power: 297

sounds like a dead abttery

 
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would seeing if my car could be jumped off confirm that?

 
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If the car starts, it confirms a dead battery.

 
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just got back from Advanced Auto Parts. They tested it and sure enough, it's a dead battery

I paid $115 for it from www.tna-motorsports.com like a year ago and now they're out of business, haha

Anybody know cheapest place to get the Optima yellow-top group 51R ?

 
Rep Power: 0

got a new battery. everything fixed.

thanks fellas

 
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I sure I may be needing one soon too. The battery does not hold a charge very well. Time for a new one.

 
Rep Power: 303

I have yet to have a bad optima, but I suppose there is always a first time. I would have tried to recharge the battery first. $115 is no chump change. If it dies again with your NEW battery, check the alternator. Pulling a battery cable with the engine running is not a good test on our cars. The ELD shuts off the alternator when it thinks that the extra power is not needed. More often than not, the alternator or ELD go bad on the 7th gen.

 
Rep Power: 297

actually the ELD will stay on when you pull the battery cable cause it will think the battery is low on power or dead...and you cant say this aint true because i work at a shop and my friend works at honda tech...

anyways

as for the optimas going bad.. i had the same situation but only because my alternator wasnt putting out enough current to keep it fully charged.... i took my optima battery out of my car and put it in my friends older civic and he had a high capacity alternator that put out more current than his stock one.. and for some reason it charged right back up.. go figure...

 
Rep Power: 0

they did a test on it and it read "TEST RESULT: BAD BATTERY"

the guy said that meant it won't hold a charge... does that confirm anything or could it still be revived?

 
Rep Power: 303

I never tried to test the ELD this way. Is it actually fast enough to kick in the alternator if you pull the cable while it is "off"? I know this works fine on all prior hondas but the 7th gen is just weird.

As to the optima, I suggest actually putting it on a regular charger. Optimas suck current like crazy while recharging, so they may read different on a machine designed for WET cells. I know mine pegged the amp gauge on my charger when I managed to run it completely dead. But it always charged right back up. I wouldn't fold on $115 so quick. I even bought a used optima from someone that sat for 2 years. Charged overnight and is running strong. Remember the "GUY" wants to sell you a new battery.
Optimas have different charge/discharge characteristics. Don't toss it until you try a 12 hour charge on it.

 
Rep Power: 0

my battery did the same thing and it was dead to

 
Rep Power: 283

I don't trust the auto stores battery checker/charger. They're trying to make a sale. I would take it to 3 or 4 places to confirm. Def trying charging the batt.

 
Rep Power: 303

My stock battery suddenly died on me as well. I re-charged it overnight and it was fine for another 2 years without problems. I think the car just drained it, but whatever caused it never happened again. Anyway, I bought an optima when the stock battery became weak, but it still started the car. Car starts great now, and the radio does not cut out while cranking. So I never figured out why the original battery went stone dead once, but it was fine after all. I still think the car did it. That's why I wouldn't write off the battery so fast. There is just something weird about the charging system in the 7th gens. I don't quite trust it for consistency. It tends to undercharge the battery unless you drive freeway a lot.