Hi, I'm trying to help a friend who has a bad starter on her 2003 Accord, 2.4L vtec, auto trans. It's stalled in the parking lot where she works. It was difficult to see with just a mini flashlight tonight but I want to know if I can R&R the starter without pulling any other parts off to get to the starter?

I tried searching for the answer but couldn't find it.

She and her husband don't have much $$$ and the dealer wants $600 to replace the starter. I can get a used starter with a 90 day guarantee from a local wrecking yard for $40 but if it's going to involve removing the intake manifold or something like that I may search out a local mechanic who can do it.

Your help is very much appreciated! Thank you!

 

It's under the intake manifold, but I don't remember if there's enough room to remove it.

Hit the starter with a broom handle while she tries to start. That often will kick it into working, so you can drive it home.

 

Thanks for the reply!

We didn't have a broom handle but used two connected extension bars and I whacked it hard repeatedly with a hammer while my friend held the ignition key in the start position. It loosened the starter enough to turn a little but it sounded horrible, like parts inside it were grinding. The battery is a few months old and had it tested and it's good.

 

Well, apparently the starter can be accessed in two ways: 1--remove the intake manifold and the starter can be accessed from the top, or 2--remove the subframe and the starter can be accessed from below.

alldatapro guides the mechanic to remove the intake manifold whereas most mechanics access the starter from below.

My friend decided to take it to a shop I found to do the labor at a very reasonable cost (to him). I had sourced a 50K-mile used starter with a 6 month guarantee for $50 (the previously-mentioned $40 starter was going to take a day to remove and my friend didn't want to wait an extra day) but he decided to buy a $115 reman starter he found at Pep Boys Auto Parts with a lifetime warranty. The Accord is working well now.

 

Honestly used factory is way way better than most remans. Lifetime warranty rarely if ever cover the cost of the labor to replace the part when it fails again.

 

Yes, thanks for mentioning that and that is what I tried to tell my friend. We had a discussion about the quality of the remanufactured starter, the labor cost for R&Ring the starter when/should it fail and IF the warranty would apply (I asked him to research and carefully understand the terms of the warranty and realize that they may deny the warranty claim due to some sort of circumstance or condition), and the cost of another starter. But, that is what he decided upon. I personally would not have made the decision he made.