Honda Civic. Manual — part 314

Grounded starter fields

See Testing in

STARTERS

Armature rubbing on pole shoes

See STARTER article

Starter Turns but Engine Does Not Rotate

Starter clutch slipping

See STARTER article

Broken clutch housing

See STARTER article

Pinion shaft rusted or dry

See STARTER article

Engine basic timing incorrect

See Ignition Timing
in TUNE-UP article

Broken teeth on engine flywheel

Replace flywheel and

check for starter

pinion gear damage

Starter Will Not Crank Engine

Faulty overrunning clutch

See STARTER article

Broken clutch housing

See STARTER article

Broken flywheel teeth

Replace flywheel and

check for starter

pinion gear damage

Armature shaft sheared or reduction gear teeth
stripped

See STARTER article

Weak battery

Charge or replace

battery as necessary

Faulty solenoid

See On-Vehicle Tests

in STARTER article

Poor grounds

Check all ground

connections for tight

and clean connections

Ignition switch faulty or misadjusted

Adjust or replace

ignition switch as

necessary

Starter Cranks Engine Slowly

Battery weak or defective

Charge or replace

battery as necessary

2008 Honda Civic EX

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

Engine overheated

See ENGINE

COOLING SYSTEM

article

Engine oil too heavy

Check that proper

viscosity oil is used

Poor battery-to-starter connections

Check that all

between battery and

starter are clean and

tight

Current draw too low or too high

See Bench Tests in

STARTER article

Bent armature, loose pole shoes screws or worn
bearings

See STARTER article

Burned solenoid contacts

Replace solenoid

Faulty starter

Replace starter

Starter Engages Engine Only Momentarily

Engine timing too far advanced

See Ignition Timing
in TUNE-UP article

Overrunning clutch not engaging properly

Replace overrunning

clutch. See

STARTER article

Broken starter clutch

See STARTER article

Broken teeth on engine flywheel

Replace flywheel and

check starter pinion

gear for damage

Weak drive assembly thrust spring

See STARTER article

Weak hold-in coil

See Bench Tests in

STARTER article

Starter Drive Will Not Engage

Defective point assembly

See Testing in

STARTER article

Poor point assembly ground

See Testing in

STARTER article

2008 Honda Civic EX

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

Defective pull-in coil

Replace starter

solenoid

Starter Relay Does Not Close

Dead battery

Charge or replace

battery as necessary

Faulty wiring

Check all wiring and

connections leading

to relay

Neutral safety switch faulty

Replace neutral safety

switch

Starter relay faulty

Replace starter relay

Starter Drive Will Not Disengage

Starter motor loose on mountings

Tighten starter attach

bolts

Worn drive end bushing

See STARTER article

Damaged engine flywheel teeth

Replace flywheel and

starter pinion gear for

damage

Drive yolk return spring broken or missing

Replace return spring

Faulty ignition switch

Replace ignition

switch

Insufficient clearance between winding leads to
solenoid terminal and main contact in solenoid

Replace starter

solenoid

Starter clutch not disengaging

Replace starter clutch

Ignition starter switch contacts sticking

Replace ignition

switch

Starter Relay Operates but Solenoid Does Not

Faulty solenoid switch, switch connections or relay

Check all wiring

between relay and

solenoid or replace

relay or solenoid as

necessary

Broken lead or loose soldered connections

Repair wire or wire

2008 Honda Civic EX

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

TUNE-UP TROUBLE SHOOTING - GAS ENGINE VEHICLES

connections as

necessary

Solenoid Plunger Vibrates When Switch is Engaged

Weak battery

Charge or replace

battery as necessary

Solenoid contacts corroded

Clean contacts or

replace solenoid

Faulty wiring

Check all wiring

leading to solenoid

Broken connections inside switch cover

Repair connections or

replace solenoid

Open hold-in wire

Replace solenoid

Low Current Draw

Worn brushes or weak

Replace brushes or

brush springs as

necessary

High Pitched Whine During Cranking Before Engine Fires but Engine Fires
and Cranks Normally

Distance too great between starter pinion and
flywheel

Align starter or check

that correct starter

and flywheel are

being used

High Pitched Whine After Engine Fires With Key released. Engine Fires and
Cranks Normally

Distance too small between starter pinion and
flywheel

Flywheel runout

contributes to the

intermittent nature

NOTE:

This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended to
be specific to any unique situation or individual vehicle
configuration. The purpose of this Trouble Shooting
information is to provide a list of common causes to

2008 Honda Civic EX

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures