Gunslinger1963

I have been having an ongoing problem with my 2014 Acura ILX. It only starts on the first push of the start button about a quarter of the time. And sometimes it doesn't start without several pushes of the button. In these cases, a clicking sound can be heard out about the starter, but it just doesn't seem to be doing anything other than clicking. It's got about 53,000 miles on it. I would assume it is the starter, but we've been driving it this way for 7 months. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem. What really prompted this post is that last evening we tried numerous time to crank it and finally gave up, but then went out this morning and it cranked right up. The only difference was the weather, it was quite warm last evening and unseasonably cool this morning.

Chrifff

Ummmm…. What about the car battery? I know seems obvious buy If you are still on the original battery, it is definitely time for a change. Also (although unlikely) you can check the key batteries?

aomechmarine

its probably the battery. if not get it checked out. battery can be tested for free at Pep Boys, Autozone, Oreillys etc.

Wyatt1963

Perhaps I should have included in my original post that the battery is new and I have replaced the key fob batteries in the two original key fobs, plus two remote starts, all of which have been tried with the same result. Starts intermittently, usually within five tries, but on two occasions gave up on it after +/-20 tries, only to come back later and have it start right up. One thing that I’ve noticed is that when I initially put my foot on the brake to start it, if the brake pedal is stiff, it is NOT going to start. If the brake pedal depresses softly, as it should, the car will start right up. There is definitely a clicking sound coming from under the hood, which I know would lead one to believe it is the starter, but the low mileage and the fact that it's been going on for so long. I just want to be sure it is the starter, before I go to the pain and expense of changing it out.

DaIll1

When the brake pedal is "stiff" do the brake lights come on? The ignition won't work if that switch doesn't trigger.

Wyatt1963

Yes, the brake lights come on. I may be imagining the correlation between the stiff brake pedal and the starting issue, but my wife and I both felt like there was a correlation there. I am leaning towards the starter being the problem. There is a pretty loud clicking noise, just no ignition. I don't know if there is anything else between the start button and the starter, that would be making this noise. I don't even know where the starter is and I haven't been able to find much online with regard to changing out this specific, 2014 Acura ILX starter. I guess because 4 year old starters on Honda products shouldn't be going out.

Wyatt1963

Okay, so IT WAS A STARTER FAILURE. I am very disappointed that a 4 year old car with 53,000 miles on it, already needs a starter. Clearly from what I've read online, these should have been recalled. I've had a Toyota 4Runner for 25 years and if I've ever put a starter on it, I don't recall it. I don't think I had a failure of any kind with the 4Runner prior to 120,000 miles. I expected at least the same out of Honda, especially Acura. Some engineer decided to house everything inside the main starter housing, rather than placing the solenoid on the outside, where it belongs. Unfortunately the new starter if built the same way. I look to have to replace it in about 50,000 miles. Thanks for the opportunity to post.

schen72

That does seem premature for a starter to fail. The started also failed on my old 1999 TL but not until well over 200k miles. I haven't heard from others on this forum about starter failure so maybe you just got unlucky.

Wyatt1963

It is possible that it was just a fluke, may even have something to do with the remote start system installed by the dealer when the car was new. But when I did just a general Google search, looking for what the problem was, I got a lot of information related to bad starter design for mine and many other Acura models. The guys at NAPA were taken back by the fact that the solenoid is inside the main starter housing. Aparently it generates an abrasive substance during it's operation which basically corrodes the other mechanisms inside the starter. Hopefully I am relaying this information correctly, I gathered this from skimming through several posts/articles related to this subject. I myself have very limited knowledge concerning these matters.

schen72

My other two Acuras which are 13 and 11 years old are still on their original starter.

Wyatt1963

Yours is not comparable to my newer acura, as your starters are probably built the old fashioned way. What I have stated is this appears to be a NEW starter design. At least this is what the guy at NAPA told me and he is an avid Acura guy, that's all he owns. Thanks for the input.

danguyen10

So I have the same exact problem with my 2014 ILX. It is currently at the shop right now and I told them to replace the starter. Was this a permanent fix for you?

andrewmartinez

My 2013 is doing the same thing. Was the clicking rapid like a gun noise? My battery is good under 2 years old

danguyen10

​​​​​​Yes it was making that noise. I replaced the battery and it was still happening. My Honda mechanic friend told me that that 2013/2014 Acuras have big starter issues so I had that replaced by a shop and it solved the problem immediately

andrewmartinez

thanks for your reply I will try this weekend