Ok so seems like a lot of people have had start up issues recently in their 6th gen, and mine has invented its own variation of it. Trying to start it, car is in neutral, clutch is on the floor, turn the key, nothing happens. Up until now, I've always let go and tried it again, and it started up normally on the second try. However, it happened again this afternoon and I decided to hold the key. About 3 seaconds after I twisted the key to start, it finally starts cranking. In the 3 seconds, nothing happened, and the immobilizer light was not blinking. This afternoon was a hot start, and normally this is the only condition that it will show up under. But this morning, on a cold start, it had a hesitation as well. Any ideas as to what happened? Only thing I can think of is a faulty clutch position sensor.

Try turning the key to start postion with car in neutral and then push in the clutch and see if anything changes.
Could also be a faulty ignition switch or even a bad starter circuit ground connection.

I1

Thanks I1, will try that if I remember. Also another thing, I just started to get back on using the AC, might that affect anything? I haven't noticed it happening only after AC usage though.

A/C should not have any effect on starting.

Keep us posted

I1:)

When it does start, it is turning over fast, or is it a little sluggish?

My first thought was the many ignition switch issues I've heard about with the 6 gen Accords - any TSB or recall apply to you?

Prince said it's the "upper" clutch switch.... & it's a pain!

No TSB or recall applies to me that I know of, but when it does turn over it's turning over normally. Would this problem get worse? If it's a pain I could live with it assuming that it's not going to just not start one day. Didn't happen today at all though, warm day.

A photo of the area....

Honda just announced today that they are recalling 6th gen accords because of faulty ignition switches...

(from Marketwatch.com)

8:06pm 02/01/05

American Honda recalls certain 1997-2002 Hondas, Acuras (HMC) By Chelsea Bellows

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- American Honda Motor, a unit of Honda Motor Co. (HMC) ,late Tuesday announced a voluntary recall of certain Honda and Acura models to repair ignition switch interlocks. The interlock is intended to prevent removal of the ignition key unless the shift lever is placed in the "park" position, the Torrance, Calif.-based company said. Included in the recall are certain 1999 to 2002 Honda Accord models, all 1997 to 2001 Prelude models, and certain 1999 to 2000 Acura TL sedans.

Here's the whole thing.... it's only for AT's & they'll start in any gear, not just park....


January 28, 2005



TO: All Honda Sales, Service & Parts Managers



FROM: American Honda Service Division



RE: Recall Campaign Announcement





Honda Motor Co., LTD., has announced to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) its intention to recall certain 1999 and 2000 HAM-built Accords, 1999-02 Sayama-built Accords, and 1997-01 Preludes equipped with automatic transmissions to inspect and update their ignition interlock mechanisms.



The ignition switch interlock lever may be improperly dimensioned and may not engage the inner collar, which blocks the rotation of the ignition switch when the vehicle is not in Park. If the driver does not shift to Park before removing the key and fails to engage the parking brake, the vehicle could roll and a crash could occur.

NOTE 1: The symptom (it may be possible to remove the key when the shift lever is in a gear other than Park) is similar to a previous interlock recall on 1998-99 HAM-built Accords and Canadian-built 1999 Odyssey’s, but the cause and resolution are somewhat different.

NOTE 2: If the customer received an interlock recall notice in the past, they are NOT affected by this campaign.


NOTE 3: If any customer contacts you prior to the mailing of customer notification letters and is concerned about the vehicle’s interlock operation, you should inform the customer to always put the shift lever in the Park position and to firmly apply the parking brake; this will eliminate the possibility of an unintended rollaway.


NOTE 4: The VIN range is very wide; but the number of affected vehicles is approximately 485,000.

Repair Strategy
The repair will be to inspect the key interlock function of the ignition switch and, depending on the results of that inspection, install the appropriate interlock repair parts. Specific repair and warranty information will be issued at a later date.


Customer Notification
You will be advised of the notification mailing date in the near future.

Another good reason for using the parking brake! One of the failed ones from the previous batch had her car smash into her garage door.... which if the brake had been on, probably would NOt have happened!

i think its interesting that it is a VOLUNTARY recall. i guess that means if you went to the dealer with that problem they would have fixed it for free anyway.

So far.....

Originally posted by 04blkpearlcoupe
i think its interesting that it is a VOLUNTARY recall. i guess that means if you went to the dealer with that problem they would have fixed it for free anyway.

Or if you had paid for this (or anything else that is later recalled) to be fixed, show them the receipt & I believe they will reimburse you.

I have this exact problem... with a 99 accord, that has had the recall done.

I turn the car on, and nothing.

I turn the car on and I get some noise of the engine slooowwwwly turning over.

I turn the car on and then it fires right up!

I'm about to replace the distributor as it has an internal oil leak. All my lights comes on, but nothing happens until the 2nd or 3rd attempt. It's just now getting texas-hot here, too.