Not my car, but a friend's 2003 S2000. Got any helpful clues? I'm disappointed in Ron Tonkin Honda on this.

Typically, when starting cold, there is a momentary scraping, metal to metal sound that lasts a second.
The car will start normally for the rest of the day.

"One morning, after the car was parked overnight outside and the temperature dipped to 30 degrees, I pressed start, there was a major scraping sound which continued; the engine did not start. I re-tried, the engine labored to start, eventually did, but I had to rev the engine to keep it going for about 10 seconds or so; then warmed up and there was no more problem all day long."

"Ron Tonkin just had the car for 3 days, and came to no conclusion what the problem is. They could hear the grinding noise while starting, but do not know if it's the starter or something else. I'll just have to keep driving it until it won't start sometime, or so loud that it's obvious."

 

That’s a bummer Jim. I’ll leave the responses to those whom are more mechanically inclined. Hoping for the best

 

Any reason your "friend" isn't here to answer questions and get feedback? Would be a lot easier. Or is this car in your possession?

-- Chuck

 

"Would be a lot easier?" So far this thread has two replies. I do not see any questions about the issue, nothing that needs feedback. Who owns the car is irrelevant.

 

Agreed.

Jim, does the grinding change at all with RPM's once things get turned over?

 

I'd have to hear it to even hazard a guess, but if it were mine and I couldn't figure it out pretty quickly I'd take it to Paul Nix at Honda of Salem. He knows what he's doing and WILL figure out what's going on. There MAY be someone comparable at Tonkin, but if there is nobody on this forum has said anything about him/her yet...
Dean

 

I'm the friend (also named Jim), and was not registered on the forum, but now have an account. My S is the one with the starting issue. Thanks to all of you who weighed in.

The grinding noise lasts only a second typically, and from then on, anytime the engine is warm, there is no sign of a problem. The worst day was when traveling and I started it on a cold morning, it wouldn't start until I re-tried, then it slowly ground to life; I had to keep the rpms up for a short time or it would die. After that, no problem during the day.

In the old days I would have bought a new starter and replaced it, but the Tonkin tech isn't convinced that's the problem. 15 years ago there was a Tonkin guy who knew everything, but he's not around anymore. Dean, is Paul Nix at a dealership or an independent shop?
Jim

 

Try to listen for the fuel pump to prime/pump - as you turn the key before starting it, listen for a "hum" or "vibration" sorta noise coming from under the soft top tray behind the seats

-No noise could mean the fuel pump is dead or not getting proper voltage, check fuses and pay attention to harness wires under the hood for clues of corrosion. Or fuel smell?

-A slightly faint prime mean it could be on its way out .

If its sound and healthy and still does not start then a video with sound would be helpful.
It could be Spark or compression but the more you narrow down the list the closer you get to find it the issue.

The grinding noise could possibly be from letting go of the start button and pressing it again or tapping.

Good luck!

 

Thanks, Slammed. The fuel pump is not something I've considered. I'll investigate

 

Paul Nix is at the Honda dealership in Salem. Robert Hellman is his service manager, and Robert's direct line is (971) 273-4344. I've had nothing but the very best experiences from the two of them.