I pulled the starter from the motor and had it tested and it appears that the solenoid was ok using test procedures from the manual, but the rotor would spin very very slowly when a 12 v source is put across the terminals.
Therefore, I ordered a new starter but when it arrived today, it looked very different. In fact, the whole thing was different. It appears that the starter I have in my car is exactly the same as a replacement for a 97 2.2 4cyl motor.

1. Do I have a 2.2 4 cyl in my car or is it a 2.3 cyl?
2. Is the starter in my car the wrong one that was put on by someone else( seems like factory ones were denso or mitsuba but the sticker on the starter was no where close to those)
3. Could it be possible that I do have a 2.3 but it uses leftover parts from the parts bin and the motor was customized to fit the 2.2 starter?

Anyone????

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by danz75 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1. Do I have a 2.2 4 cyl in my car or is it a 2.3 cyl?</TD></TR></TABLE>Read the engine serial # plate. Does it start with F22A? or F23A??

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by danz75 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2. Is the starter in my car the wrong one that was put on by someone else( seems like factory ones were denso or mitsuba but the sticker on the starter was no where close to those)</TD></TR></TABLE>What DOES the sticker say? Maybe it's an AutoZone starter from any other manufacturer but it fits?

 

I'm in ohio to, Columbus to be exact. The starts for the 98+ and the 94-97 are a little different. ran into that when doing my auto to 5spd convertion. I have a starter for an auto tranny cyl out of my 99. It has 35k on it and still works like new and looks new. If you want it let me know. You can e-mail me @ http://www.clintelliott50@hotmail.com

 

I will have to get the engine serial number when I get back tonight. For some reason, at 95,000 miles and it being a 98 year model, I did not think it's highly likely that the starter has been replaced. I was told that Honda starters have a very low failure rate and that dealerships are very unlikely to stock them. I priced one of these at the nearby dealer and it was about $260 and they would have to order it in.

The starter that I found was from Advanced auto parts and the list for a 98 is $108.99 and the 97 is $128.99. I have already ordered the starter and am supposed to pick it up tonight.

Does anyone know what the factory starter is supposed to look like and have pictures? The helm manual does not give a very accurate pictorial description of the starter.

 

If you need one I'll sell you my starter thats in perfect shape for $60 shipped to you. Let me know if you want it or need it.