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2.4 Auto Starter Motor Replace

ScoobyDoo

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Location
Berkshire
Car
Accord Auto Est 2.4
Replaced my starter today, it's buried under the intake manifold. I didn't take pics or a video but here are some steps for anyone else thinking of doing it. No need to raise the car or get underneath at all, I did it all from the top. I found it very difficult to get a reman starter for this motor, all my regular factors could not even get one even though I gave them the Delco & Lucas reman part numbers. I think one said they may be able to get an ADL Blueprint one but told me to sit down then hit me with a figure of over £250. In the end I got one off fleabay for £90, here is the item number: 152575476579 (Schmitz Rotary Engineering - Birmingham). Always a bit sceptical about low cost fleabay parts but gave this a go since I don't need to return my old unit (could get Sahibs to rebuild it for me). Surprisingly this starter is almost identical to the OE unit in comparison. Fitted well. Seems to work well, time will tell.

For ref the auto starter is not the same as the manual starter so be aware. Declo Remy: DRS0454 / Lucas: LRS02429

In prep get yourself some replacement gaskets for the inlet manifold and throttle body (I decided to remove the throttle body so I could clean it as well you may find you can leave it attached and move the whole lot in one piece).
Intake Manifold Gasket: 17115-RAA-A01 / £13 (from Honda)
Throttle Body Gasket?: 16176-RAA-A01 / £7 (from Honda)

The intake gasket is metal, you may be able to re-use it but for the sake of £13 and all the work why bother I say.

- Remove the top cover - 2 chrome nuts. 10mm.
- Remove the coolant water bottle (gives more room to work in) mounted on the Rad with two bolts (12mm) slotted into a hole on the bottom to the fan housing, disconnect its small pipe from the rad top. (takes only a few minutes to get this bottle out).
- Remove the intake big rubber duct (the one between the air box and throttle body), enough to swing it out the way.
- Now take a good look at the setup, remove the breather hoses you can see on the throttle and manifold, move out the way.
- You'll notice a wiring loom running across and down the throttle body, remove the bolt holding the bracket on the upper right and the ..bolt holding it to the throttle body, disconnect the plugs coming from this loom, one connector is on the lower right of the manifold, bit fiddly but can be undone from it's bracket by pressing a clip then disconnected. Move the loom out the way as much as possible.
- Disconnect the wiring plug from the throttle body.
- No need to disconnect the coolant hoses from the throttle body if you are going to unbolt it from the manifold and move it aside.
- Unbolt the 2 bolts and 2 nuts on the throttle body, move it aside.
- The intake manifold is held on by 5 fixings on the upper that you can see (3 bolts and 2 nuts) and one bracket on it's bottom which is a bugg3r to remove but with a bit of fettling and the fact by doing the above steps you have created enough room you should be able to with a torch look and feel down the bottom of the manifold find the bracket and find the bolt fixing it to the block. That bolt is a tight bugg3r but can be undone, I had to use a 1/4 long 12mm socket, 1/4 to 3/8 adapter and a 3/8 wrench. (the 1/4 wrench did not give me enough torque to undo the rusty bolt). There is a coolant hose as you look down for this bracket bolt but there is enough give on the hose to just move it about as required.
- Remove the upper 5 fixings, 12mm socket. remove the intake manifold, unclip the wiring harness before you yank it out and the vacuum hose on the rear left.
- Now you have a nice big view of the starter. Two bolts holding it in, 14mm on the inside (looks like a bolt with an extension on it) and 17mm on the outside. Of course disco your battery and remove the starter power cable (12mm nut) and the spade connector.

There's probably a few bits and bobs I missed out but the basic steps are there I'm sure you smart folk will figure it out as you do it, you get the general gist.

Doesn't take too long to do tbh and I hardly swore during the hole process, I do like the way Honda put this motor together nothing I've done so far seems like a headache, I can even do the oil filter from the top thanks to my long orangutan arms. I took my time, bad back & I was cleaning stuff as I went along and making sure I didn't just force the harness clips and break them as is my OCD so I spent about 3hrs on it but I think this could be done in 1.5hrs. It's really not that hard just looks daunting when you figure out how buried the starter looks.
 
Nice info! Can i ask why you replaced it? did it give up all together or was it tuning over with less power so more difficult to start?
 
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