How To Test The Starter Motor (1998-2003 3.0L V6 Honda Accord)

There are two ways to test the starter motor: either on or off the car. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to test the starter motor while it's on the car.

Troubleshooting the starter motor to see if it's the cause of the no-crank condition on your Honda 2.7L or 3.0L equipped car or mini-van is not hard.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar El Motor De Arranque (1995-2003 3.0L Honda Accord y Odyssey) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 3.0L V6 Honda Accord: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.
• 3.0L V6 Acura CL: 1997, 1998, 1999.

Important Safety Precautions

TIP 1: Although the photos I'm using show the starter motor off of the vehicle, there's no need to remove it from the car to test it. The photos show the starter motor off of the vehicle just to make it easier to explain where you need to make your connections.

In case you do need to bench test it (test it off of the vehicle), the following tutorial will help you: How To Bench Test A Starter Motor (Step By Step) (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).

TIP 2: Before you start testing the starter motor, with the info in this tutorial, you need to make sure that the battery is fully charged. A discharged battery will cause you to reach the wrong diagnostic conclusion and have you wasting time and money! Also, the battery cable terminals and battery posts must be clean and corrosion free.

In a lot's of cases, dirty battery cables and/or battery posts are the culprit behind a no-crank condition and cleaning the battery cables and posts may actually solve your particular no-crank problem.

TIP 3: You'll need to raise your Honda 3.0L equipped vehicle up in the air to access the starter motor. For your safety use jack stands. Don't trust the jack alone! Take all necessary safety precautions, like using jack stands to hold up the vehicle, wearing eye-protection (safety glasses), etc.

TIP 4: If your vehicle has a standard transmission, make sure that it's out of gear and in neutral, and the parking brake is activated/on.

Symptoms Of A Bad Starter Motor

The most obvious symptom a bad starter motor will cause, on your 2.7L or 3.0L Honda, is a no-crank condition. In plain English this means that the starter motor does not 'turn over the engine' when you turn the ignition key to start the car or mini-van.

Before I continue, I want to tell you that there's a big difference between a no-crank and no-start condition. Here are some more specifics:

• In a no-start condition, the starter motor is cranking the engine, but the engine is not starting. The no-start condition is usually due to a lack of spark (think bad ignition coil or bad crankshaft position sensor), or a lack of fuel (think bad fuel pump).
• In a no-crank condition, the engine doesn't turn over to start. This is usually, but not always, due to a bad starter motor.

Knowing the difference between a no-crank and a no-start condition will save you some diagnostic time.

If your Honda is suffering a bonafide no-crank condition, you've probably have noticed and/or done one of the following:

1. The engine doesn't turn over (crank) when you turn the key to start the engine.
2. A jump start doesn't help. The vehicle's engine still refuses to crank.
3. The battery has been charged and/or replaced and still your vehicle does not crank.
4. When you turn the key to crank the engine, all you hear is a small knock and nothing else.

Although the above list is not a very complete list of symptoms, the theme that runs thru' them, and any other related symptom, is that the engine will not turn over when you try to start it.

Tools Needed To Test The Starter Motor

You don't need expensive test equipment to test the starter motor on your Honda vehicle but you do need a few things. These are:

1. Jack.
2. Jack stands.
3. Remote starter switch.
   • If don't have one and need to buy one, this is the one I recommend: Innova 3630 Remote Starter Switch (Amazon affiliate link).
   • You can either buy this tool online or you can buy it at your local auto parts store (AutoZone, O'Reilly, Pepboys, etc.).
4. Multimeter or a 12 Volt automotive test light.
   • If you don't have a multimeter or need to upgrade yours, this is the one I own and always recommend: Tekpower TP8268 AC/DC Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter (Amazon affiliate link).
5. A wire piercing probe.
   • This tool is not an 'absolute must-have tool' but I can tell you from experience that it makes it a whole lot easier to probe the S terminal wire for the Start signal.
   • If you'd like to see what this tool looks like, you find out more about it here: Wire Piercing Probe Tool Review (Power Probe PWPPPPP01).
6. A helper.

As you can see, you don't need anything expensive. OK, let's turn the page and let's get started with the first starter motor test.

TEST 1: Applying 12 Volts To The Starter Motor S Terminal

To see if the starter motor is bad on your 3.0L Honda Accord (Odyssey or Acura CL), we'll start by manually applying 12 Volts to the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.

In the photo above, the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid is labeled with the letter S.

The fastest, easiest, and safest way to do this is with a tool called a remote start switch, although you can use a home made jumper wire if you want.

Applying 12 Volts to the S terminal of the starter motor's solenoid will help us eliminate or blame the starter motor as bad right off the bat. How? Because when we apply the 12 Volts, the starter motor will either activate and crank the engine or do nothing at all.

OK, to get this pot of water boiling, this is what you need to do:

1. 1

   Disconnect the battery negative (-) terminal.
   
   You'll reconnect it back in one of the following steps, for now, it's a safety precaution as you set up the test.

2. 2

   Attach one of the remote starter switch's terminals to the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.
   
   This is easier said than done, so take your time and make sure the connection is on the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.
   
   Also, in case you're wondering, you can leave the starter motor solenoid's S terminal wire connected to the engine's wiring harness connector or not, the test will work either way.

3. 3

   Reconnect the battery negative (-) cable to the battery negative (-) post.

4. 4

   Connect the remaining remote starter switch 'alligator' type connector to the battery positive (+) terminal.

5. 5

   Now, apply 12 Volts to the S terminal wire of the starter motor starter solenoid with your remote starter switch.

6. 6

   As you apply these 12 Volts (to the S terminal wire of the starter motor solenoid), you'll get one of two results:
   
   1) The starter will activate and will turn over the engine.
   
   2) The starter motor won't do a thing.

Let's take a look at what your test results mean:

CASE 1: The starter motor came to life and cranked the engine. This is the correct test result and lets you know that the starter motor is OK and functioning. This test result also tells you that the starter motor is not working due to a lack of the 12 Volt Start signal that comes from the ignition switch.

The next step is to go to TEST 2 and see if the starter motor is getting the 12 Volt Start signal on the S terminal wire (circuit). Go to: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.

CASE 2: The starter motor DID NOT crank the engine. This usually means that your starter motor is bad and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

I suggest 2 more tests and these are make sure that the starter motor is getting its 12 Volt Start signal and to test the battery cable (that attaches to the starter motor) for corrosion. This can be accomplished very easily with a voltage drop test.

• Go to: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.
• Go to: TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable.

TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal

In this test, we're gonna' see if the starter motor is getting an activation signal when you turn the key to crank the engine. This is a pretty simple test that you'll accomplish with a multimeter or a 12 Volt automotive test light (although I prefer the multimeter).

This activation signal is a 12 Volt signal that arrives at the starter motor thru' the S terminal wire of the starter motor solenoid.

NOTE: You can accomplish this test with the wire (that connects to the S terminal) connected or disconnected to the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.

Here's what you'll need to do:

1. 1

   Connect the red multimeter test lead to the wire that connects to the starter motor solenoid's S terminal.
   
   You can use a wire piercing probe to connect the multimeter's red test lead to the S terminal wire or you can disconnect the wire and manually hold the multimeter's red test lead to the wire's metal terminal.

2. 2

   Connect the black multimeter test lead to a clean and rust-free spot on the engine or on the vehicle frame.
   
   Here I'm going to recommend something to you: Use a battery jump start cable to connect the black multimeter test lead to a clean Ground point on the engine. The reason why is that depending on how rusty and dirty the underneath of the vehicle, you may NOT be able to find a clean and rust-free spot to connect the multimeter's black test lead.

3. 3

   Now, have your helper crank the engine.
   
   The engine won't turn over, but the idea is to verify that the starter motor solenoid is getting the 12 Volt start signal from the ignition switch.

4. 4

   Your multimeter is going to register one of two results: A voltage between 10 to 12 Volts DC or no voltage at all.

OK, let's make sense of the readings that your multimeter recorded in the test:

CASE 1: Your multimeter registered a voltage between 10 to 12 Volts. This is the correct test result and it let's you know the starter solenoid is receiving the Start signal (crank signal).

This means that we can forget about the safety-neutral switch and the ignition switch being bad. OK, now the next test is to do a very easy and simple voltage drop test. Go to: TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable.

CASE 2: Your multimeter DID NOT register 10 to 12 Volts. This result exonerates the starter motor. Your starter motor is not bad.

Here's the reason why: Without this 10 to 12 Volt Start signal, the starter motor will not crank the engine. Now, although it's beyond the scope of this article to test the neutral-safety switch or the ignition switch, you have eliminated the starter motor and this means saving money by not buying a part your vehicle does not need.

TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable

There's a good chance that hidden corrosion on the battery positive (+) cable or battery positive (+) post is preventing full battery power from reaching the starter motor and causing the no-crank condition you're currently experiencing on your 3.0L Honda.

This may also mean that the starter motor isn't at fault! How do we find out? With a voltage drop test!

If you have already cleaned the battery cable terminals and the battery posts, I still encourage you to do this test, since it's a simple multimeter voltage test.

Now, to further explain what a voltage drop is: a voltage drop is simply a condition in which unseen corrosion blocks a lot of the battery power from reaching the starter motor. When this happens, the starter motor will not be able to crank the engine in your Honda even though the battery is in a fully charged state.

OK, to get started, this is what you need to do:

1. 1

   Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.

2. 2

   Attach the red multimeter test lead to the center of the positive battery terminal.
   
   If the positive (+) battery post isn't clean, clean a spot right on the top of it. It's important that the multimeter test lead make contact right in the center of the positive battery post.
   
   You may need two helpers for this test step, since someone will have to hold the red multimeter test lead onto the battery positive (+) terminal and someone else will need to crank the vehicle while you perform the next step.

3. 3

   With the black multimeter test lead, touch the center of the starter solenoid stud to which the big battery cable attaches to.
   
   You'll maintain the black multimeter test lead in this position throughout the next step.

4. 4

   Now, have a helper turn the key to crank the engine from inside the vehicle. This is important, since a voltage drop test has to be done while the component in question is working (or trying to work).

5. 5

   OK, if all is good (no voltage drop), your multimeter will register 0 Volts (0.5 Volts is still 0 Volts). If there's a voltage drop, your multimeter will register voltage (usually above 7 Volts DC).

OK, now that the testing part is done, let's take a look at what your results mean:

CASE 1: Your multimeter registered 0 Volts (no voltage drop). This is the correct test result and it indicates that the starter motor is receiving all of the battery voltage and amperage it needs to crank the vehicle.

This also means that the starter motor is bad, and here's why:

1. In TEST 1 you confirmed that the starter motor doesn't work when you apply power to the S terminal wire of the starter motor solenoid.
2. In TEST 2 you confirmed that the starter motor is receiving the crank signal.
3. In this test step you have confirmed that no voltage drop exists on the battery positive cable.

These 3 test results, taken together, indicate that the starter motor is bad. Replacing the starter motor should solve your no-crank condition.

I'm going to make two more recommendations to you:

• Before removing the starter motor, manually turn the engine using a 1/2 ratchet and the appropriate socket on the crankshaft pulley. This is just to make sure that the engine or the A/C compressor have not locked up and causing the no-crank condition.
•     -and-
• Bench test the starter motor after removing it. This is a super easy test to do and you can find this tutorial by clicking here: How To Bench Test A Starter Motor (Step by Step) (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).

CASE 2: Your multimeter registered 5 Volts or more. This result tells you that a voltage drop does exist and this is not a good result.

The good news is that this can easily be corrected, since a voltage drop is always caused by some sort of corrosion issue on the battery positive cable or terminals or the battery positive (+) post.

The solution is to thoroughly clean the battery positive (+) post and the battery positive (+) terminal (both the end that attaches to the battery positive (+) post and the end that connects to the starter motor solenoid).

After cleaning, try cranking the engine. If it cranks and starts, no further testing is required.

Related Test Articles

You'll find a complete list of 3.0L V6 Honda Accord tutorials in the following index:

• 3.0L V6 Honda Accord Index Of Articles.

Here's a small sample of the articles/tutorials you'll find in the index:

• How To Test The Throttle Position Sensor (1998-2002 3.0L V6 Honda Accord).
• How To Test The Coil-On-Plug Ignition Coil (2000-2003 3.0L V6 Honda Accord).
• How To Test Engine Compression (1998-2007 3.0L V6 Honda Accord).
• How To Test For A Broken Timing Belt (1998-2007 3.0L V6 Honda Accord).