Hi Scotty!
I have a 12 accord with the 2.4 motor and 157k miles. The positive battery cable is swollen at the terminal and oxidation goes a ways back the cable. That's why I had my problem in my earlier question last week about my car sometimes has no power at all. I'm not going to splice, I'm replacing the entire cable. To do it I have to pull the intake to get to the starter connection. My car starts fine....no starter issue but it made me wonder if, as long as I'm pulling the intake off,should I just replace the starter as preventive maintenance since it's the original starter? Or is that dumb? I'm thinking when the day comes that the starter goes bad I gotta pull the intake anyway....or is pulling the intake on that car not that big a deal? What would you advise? S mechanic is doing the work.
Thanks a million!!!
Appreciatively
Craig
This is a great question. It applies not just to your car, but there are a lot of cars where the starter is buried and you should consider replacing it when you are working in the same part of the engine bay.
For example, in the Toyota 5.7L V8 (2014-2021 Tundra), getting to the starter requires removing everything down to and including the intake manifold. It’s a huge job to get to it, so you would consider replacing it if you had the intake manifold off for other reasons.
Good reason for owners to know their own engines, because mechanics won’t always bring it up (and most people would feel like they were being pushy if they did).
Thank you for that! Yeah it seemed smart to me but I value Scotty's opinion....and yours! Ty! What brand starter do you recommend? A reman denso? Honda? I think Honda is made by Mitsubishi?
Yeah. Either OE or denso should last the rest of the life of the car
Am I right to replace the cable and not just splice it? Also...is it ok to buy a starter from a Honda parts supplier online like Honda parts direct or similar instead of at my local dealer? It's like a 150 buck price difference. Thank you so much!
I’d replace the cable if you can.
Generally, yes, going around the dealer is usually fine, but do your due diligence. Some websites (and by some websites I mean Amazon and EBay) are full of counterfeit “OEM” parts.
Actually since you have to take the intake off I would replace that started because the starters fail off and early on those Hondas but be sure to buy a quality starter don't buy some cheapy one from the lowest price discount store
I will go for a rebuilt DENSO when my Element needs it. I have seen on other Honda forums that they seem to be the best value besides going totally brand new.
Excellent! Thank you! Only a Honda starter? Mitsubishi?
My mechanic wont guarantee any part except what he buys. He called our honda dealer and they want 420 for a starter. Honda suppliers online can give it to me for 260...quite a savings. They are made, it seems, by Mitsubishi. Denso is good too, right? What brand should I buy? New or reman? The denso is a reman. I cant imagine needing a guarantee if I buy the starter through honda suppliers online. am I wrong? I dont know what to do. Thank you!
Find another mechanic. You can buy lots of starter motors everywhere that have a limited lifetime warranty. AutoZone, O'Reilly, etc.
I know. But Scotty advised against that so I'm going to follow his advice and figure out what a quality starter is. If it was for a 70s or 80s GM that would be a different story....those are super easy to access. But definitely thank you?
definitely thank you!!!