solitarycheese

Hey all, my starter is working fine on a cold engine. But, when the engine is hot I can't immediately restart the car after shutting it off.

I was hoping it was the battery, so I had it load tested at the dealer, battery tested ok.

Is there anything else I can rule out before replacing the starter?

The starter is $150, but the DIY looks like a pain in the ass needing 30" of extension and the possibility of breaking the $150 knock sensor. Might need to leave this one to the pros.

Car Analogy

Remove alternator, and that upper pita starter bolt is a straight shot and easy to get to. You still need long extension, but that is it. You can see between manifold runners to see the socket lining up to bolt head.

slalom44

Can you be more specific about your symptoms? Does the starter crank slow or barely crank at all or are the cylinders not firing?

solitarycheese

On a cold start, the starter turns slower than it should but the car still starts up on the first try no problem.

On a hot start, the starter chugs very slowly, sometimes starting the engine, sometimes not. If I give it about 10 minutes after a failed hot start it will start again.

GSteg

The battery may be suffering from heat soak. It may test okay at room temperature, but not when it's hot. Probably doesn't help that it's hot over in Austin right now.

steelers743

Yup I had this issue and a new battery was the fix for me.

solitarycheese

I think I've already ruled out the battery.

I took it to the Honda dealer (who I purchased the battery from) asking for a replacement battery under warranty. The car was hot enough to show the no-start condition (started again after sitting for 5-10 minutes).

They did a load test on the hot battery and it passed fine.