I live in the Northeast and drive the 2010 Honda Fit sport. My car typically sits all night after I drive home from work but when I get in to go to work in the AM and start my car after a cold night, it makes the most awful scratching sound (sounds like metal on metal) for a brief moment before it starts. It runs excellent and there are no other issues with it that I can tell except for the first crank of the engine. Any idea if this is damage being caused, what it is or if I should be concerned?

 

Does it only occur when the starter is engaged? Or does it continue for seconds / minutes until the engine warms up? After the engine runs for a minute or two and you turn it off, does it scratch again when you try to restart?

 

It is only for a half a second when the starter is engaged. It does not continue nor would it happen again if I were to turn off the car and start it again.

 

So, only happens the first time in the morning when the starter gear engages with the engine's flywheel? The grinding can result if the starter gear teeth aren't properly aligned with the flywheel teeth: starter is lose and the angles are off - need to tighten the starter bolts; the starter gear isn't fully extending and the teeth are getting ground off - new starter bendix; the starter bearings are bad - new starter.

Because it doesn't happen again after initial start up - means either engine heat / engine vibration / starter motion has made the problem go away: How old is your battery? Are the battery terminals corroded? Is there corrosion where the battery cables attach to the starter and to the car's ground / engine block?

 

The battery is brand new. No corrosion.
I have noticed before getting the battery that it was taking longer than usual to start but I haven;t noticed that as much since getting the new battery.

 

ah, welcome to the world of Denso. It simply is the bendix gear inside your starter beginning to fail. You can live with the issue for awhile should you not have the funds. However, the starter is nearing the end of its life, and since it is not a very expensive operation, you might as well get it done. Us Corolla/Vibe/Matrix owners are all too familiar with the metal screeching sound (heat shield/metal on metal-like sound) on cold mornings. I lived with mine for a year before replacing it. There are videos on you tube (just query corolla starter noise).

 

I've noticed a similar loud metallic sound in the first 1-2 seconds after starting the engine on a cold morning. I too park outside and temperatures drop below freezing at night from Nov to April.

However my old '98 Intrepid used to sound even worse under the same morning cold starts, so I thought it was completely normal given all metal parts are below freezing and all oil has drained to the sump.

I bought my '13 Fit with 40 K km (25 K miles) two years ago and now it's at 85 K km (53 K miles). Mine has been making this start-up noise on cold mornings even since I got it. That's why I can't believe the starter is failing already, as BurntZ suggested.

I have heard some people blame that sound on the timing chain rattling in the first moments until everything gets running smoothly. So I'm not yet convinced this is indeed the sign of any parts starting to fail.

Hopefully we can figure out exactly what's causing this noise and if it's an annoyance we should get used to, or whether to prepare ourselves for some repairs.

 

Two different sounds...OP has sound before starting. That's the starter.

A short sound after starting on a GE is likely the timing chains. Make sure you are using an OEM Honda oil filter. Others may or may not have the proper drain back valve.

A short sound after starting on the GK has been linked to VTC solenoids.

 

Believe what you will. You can do all the research you want on the internet, to include the genvibe and other matrix and corolla websites. Hundreds of posts regarding the Bendix gear, which is what this is.

Good point by the last poster regarding the timing gear actuator. Many dealers have enjoyed ripping people off by replacing those parts, with no success.....imagine that.

Feel free to enjoy the cold morning grind as long as you can stand it. It will start as a once a month thing. Once the warm weather comes, it will subside or go away completely until the following fall/winter. Then it will become much more regular. While I'm not a mechanic, I would think the timing gear actuator failing would produce an easy repeatable grinding noise, not the "comes and goes" with the cold morning air. Good luck, whatever you choose to do.

 

BurntZ, you are speaking of a noise during cranking. Andrei is speaking of a noise after the car has fired.

Two different things. See my post above for more details.

 

(OP: It is only for a half a second when the starter is engaged. It does not continue nor would it happen again if I were to turn off the car and start it again.)

Starter/bendix gear issue happens once the car has started. The grinding noise lasts 1 second. It is exactly as the OP has described.

 

I see your point. Would probably have to hear it in person to determine. I've had a car with cold start timing chain noise. It's not that loud, but it sounds exactly like you'd imagine a steel chain being dragged against an aluminum housing would sound like.

Starter noises are usually more like ripping metal sound.

 

@ BurntZ & GAFIT
Thanks for the clarifications and defining the sounds. In my case it's definitely right as the engine starts running and not during the cranking phase. Also it sounds like a steel chain being dragged against an aluminum housing, not a ripping metal sound. So I think it's all good given my Rhonda sleeps outside.

 

I'm starting to feel a little under appreciated. No kudos for the guy that offered up the bendix as a possible problem to the OP's sound concern.

 

I wanna buy my very own first car, planning to buy a 2008 honda fit from a dealer with a 118,000kms on it for $6900 (im from New Zealand by the way), is it worth the price?
need your help, thank you!

 

How is this connected to the already established thread title dealing with engine starter noises?

Alfie, you should start a new thread with your question.

 

My 2010 at 98K miles was doing the same thing. (Made the same sound as if you accidentally turned the key to "Start" while the engine was running.) Only happened during the cold winter mornings here in SC. I took it to the Honda dealer and left it overnight so they could cold start it in the morning. They confirmed the starter and replaced it. Now all is well.

 

My 2009 is making the same sound during cold weather. It was happening for a second or two after starting. But, one morning the Fit started and died. Then the noise was going on while I tried to restart the Fit. It took an extra long time to start, maybe 15 seconds this time, with that horrible sound the whole time and the engine seemed to be turning over slower than usual.

 

You may want to just change it. You could change your battery, check connections and grounds, and you can reduce load. For example my car didn't want to start with my rear defroster on a really cold day with a year old battery.