Hi I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this on a 9th Gen Accord. This is a 2013 Accord LX Sedan with 93,000 miles on it. It's mostly been a stellar flawless car.

Very simply, when the car is sitting off for a while the first turn of the key generates no crank. Always if you back off and crank again it will fire up as normal! I would go just replace the starter but wanted to make sure it's not a wiring or relay glitch before I throw a 300$ part at this. Sometimes when the no crank happens I do hear a tiny click. So that might be the solenoid activating.

Oh, and this is a key and crank car....not a push button car.

 

I would think it's the ignition before the starter being that you have to back off and turn.

Where do you here the click coming from? Does it sound like a starter click or a fuse click under the dash

 

More than likely the starter solenoid is the click. You don't get clicks from fuses like that or it would have blown out by now. Possible it's a relay I'll have to check if there is one and if there's an identical relay I can swap around. I've also found a scrap yard 71$ starter from a low mileage wrecked 2015. I'll toss that in and see if there is any difference in behavior.

 

I meant the fuse box. That has the relay. Hearing the clock from there usually means the ignition is going bad in Honda cars. I've had it happen a few times

 

I see, I'll try to listen more carefully next time it happens. By ingition going bad you mean the relay in the fuse box has been the culprit in the past? I'm hoping it will just break for good so that it can be fixed....I actually need to sell the 2013 car My 2008 Accord went more than 10 years and 160k+ and never had a fail to start condition even once. It's still out there running too.

 

No the ignition switch. You have to make sure because that switch starts the starter and is misdiagnosed as the starter

 

Definitely is not the ignition switch. I could hear clacking near the front of the car which is where the starter is. Finally got it to happen with hood up, door opened. But it never happens two times in a row. Also found no fuse/relay specific to starter. Only references to 'ignition'. Got a 75$ starter from a low mileage 2015 that was wrecked rather than a new 350$ one. Will do a swap next week and see if any difference.

 

Ok let us know what happens

 

It was definitely the starter itself and not anything else. I replaced the starter in the 2013 (had 93-94k) with a low mileage 2015 starter and I haven't missed a single first crank in the weeks since. $71 can't beat that!

That starter is sandwiched between the exhaust and transmission. It gets very hot. My 2008 Accord is still out there running on it's original well past 180k. Hmmm.