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A few days ago my 2003 Honda Accord would not start. Turning the key turned on all electronics and I could hear what I believe to be something in the fuel system spinning as I attempted to start the car. I replaced the battery, so that is not the issue.

I called AAA to have them tow the car. I pushed the car down the driveway so the tow truck could access the car. When the AAA driver got there, he wanted to observe the issue in case there was an easy solution he could help with. I turned the key and the car started right up.

The repair shop still thinks I should bring the car in to have the starter diagnosed (for a $110 fee). My question is: is it possible that I have a bad starter? Can a starter fail several times, and then work again without any work being done to it? Should I get the diagnostics done, or wait for this to happen again?

benr
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2 Answers2

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Sticky solenoid like Mac said. Or, a loose ground strap. Or, just a dead spot on the starter. It certainly can happen. It's probably something that replacing the starter would fix, but not necessarily (example being the one I had where it was a ground strap the detached and was just sometimes resting in the right spot. Replacing the starter didn't help, since the guy that did it didn't know that there was a missing ground since he didn't ever remove it!).

Brian Knoblauch
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Just had the same issue on my 2004 Honda . Before replacing the starter, take a look at the ground strap on the starter itself. Mine was corroded . Cleaned it with sandpaper and put some rust / corrosion inhibitor on it and it has been working fine. Hope this saves someone from buying a new starter unnecessarily.

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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Steve
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