My wife's car is a 2010 Honda Accord EX V6 with 89,000 miles For the past three weeks when I cold start the car I intermittently hear noise from it sounds like the top of the engine The noise is loud enough to make it sound like a diesel engine The noise will disappear within five seconds and the car runs perfectly I had the car diagnosed at my repair facility and they are usually great at finding the problem I was told that the starter was beginning to fail but why would the noise sound like it's coming from the top of the engine and not the lower part of the engine? I don't want to pay for a new starter if that's not the problem I would like to know if this is a common problem problem or a rarity I recently had an oil and filter change two weeks and the oil level is full I live in New England and the car is always garaged Any help would be appreciated
What makes this problem better or worse?
it occurs only at cold start
How long has your 2010 Honda Accord had this problem?
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After reading this post with additional information I tend to agree it isn’t indicative of a failing starter since it only occurs upon cold start.
The noise as you described it is usually timing chain related..
It may be beneficial to leave the vehicle at repair facility overnight so cold start can be observed.
This car has a timing belt, and will not make that noise due to timing.
How cold is the weather where you are? Honda has a service bulletin (12-018) that refers to the starter motor grinding in cold weather - less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit. If this is the case, then it does need a starter motor due to an internal issue.
Good luck!
