Hey guys,

So I have been having this starting issue for about a good 6 months. What happens at that I would be sitting at a gas station (weirdly enough it happens the most at gas stations) I would shut my car off get gas and then the car wont start again. It would crank and after trying 5-8 times and sitting at the gas station it would suddenly start. Last week I had to go to work and the car wont start in the parking lot (this time it would'nt even turn over....then had my neighbour come over give me a jump start but that did'nt even turn the car on) got a rental for a couple days came on here ...heard people talk about starter issues....went in frustration to AutoZone ...got one of there starters (yeah yeah i know that they are'nt the best but i could only afford paying for that rental for soo long) ....got the DIY from here and the car started and everything was good for approximately 2 weeks. This morning going into work the car would'nt start again (this time also at a gas station) but it was cranking cranking and then suddenly started after like 8 to 10 minutes of sitting there and trying. Took the car to the Autozone guy and he said that the battery and the alternator are perfectly fine and fully charged. .....he said that it was something "internally" wrong with the car.........can somebody please help!!!......my wife wants me to get a new car....but I LOVE this car...been through soo much with it in the past 10 years...thanks all

 

I have seafoamed the engine after getting the starter as well. Replaced all my spark plugs with the ones recommended here NGK Iridiums....along with 3 ignition coils about 3 months ago. If you guys think its the starter again.....where would you recommend getting it from this time....since I have "some" time

 

have zone scan the cars ecu for codes
there may be a hidden problem not throwing a cel on the dash
Do you go from cold- a mile to the gas station and stop,,or is the car hot?
Tried differant brand gas in case your station has a bad load/prob in their tanks?,,
Who are you using? You are on 91 or 94 octane?

chevron/texaco best -IMO,
followed by shell then the rest

if the starter cranks the engine as much as you describe, its good
Its job is to engage a gear and turn the engine, not responsible for actual start,,
unless its amp draw is so high there is no power left over for the coils

cranking excessivly will wear it out fast,,let it cool down and rest between attempts
It has good engine speed during cranking?
what if jump starting, better speed makes it start?

whats your mpg,,has it gone down recently?
seafoam gas tank method? to get fuel system all clean

what years car and mileage?
done the egr port and passage cleaning- diy? clogged passage will really mess with the car and can make it hard to start along with poor running
That service needed every 75kmiles, not found in repair schedule

ck the relays, swap ign with another of same color to test
some have a prob with the solder joints under the fuse box

try another brand of parts store for an ecu read and system electrical test
a 2nd set of numbers can help!

Im thinking O2 sensor...and clogged egr in manifold
Kris-- does that sound reasonable?

 

another thought--ignition switch back- the electrical part
very common failure on 99s,(even had a recall for 1 time replacement)
and other years can be affected
Do you have several keys, a lot of weight on the keyring?
Does wiggling the key while running make it act up?
that would explain part of your prob
see diy,,under 50 bucks at parts stores or dealer

 

Hey thanks for the reply,

I have cleaned the Fuel System with Seafoam twice in the past 6 months upon recommendation. The car runs extremely smooth except vibration at 60 mph or greater ( which i presume is the rim?? maybe given the fact that its got a 155,000 miles on it. My ignition switch did act up a number of years ago when my car suddenly shut off on the highway. At that time I took the car to acura and they replaced the switch for ($300 bucks - stating that since it malfunctioned it was'nt part of the recall )

The engine does have good speed when cranking

Also, wiggling the key while starting does not make it act up.....plus I dont have too much stuff on my keys anyways.

I had the Autozone guys run the Check Engine Scanner anyways (even without the check engine light on) and it did'nt show anything.

The autozone guy recommended the Dealer Computer scan for more details. The dealer is almost an hour and half away from my house (is it really worth it?? plus its a 100 bucks...which at this point I am willing to spend if i can find the cause of the problem)

Thanks for the response again...keep em coming...i will keep you guys posted on what happens.

 

try some cases:
1) drive on high way for around 20mins, and let it sit for 10mins. If cannot start, bingo once
2) drive locally for around 30mins, and let it sit for 10mins. If cannot start, bingo twice.
3) try 1) or 2), shut off the engine and wait for 1min. If can start, triple bingo.

That's my car's current symptom now.

 

Took it to the dealer today and after 180 bucks ....they said it was my fuel pump relay that was causing the issue. The part was 75 plus the labor was 93....The car is starting fine for now.....but on the way back it started making a hissing noise which gets worse when you push the accelerator....more trouble ahead???.....arrrghhhh!!!!!

 

seems to be coming from the left side....around the drive belt and the tensioner???

 

ac belt tensioner is there and common failure part

thats the 2nd time recently Ive heard of bad fuel pump relay on our cars

anyone with hard start probs should look at that first
Im sure its not 75 dollars at parts store!

 

go buy a mechanics stethascope, 4$ harbor freight, $10 parts stores
You can listen for a lot of noises with that!

 

Just sharing a similar starting issue recently with my 2000 Acura TL... It would start fresh in the morning and also after work, but then if I went back out (like 30 minutes later) it wouldn't start, no clicking, much less any engine turn (would never get to that point).

This would become worse where my car wouldn't start at all for several tries and then miraculously start.

Anyways, one day a few weeks ago the car just died completed (fortunately, I was already at home) whereby turning the key many times would just do nothing, except turn on all of the electronics (radio was fine, a/c was fine, etc.).

There was an single click sound, but without taking the key out, no further clicking, no sounds at all. I even attempted to tap the starter with a crowbar while my wife tried to start the car, but nothing (just an occasional click sound).

Long-story-short, as a quick search on these forums indicated, it was probably the starter, so I went to Autozone (same as this post), followed general forum instructions (removed the battery, battery tray - hella hard btw! and then the starter), put in the new starter and bingo, our ol' faithful started right up!

However, my only concern is, since I also got an Autozone starter (the regular Duralast one for about $120 + $40 core) and installed it only about a week ago, just hoping that it lasts...

 

Quick note: My old starter was probably original factory and had about 160k miles on it... sounds like it was a great part while it lasted. I took the old start to Autozone to get the $40 core refund.