I have a 2008 SI and for the last month been dealing with a slow start when i crank it up. it feels like the battery is almost dead but it starts after a few seconds, at the first try.
this past weekend i took the battery to autozone and the guy told me to leave it for a charge, after one hour i picked it up and the guy put the battery tester and he said the battery was fully charged and in good working condition.
I put it in the car right after and for the first time it did the exact same thing... after maybe 5 mins i tried again and this time it didnt seem to hesitate to start, i thought the problem was solved but this morning/all day went back to a slow start again.
the battery is the original that came with the car.
do you guys think is the battery, alternator or something else?

thanks in advance

 

If your car is a vehicle that spends all of it's time outdoors that is hard on a battery, it may be time for a new battery even though it tested OK it might have a weak cell.

I would start at the wiring check the battery connections and where the power wire connects to the starter if it is loose it will cause a problem like you spoke of.

also have the starter checked, it can be checked on the car, if the car has high miles and started many times or at one time had a starting problem, the starter can pull more amps than it should.

 

thanks for your input. im gonna take the car to have the starter checked up and see if thats the problem.

 

i have a 2008 si and mine also seems to start up slow

 

Your car is an 08, the alt should not be bad.

I'm going to say the battery. OEM Honda battery are crap. They don't even last 3 years for me. As a past Ford owner also, noticed the same thing. All OEM batteries are crap. They have to cut cost somewhere.

So now, I replace them at 2.5 years.

I'm a bit surprise autozone did not try to sell you one. Duralast Gold FTW. Fair price, and good performance. I beat my battery too in the Odyssey as the DVD player is always running in the back, radio up front at the same time, and dual AC on high during these 100+ degrees. Autozone is everywhere if I need service/replacement.

Yes, before my battery(s) died, the eye was green and the volts where there and the CCA was still ok. They will drop off without much warning.

You have been "warned" so listen to it. Get a new battery soon, look for deals now, and bring a jumper cable with you.

 

Battery man. These batteries in the newer civics are junk. I have the same issue. I'd definitely say the alternator is good to go but these batteries have such a rough time starting the car. I'm gonna go with a optima red top next. I had that in my da and it ran my car for a couple days when my altinator belt snapped lol.

 

I would suggest going to an actual battery shop (rather than the Auto Zone & etc). Many of them still have equipment to check the alternator output, check for drain on the battery when the ignition is turned off, do a "stress test" on the battery and a hydrometer to see if one cell is bad. There are fewer than have the equipment to test the diode bridge in the alternator, but an oscilloscope can give a lot of information in just a minute or two.

Double check the battery connections and the ground connection to the chassis looking for corrosion or a loose connection just to be sure.

I certainly agree with everyone that a three year old battery is likely to be on its last legs. I am not sure what battery to recommend these days. The Interstate batteries used to be pretty good, if somewhat expensive, but I am told they are cutting corners like the rest now.

My experience has been that there is usually little warning when a battery or starter goes because the engines turn over so easily so get it checked out before it just gives out and strands you.

P.S. If you are in a hot area, the heat and A/C use this time of year can put quite a strain on a battery.