I have a 1995 Honda Accord EX
In January '13 I had my car in the shop, I had had a pretty serious oil leak for about a year and half, most the engine was covered in oil. I took it in to the shop they steam cleaned everything under the hood, to better diagnose where the leak was coming from. They found the leak and replaced what needed to be fixed, but since then when I would start my car, its like the starter would make this slipping grinding noise, like it would catch but it might grind a few times prior too.

Well previous to this issue I had been having issues with the speedometer failing while I was driving, it would just go to 0. The cruise control and everything else worked it was just the speedometer. That has happened intermittently since the car was cleaned but not as often...

The worst part is the starter, so its been 10 months since the leak was fixed and my car was cleaned, and the starter sound has remained the same. But now I have a new issue, sometimes I put the key in and I go to start the car and it wont even turn over, like nothing is catching. This has begun to happen once a week for the past 3 weeks, or sometimes the car just struggles to get a catch, and I press the gas a little and that helps but I don't think that's the problem.

I have had my battery checked, and that works perfectly, and the ignition turns and activates when in position II, the lights turn on the antenna goes up, but when I turn it all the way to start it nothing happens now... When this happened the first time I checked the distributor and the cord that comes out the front of it, I wiggled that and it started up just fine, that also worked the second time it failed. Well today when it wouldn't start not even that could get it to work. So I am trying to figure out where the problem is... If it is in fact my starter, or if it is my distributor, or if it is electrical?

If anyone has any insight or could help with this I would greatly appreciate it!!

 

damn i am having the exact same problems.. i have to push start my car everywhere i go.. i just bought a new starter but it still wouldn't start.. then i thought it could've been the battery, bought a new one.. still won't start.. i'm lost

 

sounds like the starter solenoid is going bad...if you can tap the starter and the car starts after it just wasn't, then it's the starter solenoid. You can pull another starter from the junkyard or replace the solenoid if this is the case.

 

Auto or manual trans in either of these cars?

First thing you should do.....are you getting ~12V on the small black/white wire to the starter when the key is turned to start?

Yes, repair or replace the starter.

No, the issue is "upstream" of the starter....answer the trans question. Also answer if the car has or had some sort of alarm system installed.

 

Issue with my starter on my '99 4cyl. EX is only when the engine is cold first try the starter will not turn the engine over second try it turns right over. Alternator, and battery 100%, I am thinking armature is shot? Thoughts

 

mine is manual.. gsr swapped into a 92 hatch.. so what do u mean by upstream of the starter? and where does that little black wire connect to?

 

The BLK/WHT wire goes to the starter solenoid......key to start and that wire supplies power to the starter. So if you are getting power on that wire when the key is turned to start, then there is something wrong with the starter.

If you are not getting power to that wire with the key to start. Then the issue is "up" further in the circuit. I see you have a civic, I don't mess with those much so I'm not really sure of the set up vs the Accord. For an Accord, I would test the inhibitor switch - you have to have the clutch in/pressed to start the car. Also be sure the "stopper" on the switch is still in place - it is just like the brake switch "stopper".

 

Found out the Alarm system had been shorting, and not allowing the car to start.

 

How did you know it was the alarm system casuing this?