It took me 3 tries to start the car this morning, first try no cranking at all, second try cranks like it's choking...third try slowly crank and eventually started.

it was nice to enough to still take me to work (3 miles distance)....i tried to start it again it will not crank at all...

battery...starter???

 

btw...it's 05 TL with 75000 miles

 

Check the battery clamps and cable ends for corrosion, esp. the positive clamp and ground cable end.
Bad corrosion is if the middle section of the [positive] cable is also corroded and must be replaced rather than just cleaned.

If there is corrosion, it's the cables + battery.

 

I was able to start the car again, VSA, ABS, E-brake and Traction light all came on, i quickly drove it to the dealer since i am still under warranty....came home with a 2011 TL....

 

sounds like a starter. any clicking on the first try with no cranking?

 

no cranking at all the first try....second and third time sounds like choking...i had to step on the gas on the 5th time to fully start it up

 

no clicking when no crank? turn the key and silence?

our accord's starter was on it's way out...it behaved much like your TL and the battery was only a yr old and checked by the dealer. the starter was replaced (an arm and a leg later) and all is well again with the accord.

 

i dont recall any clicking at all..

i remember sometimes it has buzzing sounds from near the ignition area when i start the car.....i dunno if thats related to the problem i have today

 

hope it's not your starter...it's pricey to fix vs just a battery and cables. it sounds like your starter just based on what you said and what i mentioned above. guess you'll find out soon enough from the dealer as long as the car behaves badly while it's there.

 

well...i hope the warranty covers it. How much does it normally cost to replace one?

 

the accord was almost $700 (this was with discounts from the dealer). the part alone was almost $500. keep in mind this is the dealer with OEM parts for an 03.

 

they just called and said its the battery, but the 100 months warranty doesn't apply on me because I wasn't the person who purchased the battery....WTF??

 

OEM batteries let's hope that fixes the problem.

 

i believe its because they know starter is under warranty and battery isn't....

i am going to have my AAA guy meet me at the dealership later on today and have him test my battery, if it shows the battery is good...the dealer will be fucked by me!!! if not...i will most likely just purchase one from him anyway..

are AAA batteries good?

 

not to highjack the thread but i have a question.. i had the same problem with the car starting. I hit the starter with a hammer and it DOES start. Is the starter going bad??

 

Yes, that sounds like the starter is bad.

 

aww man lol. thanks for replying. i won't be driving it til i get it fixed

 

How ironic, this literally just happened to me to. I'm sure you have your car fixed by now but I just wanted to post that it definitely was the starter. So what happened was that the car didn't start, and when you tried to start it it only made a single "click" and didn't work. We tried jumping the battery which obviously didn't work, so I called AAA and they whacked the starter and it started. Then I went to pepboys and had it fixed for $292 with a "lifetime" warranty (during the first 3 months parts and labor are both covered but after only the parts are covered. the labor turned out to be about half the price though). I may or may not have overpaid but considering that I had to drive back down to Socal tomorrow morning, doing it was definitely worth it.

 

glad you figured it out

 

So my car died but it clicks, battery doesnt seem so corroded... Any ideas as to what it might be?

05 tl 85k miles
Electrical inside works but i dont leave it on to check, and it was parked at school with everything off (checked when it didnt turn on)

 

^^how old is your battery? do the lights flicker when it tries to crank? if all you get is a click...could be the battery. could be the alternator. if you can get it to the local auto parts store they can all this stuff for you for free.