LOL. My 2004 Acura TL has been hard to start a number of times the last week. Today I could barely get it started. Pull the battery out took it down to the AutoZone and had it tested. Read 12.2 volts( 580 amps ). Seems a bit low but should be enough to start it?
brought the battery back home reinstalled it and finally got my TL started. Drove it back to AutoZone and had them tested while it was running. Read just under 14 volts.
When starting at, it doesn't act like the battery is dead almost seems like it just doesn't want to turn over.. any help would most certainly be appreciated. Wondering if someone can give me advice on if it might be the starter? Spark plugs? Where do I check first?

 

it could be a loose connection in multiple spots, corrosion, etc. Battery should be giving 14.4V with the car on and charging the battery. It could also be the brushes being worn on the starter meaning it needs to be rebuilt/replaced.

 

Might as well pull the starter and get it tested.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. A little more information to add now. Drove the car back down to AutoZone last night and have it tested. Battery was reading 12.3 volts. Started the car and it was reading 14.4 volts. Checked all connections and all are tight and clean. Actually, it's my wife's car and it's been garage kept since we bought it in 2005, and has just a tick over a hundred thousand miles on it. Still actually looks/ runs almost new except for a couple minor scratches on the wheels and minor driver seat wear. Car has never needed anything in the way of repairs other than maintenance. I removed the hands-free module years ago because that was causing a parasitic drain on the battery. Haven't had issues until now. Doesn't seem like it could be the starter because it's cranking when you go to start it. Almost seems like vehicles were before fuel injection when you had to actually pump the gas pedal and crank them to get anything going. It acts like a fuel feed problem, however I could be mistaken, as I can hear the fuel pump solenoid click on with the accessory key setting. This morning, car started right up with no hesitation whatsoever. I'll add that I did add a bottle of fuel treatment last night just in case ...
We're looking to sell or trade the car in in the next couple months and she's looking to get an RDX. Just don't want to have to put any work into this car that's unnecessary at this point as I believe this is very minor issue.

 

So does it crank fine or not? From your first post

we were assuming there is problem with cranking. However now you write that
So does it crank fast or not? Car has 100k so it's due for timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, and thermostat. Plugs on those cars can last well beyond 100k but it's a start, since it's required maintenance anyways. Just get the proper parts.

If you cycle the key in ignition couple times (on / off /on) before starting (to cycle the fuel pump couple times) does it start right away then?

 

Thanks.
no, it cranks fine. Almost seems like an old car when you couldn't get fuel to them and you just had to keep cranking.. While stepping on the gas pedal.
all scheduled maintenance has been done on the car including timing belt and all Associated parts and components at 95,000.
only thing remaining to do is for me to change the spark plugs.
fuel solenoid clicks on , so I'm assuming it's getting fuel?
has become random the last two weeks. Never know when it's going to happen and when it wont. Charging system and Battery seem to be in good order and working fine. I never had an issue where it wouldn't crank so I'm assuming the starter is fine as well.. Anytime I've ever had issues with a starter, all I would get was a click and the starter gear wouldn't engage. Don't seem to be having that issue now. Possibly replace fuel relay under fuse panel? At this point I don't have a clue.

 

There is a bunch of relays clinking when turning the key ON, and even if you could check if fuel pump relay clicks, it doesn't mean that the FP relay is working.

You should be able to hear the pump running if you keep the door open. Faint whining noise from the rear end of the car is what you are looking for. But if car eventually starts, both relay and pump must be working.

There was a similar thread here, but never got answered by OP. If check valve in fuel pump went bad, it will cause the fuel from the lines to return to the tank. Additional cranking (and fuel pump run-time) is required to bring fuel pressure back. Cycling the key will force fuel pump to run couple times, bring the pressure up. If then car starts normally after cycling the key couple times, suspect this valve, and replace FP to fix it. If it still takes a long time, something else is going on.

 

Okay. Got it. I do hear the whining of the fuel pump in the rear end. If it happens again I will try cycling the key on and off to see if it may aid in problem-solving. Thanks a lot for taking time out of your day to offer help. Much appreciated.

 

Have you checked the condition of the battery cables? At this age its likely they're corroded internally where you can't see, especially the + cable. I had a similar starting issue a few years ago, and sure enough ..............
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also try putting the key in accessory position and wait for the fuel needle to stop moving and then start! If that resolves the issue, it could be a fuel pressure issue.

 

Thank you again to everyone who has given information to help me fix this. I'm quite sure with all the suggestions I will get this resolved. I will post once I get this figured out. I want to be sure this thing is in perfect shape when we sell it or trade it in in the next couple months. Don't want to have any issues with the new owner ! Hopefully they are as happy as we have been with this car. Thanks again to everyone and happy New Year