My car has started acting up about a year now. When I turn the key, the starter does not engage immediately. There is a hesitation, and then the starter turned over as if nothing was ever a problem. The colder the temperature is, the longer the hesitation. When the temperature is above 60degF, the starter will engage almost immediate, without hesitation. As the temperature drops, the hesitation gets longer. When the temperature is about 30degF, the hesistation is about 15 seconds. I just keep holding the key, and the starter just turns like there was never any problem. During the hesitation, the car just acts like it is in a dead zone asleep. Nothing occurs. It is just there waiting to start. When it turns, it turns over with full power, like nothing was ever wrong.

How could I go about trouble shooting this issue? It is not a major problem now, because it always starts, however, I would like to identify the problem before it leaves me stranded if the hesitation time grows longer.

The car is a 1994 Honda Accord LX 5Spd.

Could this be a starter issue? I have rebuilt the starter 2 times in the past. The next time it goes out on my, I will just get a replacement.

Could this be an ignition switch issue?

Can this be a result of my alarm which has a starter kill built in? I have never had any problems with the alarm.

 

Your batter is probably going out. It could also be your connections...corroded or just not tight enough. If it clicks as soon as you turn the key but before it tries to turn over, it could be your starter connections.

 

My battery isn't the best. My car struggles a little bit during the winter, but its somewhat normal for -5 farenheit. I wouldn't be too worried.

 

It doesnt click, nor does it struggle. It just does NOTHING, until a few seconds, then it just turns over like it never hesitated in the first place. I have had to wait up to 45 seconds for it to turn over before. I just keep holding the key, and eventually, it ALWAYS starts. It just hesitate before it decides to turn over.

 

Get your battery load tested. If it's more than 3 years old your probably need a new battery. Holding the key in the start position for 45 seconds is putting a lot of electrical stress on your starting system. Not a good thing.

 

Check your connections first. It could be a simple fix. I had a small film of corrosion that had developed on my battery terminal that was really hard to see. When I cleaned it up all was well. However, it could be caused by a leaking battery if corrosion is the cause.

 

Wouldnt the starter click if it was a weak connection to the battery?

Could it be the clutch interlock switch be the problem? How can I test it?

Is testing the starter at Autozone a fool-proof way to tell if the starter is bad?

EDIT: I repaired this problem by replacing the starter with one from Autozone. The problem is now fixed.