I had the car for about a little over 1.5 years. Every time I do start the car cold, it just feels "weak". Although it fires up at a reasonable time, it just feels like its struggling. I dont know if the culprit is the 460cc battery or the starter is not good quality. I live in NYC.
Weak Cold Starts Up
shadow85
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I had the car for about a little over 1.5 years. Every time I do start the car cold, it just feels "weak". Although it fires up at a reasonable time, it just feels like its struggling. I dont know if the culprit is the 460cc battery or the starter is not good quality. I live in NYC.
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-3 here in VT this am, and the car did start right up, although I won't say the car seemed thrilled about it! Its pretty normal, cold really makes for tuff starts. You could try a new battery with some higher cold cranking amps, but the car is always gonna be a little slower in the extreme cold. We had cold down in the lower teens last winter several times, and the car never failed to start, forw what its worth.
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yea i have the same thing. i thought it was the puny battery which i swapped out, but its just the cold weather affecting the engine, car feels like its drowning in water. its a honda thing for the most part (on a 4cyl), because my 2.5 altima didnt have this issue when starting in cold
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if your worried have your battery tested at autozone for free right in your car.:dunno:
I think the car has some built-in protective system that doesn't let the car engage VTEC while still cold. That's why the car feels more sluggish than usual. Don't quote me for this, though, I just remember reading something along the lines of it somewhere. Once the car warms up, however, it should work normally.
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That's normal for a I4 battery because they're so small. A few 7th Gen I4 owners here have upgraded their stock batteries to the larger and more powerful V6 battery. You might be able to do the same with the 8th Gen too.
I know that with my car when I was up at Mammoth that it took a little longer for it to start up. It seemed like the car wasn't going to start at first, but it eventually did. It just took a few extra cranks.
I know that with my car when I was up at Mammoth that it took a little longer for it to start up. It seemed like the car wasn't going to start at first, but it eventually did. It just took a few extra cranks.
I ran into a similar problem on my 07 V6 Accord this morning. Several times I tried and the battery kept cranking but nothing. Followed the manual with depressing gas pedal and still nothing until it sounded like the battery was draining down.
Finally I walked away for a few minutes and went back outside (22 deg temp) and the car started up, but a bit hesitant.
It really sucks because my Santa Fe started up fine, even on a winter trip in Quebec during a blizzard. Never hesitation. Honda makes great engines but the cold issue really sucks when you're getting late for work and have 40 minutes to drive.
Boooo for Honda on this one. (I don't recall my '96 Accord having this issue when it was cold)
Finally I walked away for a few minutes and went back outside (22 deg temp) and the car started up, but a bit hesitant.
It really sucks because my Santa Fe started up fine, even on a winter trip in Quebec during a blizzard. Never hesitation. Honda makes great engines but the cold issue really sucks when you're getting late for work and have 40 minutes to drive.
Boooo for Honda on this one. (I don't recall my '96 Accord having this issue when it was cold)
One little trick to try is...if the car wont start .take the key out for thirty seconds and let the immobilizer system reset. Occasionally in cold weather the system doesnt recognize the key on the first try.
Thanks Honeygee2. I'll try that. This weekend we're supposed to have really low temps for the area and about 10-15" of snow so it will probably happen again tomorrow morning.
I appreciate the tip.
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It is normal for slower cranking when it gets cold and with the 2.4L the non PZEV emissions even has smaller battery (not sure why Honda does this) . Probably best to get battery checked out, sometimes they do go bad early ,if you didn't have same issue last yr.
Also before putting key in, make sure you turn off everything, fans/heater, no auto lights and when you do crank do it in small bursts of like 6-8sec max, don't just hold it long cranking. stop and turn key off and try again till she starts .
Also before putting key in, make sure you turn off everything, fans/heater, no auto lights and when you do crank do it in small bursts of like 6-8sec max, don't just hold it long cranking. stop and turn key off and try again till she starts .
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mine does it to ...and its not even that cold here...coldest so far is maybe 35...it starts just fine it just doesnt seem like it wants to
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Cold engine will run rich to speed up the warming process. That's what make the engine sluggish. It has nothing to do with VTEC being disengaged. You really shouldn't be going anywhere near VTEC RPM with a cold engine anyway.
Cold weather will decrease battery effectiveness. All cars will struggle to various degrees in colder temperature. Oil type and how well the engine is maintained play a big part too.
Yeah that's what it was. Runs rich, lol. I don't know why I was thinking VTEC. Plus this thread just totally flew over my head. Didn't realize that the OP was talking about the cranking, not not while driving.
For an AT though it's almost impossible to not hit VTEC, since it engages at 2,200RPM. I'd have to drive like a granny, lol.Anyways, back OT.
The I4 starter is crappy IMO. It seems to struggle on our CR-V since day 1, with battery fully charged and all. But has never missed a beat in 33K miles and 2-1/2 years. By the way, we always let the ECU do the diagnostics (including 'recognizing' the key) for a couple of seconds before cranking, and never an issue.
In contrast, my coupe's starter is the high-speed kind, which I like MUCH better. Same with the bimmer. Nature of the beast buddy. Just keep your battery charged, especially in winter, since it's also marginal.
In contrast, my coupe's starter is the high-speed kind, which I like MUCH better. Same with the bimmer. Nature of the beast buddy. Just keep your battery charged, especially in winter, since it's also marginal.
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probably because you got winter blend fuel now.
My Accord had some trouble starting too. This usually happens around 40 F which seems warm compared to other Accord drivers that have snow cold weather. I also have to park on small hills up and down if that's a factor. I had the crank die with 5w20 oil and 5w30. I changed to 5w30 for long term wear protection. But 5w = 5w, both oils have the same viscosity at cold temperatures. I was thinking about 0w-30 but from what I've noticed it's uncommon. Also drivers like to go "fully synthetic" with Mobil 1 0w-20.
I baby my Accord by waiting until the RPMs go below 1500 and keep a light foot on the gas until the temperature gauge is near normal. I used to turn the heat on a minute after I start, with the belief that the engine will warm up a bit faster if it has more to do. Now I don't do that anymore in case of strain on the cold engine/oil, and it was just blowing cold air.
It's bad to do a long crank? It does seem like it since the crank may die at the end and the lights go out.. After that I do pause for a bit before trying again in case of strain on the engine, etc.
How long should I crank it for?
I baby my Accord by waiting until the RPMs go below 1500 and keep a light foot on the gas until the temperature gauge is near normal. I used to turn the heat on a minute after I start, with the belief that the engine will warm up a bit faster if it has more to do. Now I don't do that anymore in case of strain on the cold engine/oil, and it was just blowing cold air.
It's bad to do a long crank? It does seem like it since the crank may die at the end and the lights go out.. After that I do pause for a bit before trying again in case of strain on the engine, etc.
How long should I crank it for?
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