Intermittent starting issue - 2008 Honda Odyssey

My Odyssey has 125,000 miles on it. Four weeks ago we took it in for a major service - did rear pads/rotors, fuel system clean, air & cabin filters, transmission fluid, serpentine & timing belt, crankshaft, water pump, spark plugs,power steering & brake maintenance. It was running fine, but just (over)due for service due to our laziness in finding a mechanic when ours retired!

Friday after driving about 15 miles and making 2 stops, the car wouldn’t start. The windows wouldn’t roll down, couldn’t use the power doors, locks, etc. The interior lights came on. The dashboard lights stuttered, but nothing happened when I turned the key. I tried multiple times before calling a tow truck.

They tried to jump it with a jump box, but it wouldn’t “catch”, so they towed it. On Monday when the shop looked at it, it started just fine (and many times through the day). Monday night I did a few errands, parked it. Tuesday morning, it did the same thing. However, this time it started with the jump. I drove it to the shop, and it’s worked perfectly for them every time.

The battery tests fine (it is only 4 months old), as does the starter and alternator. There are no loose connections, and the battery was cleaned up when I took it in 3 weeks earlier. They say without being able to replicate it, they don’t know what the problem might be.

Any suggestions? I’ve been without it almost a week now, and am afraid of being stranded if I drive it. It’s still young for a Honda, and after our recent $2,500 investment in all the servicing, we hope to drive it for many years to come!

A failing starter can work interminently for some time before it fails completely…Ask your mechanic to bench test the starter first and carry on with the repair.He can replace the whole starter or a cheaper alternative would be to replace the 2 contacts inside the solonoid housing.

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Not sure if it helps, but here is a video my husband took when it wouldn’t start:


I searched online, and people that have had similar issues replaced the starter and it didn’t correct the issue. I appreciate that the shop is trying not to just start replacing things, racking up a big bill not knowing if it will fix it. After a week without our van, it’s tempting to start doing that though!

Duplicate post…