I have an 03 Evo 8 with less than 50K miles on it. I am now on my fourth starter in less than 6 years. WTF?

A starter seems to last about 12 to 18 months. With a new starter it kicks over great, then as the months go by it sounds like it's having a harder & harder time turning the engine over. Occasionally it will make a grinding sound, almost like the engine is kicking back against it, and the starting gear is backing away from the flywheel and missing. Until finally it just won't engage anymore and simply spins. Then it's time for a new one.

I have been going through this for years and have yet to find a solution...or even a reason for it. When it first happened, I replaced the starter with a new one and also replaced my battery (Odyssey) at the same time. A few months later the cycle began again.

has anyone else experienced similar issues or have any insight into what the problem could be?

 

Are these OE starters or something from Autozone/Pepboys?

 

The first was OE. Second was the OE rebuilt locally by a very reputable Starter/Alternator shop. The last two have been Duralast.

 

i tried that duracrap from autozone and it didn't even work when i installed it. I just found a used one. you are not the only one.

 

Thanks for that info. But what I still don't understand is why the first two OEM starters failed in the first place.

 

Have you messed with anything related to the wiring harness? I had this issue on a Honda I owned and ended up being the alarm was installed wrong. Went thru 3 starters, uninstalled everything related to the alarm and worked great for 2yrs before i sold it.

 

What fails on the starter? Have u tested them? Sounds like a bad negative or positive cable perhaps.

 

Full size battery standard mount position?

 

This morning, I'm heading over to buy my 4th starter myself. Pretty much the same symptoms- increasing grinding noises as it gets older, eventually wearing out and spinning. '03 Evo, very early model- one of the first sold in Norcal. The guy at San Rafael Mitsu was surprised when I ordered the part, said he'd never sold an Evo starter before, hadn't heard of anybody else having issues like this. I'm going to talk to him more about it when I get there, maybe print out this thread to show him. Maybe it'll ring a bell.

The electrical connection is interesting- I always felt like the starter had to work harder after I installed my Xede years ago. Maybe it's time to pull the damn thing out finally, check the harness, etc.

 

Yea I have a similar problem. My starter doesn't grind or anything, but it just won't engage. The funny thing is I'm changing it exactly every 2 years. Can't figure out why. Well good luck

 

Are any of you guys leaking oil from the turbo onto it? Just curious.

 

it's possible with the return line where it is....

 

Holly smoke this is me too. You guys ever figure this out????

 

Is there any damage to the starters gears? Or just internal damage?

 

I turned the engine over whie inspecting the gears and could not find anything.

It just makes a grinding noise while cranking