Starter failure

SSCRANDO

MEMBER
2006 HONDA CRV
2.4L
4 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
135,500 MILES

Good evening, I was in an accident in May 2021 where my serpentine belt broke, and I hit a guard rail. There was steam and fluids that leaked out. The dashboard lit up and all the symbols were lit up except the engine light, ABS light, etc. There was barely any damage to the driver's side. It was towed to Pep Boys where they replaced the serpentine belt. I still had issues after with the dashboard lights flashing on and off. The D light also had a faint pulse and the P light started. I still had issues and they discovered that one engine fan to cool down the engine oil was broken. They replaced both fans a long with other things. Still having issues with the lights on the dashboard, they said if it was electrical, they couldn't do anything, and I would have to take it to the Honda car dealership. I did and they couldn't find anything but said that I needed a new battery and that they should fix the lights flashing as the other battery was reading a defect on their machine. Two days after my car took three times to turn over. They said it was because it was cold out. Still having issues, they finally found a code in March 2022 when I took it for an oil change. They said I needed an ABS modular and a sensor, but it wasn't detrimental to me driving the car. My car wouldn't turn over and I got it towed where they said I needed a new starter. When I asked why they didn't notice it before they said it was because the starter is connected to the battery source, and they wouldn't have known it was bad until it stopped working. The question that I have is, could the fluid that spilled out of my car, like coolant, cause damage to the starter? They are telling me with the mileage it was bound to happen, but it was not doing it before the accident. I think the fluid that came out caused damage, in which case my insurance would cover the repair.

5 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Hi,

I did watch your videos on the other thread. I noticed there is no change when the key is turned to the start position (no lights dimming, sounds, or anything).

I am going to start from the beginning. Do the following:

1), See if the vehicle starts if the transmission is placed in neutral.

2) If there is no change in neutral, I need you to check fuses 19 and 20 in the under-hood fuse box. In addition to confirming the fuses are good, check to make sure they are getting power. Here is a link that explains how that is done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

3) If both fuses are good and have power, locate the starter cut relay in the fuse/relay box under the left side of the dash. If there is a different relay having the same part number, switch them to see if it changes things. If there isn't a duplicate relay, here is a link that explains how to test a relay:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

4) If the relay checks good, I need you to try something. Under the relay there will be four pins. Each is numbered 85, 86, 87, and 30. First, take a small jumper wire and jump the two terminals where pins 87 and 30 would plug in. It should engage the starter. See if that happens.

5) If the starter does engage, then I need you to find a helper. Have the helper turn the key to the start position while you probe connectors 85 and 86 for power. One of the two should have 12v and the other is a ground. Confirm one has power (12v) and the opposite one has continuity to ground.

6) If the starter doesn't engage, then either the starter is bad or the trigger wire between the relay and the starter motor is bad. The trigger wire will be a black wire with a white tracer. It will be the smaller wire on the starter motor. With everything connected electrically, have your helper turn the key to start while you check for power at the starter motor from that wire. If there is power, replace the starter motor. If there is no power, we have an open between the relay and the starter motor. Note: There is a larger wire on the starter that is direct from the battery and has power at all times. Be careful not to short that one. It may also be a good idea to confirm it has power.

If you find no power where there should be, stop there and let me know where you found the issue.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pics 1 and 2 for the starter wiring schematic. I had to cut the page in half to make it readable for you. I did overlap them. Pic 3 shows fuse locations. The remaining pics are the diagnostics from the manual. I think mine are easier to follow, but I may be biased. LOL

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