Aggieben2004

hi about once every week or 10 days my 2003 civic ex coupe 5spd has a hard time starting. it will crank for a while and just when i think its not gonna start, it will start. i was planning on taking it to the dealer to have it looked at under warranty but i was wondering if any of yall have had this happen or if you knew what it might be. thanks a lot.

quick83

I have a 03 5spd too and it does the same thing, but not as much. I've had the car since last january and its done it maybe 4-5 times

Jollysid

I've got 03 5spd and have never had any problems starting it whatsoever.

Green Civic

Have a 2001 ex. Every once in a while, the car wont start. I take the key out and put it back it and it starts. I took it to honda, but they couldnt do anything because it wouldnt do it to them. I've just learned to ignore it. But if you live up north, it could be because of the cold weather, and the fluids have a hard time flowing.

Samari

iTrader: (7)

i have an 03 5sp and it does it also. i just deal with it.

xX03EXx

It did it to me for a while, only happens when it is cold. It always starts afterwards tho...knock on wood...oh yah..03 as well

CaShMoneyBlng

add another to the pile. i have a '03 5spd with 6k and it does this on occasion. like everyone else, i just ignore it and hope it doesn't get any worse.

tinman

02 5spd EX, every once in a while it won't start on the first try. Then I see the immobilizer light flashing. Take out key and re-insert. All good.
Happens 1 in a 100 or so.

JCiv03

iTrader: (15)

yup happens to my 03 5spd also, but probably twice a month or less...

evanl85

iTrader: (2)

Mine has trouble starting sometimes, I usually leave it in II to let the fuel pump charge up, then it doesn't have any problems.

Aggieben2004

well tonight i went to start the car and it officially will not start. honda will have to come pick it up tomorrow and try and figure out what is wrong with it. i really expected more out ofa honda with only 5000 miles on it. im kinda pissed.

Green Civic

Bad battery or altanator could be it if its not working now.

ffokuf

Well that kinda sucks. I have an 03 and it occasionally doesn't just start right up. I find its more on the days when im really low on gas when it resists (like driving 80 or 90 miles with the gas light on low). But its never just not started. Please post the results of what they find is wrong afterwards.

Aggieben2004

well i took it in to honda and they couldnt find anything wrong with it. it starts fine now.

tinman

It's probably going to be the fuel pump being erratic. There was also a TSB regarding the connector to the fuel pump, but I think it was only for the 01"s.

Aggieben2004

yea the wrecker guy came to my driveway to pick up the car and he got in and it took a couple times but of course it started right up for him so i drove it up to the dealer and they said they looked it all over and couldnt find anything and so far its been starting fine. i guess if it doesnt start again ill take it up to the dealer and have them replace the fuel pump or somethin. i wouldnt expect this kind of thing out of a honda, definately a chrysler or a volkswagen but definately not a honda.

Crackhead79

iTrader: (1)

Yeah mine seems hard to start too, I thought it was just cause its cold and such. You know cold oil and such, has there been any recalls we should worry about?

Aggieben2004

i dont know if theres any recalls out. where would be a good place to check?

blue03ex

I have the same problem on my wife's 03ex 5spd. A friend / mechanic at the dealer told me it's because the ignition couldn't read the microcode info from the key and it won't let the car start. I usually take the key back out, wipe it on my shirt and try again, and it always starts after that.

slicksivik

iTrader: (9)

no problems here, when its super cold tho it takes an extra second to flip on. knock on wood.

turboslug

did you peeps try turning the key to the ON position and letting it sit there for about 2 secconds before starting the engine?

the car needs to read the imobilizer code before giving the engine fuel...also, it takes a couple secconds for fuel pressue to build up....

Jas88

there are no recalls for the O3 civic yet. I have the same problems starting my O3 civic. Im having it repaired, and i will post what the problem turns out to be.

Aggieben2004

please let me know what you find because my dealer couldnt find anything wrong. thanks!

Aggieben2004

please let me know what you find because my dealer couldnt find anything wrong. thanks!

debs

Hi there,

I've been having the same problem with my 2003 Civic as well. Last year I had a 2002 that had the exact same problems.

Honda is unable to find the problem and blame it on me. They also deny that anyone else is having this issue with one of their cars.

Have you had any luck with them fixing your car?

Thanks,
Debs

Mbow

This problem has been around since they started making the 7thgen civics. Turning the key to the accessory position for a sec or two before trying to start the car seems to eliminate the problem. Also, as already stated, taking the key out and putting it back in seems to eliminate the problem as well.

I attribute the problem to the chip in the key having problems being read by the ecu. My '00 honda accord did the same thing from time to time and taking the key out and putting back in always worked. The manual also states that a key ring full of crap can cause problems as well.

To the original thread starter: Have you tried turning it to the accessory position for a few seconds before trying to start the engine? Have you tried removing the key and reinserting? Do you have a lot of other keys or other stuff on your key chain?

debs

Not the original poster, but I've battled this problem with my 02 Civic last winter and my '03 this winter.

I've tried turning the key to the accessory position, removing the key, using the spare key, using the valet key, removing everything from the key chain...and I still have problems.

We keep replacing my battery and it's perfect for 2 weeks and then it dies again...

Mbow

You keep replacing your battery every two weeks. Who is putting the new battery in? Sounds like you have a problem other than the battery. You need to have the alternator and electrical system checked out.

Also, I assume you face some extreme temps, at least to us southerners, so you may want to upgrade your battery to an optima or similar.

debs

Honda keeps replacing the battery. They hook the car up to their testing machines and it doesn't show anything other than the battery. They also deny that anyone else has ever in the history of Honda encountered such a situation. So they don't want to look for it.

I drove my car without any problems from March 2003 until December 2003. Once we had a cold snap here in December, I've had nothing but problems. The stereo flickers on and off, as do the heat and the dash lights.

Anyway, I'm considering having an Optima battery put in by my father's mechanic, but I'm worried that doing so will void my warranty.

Mbow

I don't see how replacing the battery would void the warranty.

I don't know why they can't find a problem. However, I have no idea what it is like to own or drive a car in your neck of the woods. I would assume that the winter up there really puts a strain on a car. An optima battery wood probably be worth a shot.