kevinhughes13

HI. I am having a problem with my starter on a 2000 Acura RL. Never had to deal with starter problems on any of my other cars so this is the first. Sometimes the car will not start and I know for a fact that it isn't the security system preventing it. When it doesn't start it makes one single loud click and if I keep trying it'll eventually start. It's been happening more and more recently and I've already put a brand new battery in the car I had sitting around and made sure it was fully charged before putting it in + I cleaned up the battery terminals. I do have free towing through my insurance company if it doesn't start completely but I just want to confirm it's the starter before I go ahead and replace it because the quotes I'm getting are 550-750 not including taxes. Does this problem sound like the starter contacts being worn out? I know Acura is Honda but I've had Hondas with 200k-300k on them with the original starter and never had any problems.

TyGuy88

Definitely sounds like a starter. They can fail with little to no warning. You've been lucky to get it started the times it's been acting up. Sometimes you can tap it with a hammer and pry bar/extension while turning the key if it doesn't want to start but no guarantee it will always work.

Some starters last decades and hundreds of thousands of miles. Others last only a few years and less than 30k. I tend to think it comes down to luck of the draw. I will say that they don't seem to make them like they used to.

Good luck with your RL

kevinhughes13

True thank you for your response. It's actually been going on for a few months. I have full towing coverage on my insurance so if one day it decides to not start I can get it towed to my shop of choice and drive one of my other cars lol.