| sunsundude |
| Hey guys, my wife has an 03 Touring and frequently the truck cranks for about 5-7 seconds before starting. Brought it to the Acura dealer and they replaced the starter under warranty. A week later it did it again. The thing is the manual says the truck requires 91 octane or higher, I've been putting in 89. Do you think that has anything to do with it? The engine also putts from time to time. Any Ideas what could be wrong? Would 2 octane points make that much difference? |
|
|
| Ceenit |
Mid grade octane 'should not' cause that issue. It would likely only impact slighly in performance or if you hear knocking from the engine. But...I would still try premium unleaded to see if that provides any improvement (more likely additional additives may help clear out any clock in the lines or injectors).
If it's under warranty still, just have the dealer check it out thoroughly. It could be anything from lack of spark to lack of fuel getting in the cylindars.
These can be caused from lots of different things (old plugs, throttle body needing cleaning, injectors needing cleaning, fuel filter, etc.)
Again, the more info you can provide the better....ie #miles, does it do this every time or occasionally, once started does it run smooth, any hesitation issues during acceleration. |
|
|
| sunsundude |
| The truck has 55k on it, it has trouble starting about once a week, and once it starts it putts for a little bit. Other than that performance is fine. Engine goes strong and acceleration is normal. |
|
|
| Squishy |
The first thing that pops into my head is to check the IAC valve. If it's not opening enough, it could prevent the engine from starting. And once it does start, the valve could still be 'gummed up', starving the engine of air leading to the stumbling.
If that's not it, check the fuel pump and the electrical connections going to it, also check coil packs for corrosion and pull the spark plugs to check them as well. Your statement that it still accelerates normally doesn't make it sound like a plug issue, but since you're already checking the coils, why not? The MDX is fairly easy to do plugs on if you have two 3" extensions. |
|
|
| Nathan @ NBO |
I would recommend putting adhering to the 91 and up octane fuel recommendation. Anything less can cause detonation, which isn't good for you engine. You will also get better gas mileage using the 91, so it evens itself out.
Check your sparkplugs, sparkplug wires, timing, main relay? (hoping your car has a main relay) Those are some basics. Check the main relay though. I know in older hondas and acuras they had them, not sure if your MDX does, but it is responsible for switching the fuel pump on. |
|
|
| Nathan @ NBO |
| Actually I just about the keys with the chips inside, are you using a spare key?? Or the original? |
|
|
| sunsundude |
| Yea its the original, thanks though I appreciate it. I actually just got it back from Acura and they didnt do a thing to it. They wouldn't diagnose the problem until they can duplicate the problem. Well unfortunately it didnt act up that day, but ofcourse a couple days later it happend again. They say its the fuel I'm using but I've gone to 4 different gas stations and the problem still persists. I just dont know what to do. |
|
|
|
