2008 Accord 180K miles 4 cyl auto. Intermittent problem. When turning key fully to activate starter occasionally the starter turns over very slowly and stops, just as if the battery were going dead. First time it happened I replaced 6 yr old battery. Turns out it wasn't the battery. Does anyone know if a bad starter would have this symptom? I'm thinking that if it were one of the switches (starter switch or neutral safety switch) there would probably be no voltage to the starter but don't know if that's true or not. My starter is getting at least some voltage because it turns over a bit (slowly & then stops). Starts fine on retry, at least so far. Hate to replace the starter if it's a switch problem. Any advice is welcome but especially wonder if a bad Honda starter would exhibit this type of symptom. Thanks, JR

 

Welcome to the forum. If the starter turns good on a retry seems more a ignition switch going bad. If starter were a problem it would be consistent slow start. Also if you carried a lot of keys and other items on the ignition key your switch goes bad quicker. Make sure your terminals are clean and have good ground. Not just look clean.

 

Thanks!

 

When I had an intermittent no crank, no start
I cleaned the battery posts and cable terminals
Followed negative battery cable to chassis ground and cleaned up grounding point
Then went to engine ground strap and cleaned those up also
For good measure, I also changed the ignition switch
Never had another issue with the car besides rust.

For some people, the ignition switch caused their issue
For others, corrosion on their electrical connections caused their issue

 

Turned out to be the starter. Car started a few more times but occasionally would barely turn over, just like it had a dying battery, then it would start okay on a retry. Finally after a few days of this it wouldn't crank at all, luckily while it was in my yard. I changed the starter and it's fine now. Getting to the starter is a PITA because you have to remove the intake manifold etc., nothing too difficult, just time consuming. I tested the old starter on the bench. Solenoid actuated every time but sometimes the motor would not run.

 

thank you for the reply. good to know.