Out of the blue, my Fit won't start! It cranks OK, but won't catch. Totally surprised on this one. The battery is OK, not new, been drained a few times, and over the last couple of months, I hear a grinding sound after the car starts, especially if it's been cold outside. The sound we used to hear if we turned the key in the ignition when the car was already running. But it's always started up.

Today, I went to start it and all it did was crank. Called AAA and they tried to jump it to no avail. He printed off a little slip that showed the battery at about half power. Starter test at 10.0 volts.

I have to get the car towed to the shop on Monday, but any clues you guys can give me in the meantime would be welcome. I like to be prepared for the eventual $$$$ amount...

 

Geeez, that would be the starter motor grinding against the flywheel! When you turn the key to start the starter motor engages with the engine's flywheel to make the pistons go up/down, prior to the fuel/spark/boom thing happening. You never want to turn key to start when engine is running.

New starter motor / flywheel!? Pray it's just the starter motor.

 

sounds like the bendix gear in the starter. Our "Toyota" Vibes are plagued with this. I got a new Denso starter put in and the noise went away. The only difference between your experience and mine is that the starter never quit despite malfunctioning for nearly a year. The car would always start, but it would make a horrendous noise for 1.5 seconds once the car started. It took me three trips before the bozos at the dealership said they heard it. If you would like to hear the noise I am referring to, play the video below:




Is that your noise?

 

Thanks for the feedback. I figured out why the car wouldn't start. I had lost one spare key, and got my regular one re-coded, as well as bought another spare. Then I found the lost key that was still coded to the original code, and put it aside, meaning to get it re-coded next time I was at the dealer. So that key was here and I grabbed it when I couldn't find my other set. Now I know what happens if someone tries the wrong key in my car. I thought that nothing would happen, but the car will still crank but not start.

As for the other noise, I will take it to the dealer on Monday anyway to see if they can test for it. It only happens when the car has been very cold and the battery strength is not 100%. It happened at first after I drained the original battery and recharged it. Then when I bought another battery, I never heard it. After my son left the door open for over 18 hours, and the 2nd battery had been drained and recharged, it started happening again. So I figured the battery is just drained enough that it's not getting the starter enough power. I was going to replace the battery *again* and probably will.



Just in case some other schmuck does the same thing with their spare key...

 

I think this has happened to me...but I've been using the same key.

I drove my car last night no issues (needs B12 service & probably coilpacks/spark plugs replaced). I recently replaced a completely dead battery so I'm almost positive it isn't a battery issue.

So I get in my car this morning, unlock with my key fob, interior lights and jdm footlights come on, put key in ignition and the dashboard, & radio turn on while interior lights turn off and foot lights dim. I go to start the car and all power dies to the car.

Any suggestions? I currently do not have my spare key with me to see if that's the problem

 

I would suspect a faulty battery. My car will crank but not start with the spare key, which I tested again today when I couldn't find my usual set of keys. Put the wrongly-coded key in, cranked but no start. Put the spare key (correctly coded), turned it, car started.

Try to get a jump or a charge and go get the battery checked.

 

The car wouldn't even crack (make the clicking noise)

 

Yeah, it's probably the battery. Did you self-install? Maybe something went wrong and you drained all the power. Or maybe it's a defective battery. Either way, it's a power problem.

 

I agree with Juliane. If it's not even turning over, most likely suspect is the battery. New batteries have been known to be faulty. Either go to a local auto repair store to get it tested (free) or take it back to where you purchased it.

 

Must be getting old. Double post...

 

Check the water level in the battery. It should be curved, not flat. It won't hold a charge when the water is too low. If it's flat, add water until it curves, then charge it. If you have a battery hydrometer, see how many balls float when you draw fluid out of each cell. Out of 5 balls, you should have 3-4 balls floating on each cell you sample. If only 1-2 balls float, you need to charge it for sure. If the battery is older than 5 years, it's definitely time for a new 151R battery. I bought a Honda battery for less than what AutoZone, Pep Boys, O'Reilly or NAPA would charge for a new one, and with a longer warranty.

 

Is it a Honda Battery (Yuasa) or a battery made by an aftermarket maker such as Bosch, Exide or other store brands?

 

maybe starter getting stuck when engaging the flywheel.?

 

After some inspecting I think its the terminal was loose...tightened it up and no problems.