DsCivicEx

Well when I ordered my starter from Honda I got the Denso starter. Well come to find out theres 3 types of starters for hondas. They all bolt up the same so why 3 different ones? Well I did some inspcetions on my old starter and sure enough its the mitsuba one. Does anyone know what the differences on these starters are. Just curious.

TeamNextGenChris

as far as i've ever seen,they're all the same,just different makers.
chris

DsCivicEx

all i know is that my car wont turn over and its not the same starter I have. The battery is good all the fuses seem fine. Now what?

TeamNextGenChris

do you mean the starter doesn't even turn when you try to crank the car?
chris

DsCivicEx

i can hear the solenoid click but thats it. All my dash lights, dome lights, ect come on. I hear the fuel pressure build up but then when I turn it over nothing. This all happend out of no where. One day it ran the next day it didnt. So i charged the batter and bought a new starter.

TeamNextGenChris

you can try jumping a wire from the battery straight to the starter just to see if it does work correctly.if it does,double-check all your conections.also check for any blown fuses.
chris

DsCivicEx

what fuses do you recomend I check just to make sure im getting the right ones.

TeamNextGenChris

i don't have my shop manuals here to look,but just look at the covers for the underhood and underdash fuseboxes and check anything that could be related to the system.i doubt it is a fuse though,as you said you can here the solenoid clicking.
best thing i can tell you is to Dl or buy a shop manual-it has a whole troubleshooting procedure for the entire starter system that will let you find exactly what is wrong.
chris

smnowell

I am willing to bet that it is your ignition coil. I have had one go bad on me and so has one of my friends. One day his car worked, 5 hours later wouldn't start at all. Check and see if you have spark and if you don't then I would look into getting a new ignition coil. If you have another friend with a Honda, see if you can borrow theirs just to test it out.

DsCivicEx

Ive got a haynes manual and a helms manual. I was about to try the jumping the starter to the battery trick but then noticed I got the wrong brand starter. I have a MSD external coil that wasnt making a good connection but I secured it and it still wont start..Should I try replacing it?

TeamNextGenChris

i thought the problem was that the starter won't even spin when you try to start the car?if so,the coil ha nothing to do with that.
chris

92b16vx

The brand doesn't matter, I traded my burnt out Mitsuba, for a 99 Denso from an ITR. They are shaped a little different, but they bolt up and work the same (Actually the Denso starts with a lot more authority than the Mitsuba). Maybe check the wires and ground again, just make sure everything is connected well.

jameskersten1

have you taken the starter out and check to make sure all the contacts on the inside of the starter are not bent or deformed? i had teh problem with my starter once where it wouldnt turn cuz i tightened the power bolt down too tight and bent the contact. i would pull the starter, open the top and see.

-Trinitron-

As far as the different starters go, the different ones may have something to do with how much actual power they make. I know in RC car motors they are all the same size but have all different power and speed options. It is all made with the same bettery power too. Just a thought, I may be totally wrong. But it seems a civic dx wouldn't need the same starting power as a CRV, ya know?

dogfood

if it was the ignition coil the engine would crank but there would be no spark. The starter would still turn the engine over....just no start. I think you where on the right path with the starter.Try the jumper wire to the starter.

DsCivicEx

I did what my helms manual said to do and hook a wire from the starter solenoid to the batter directly. I did that and then I didnt even get anything except for some smoke around my gauge cluster area..god i feel like and idiot cuase I can figure this thing out.

DsCivicEx

I have an automatic as well if that matter. I went back down and turned it over and it kinda sounds like the starter is turning just not making contact inside. Could it be that I need the mitsuba instead of the denso for length reasons?

TeamNextGenChris

so,the starter IS spinning when you try to start the car?
auto and manual starters are different part numbers.not sure what is actually different about them though.
chris

mike93eh

put the right starter on your car. whatever was in there before, replace it with the exact same one.