Hello all: My 07 Accord V6 won’t turn over. Brand new battery showing 12.5 volts, and I checked all the fuses. All other electrical is in working condition. Had the wife turn the key while I tapped on the starter with no luck. THen I measured the voltage coming into the solenoid from the starter while sitting there and 0 volts, then had the wife turn the key and it was showing 10.5 volts. I took off the kick panel and swapped the ACC relay for the starter cut relay ( they’re identical) and still nothing. I’m pretty much down to it being a problem with the ignition switch, but I’m not looking forward to getting into the steering column. Does anyone have any idea what else it could be, or have some tips for what I should do / be looking for if I get into the steering column? Thanks in advance.
You’re getting voltage at the starter, so how would the ignition switch be at fault? Sounds like a bad starter to me.
Agreed. 10.5V should be enough to trigger the solenoid. If you get nothing, starters bad.
THanks for the input. According to the Haynes manual, I should be getting “about the same” voltage at the solenoid as the battery. According to my brother in law, who admittedly is an electrician and not a car mechanic, 10.5 volts is NOT about the same as 12.5 volts. Also, I just saw on Rock Auto dot com that they have both a “starter” relay and an “ignition” relay. THey are the same part, but is there a second relay somewhere on the car I missed testing?
If a relay was at fault, you’d be getting zero volts at the solenoid.
the fact that the power is drawn down to 10.5 says one of 2 things is wrong. either somethings going on on the power side like bad connections and the starter is doing nothing or the much more likely problem is that the starter is actually drawing it down to 10.5 and just not turning. either way if its getting voltage i would completely rule out the ignition and 10.5 should be enough to make the starter do something. check the power on the other side of the solenoid if its low or none thats your problem. usually the only way you can get them is with the starter which is probably for the best.
If the battery shows 12.5 volts but you’re only seeing 10.5 volts between the solenoid and starter when the ignition is in the start position says there’s a major voltage drop somewhere.
First make sure the battery cables are clean and tight on the battery.
Tester
Sounds like a bad starter motor to me also. That voltage drop could be normal if the starter is dragging badly.
Looks like a bad starter to me too. A starter motor draws 100 Amps or so, so a voltage drop is expected between the battery and the starter even if everything is working. My Corolla’s starter spec is a minimum of 9.6 volts. 10.5 volts should be plenty. I presume you’ve measured this on both starter terminals right? The small one which controls the solenoid. And the big thick one, which is a direct connection from the battery. If both measure 10.5 volts during attempted cranking, the problem is most likely the starter motor. If you want to save money, it’s very possible the problem is the solenoid contacts within the starter. Those can be separately replaced. I had my local auto - electric shop do this for my Corolla’s starter and they charged $10 parts and labor. Been working fine for 3 years now. I think that’s the preferable method actually, b/c when you buy a replacement starter you don’t know who made it or where it came from, unless you buy a new OEM version from a dealer, which can be a tad expensive. The other advantage of keeping the existing starter is you know the gears mesh well with the flywheel/flexplate.
Don’t tear your hair out about 10.5V versus 12.5V
Throw a starter at it, and report back, please
If you do it yourself, you might want to consider a “lifetime warranty” part. That way, if you need to do this again in several years, you won’t have to pay for the part again
I’m not really a fan of those store brand parts with the lifetime warranty. But if you’re trying to save a few bucks by doing it yourself, that might be a viable option
But if you’re paying somebody else to do it, I recommend a genuine Honda part