Odd flapping when cranking

---------------------------------

You'd be better off to leave it sit, or maybe throw the battery charger on it for an hour every two months. You probably have a no-start condition because of a dribbling injector. Read the manual where they explain "how to start a flooded engine". You're just pumping water and contaminants into the oil by starting it and not driving it.

The cure for a dribbling injector is to run gasohol or injector cleaner through it, but the car has to be driven lots for either to do anything, so wait until it's ready to drive again.

'Curly'

the "flapping" noise needs better description for us to be able to help.

regarding the other action you describe, you really need to stop this "warm it up every few days" business. if you don't drive this motor and get the working parts of the engine properly hot, the spark plugs won't clean themselves, the engine will carbon up, and all kinds of oil badness will ensue. much better to just leave it and charge the battery than to go through maximum oil contamination and maximum cylinder wall lubricant dilution every few days. not to mention incomplete combustion because the spark plugs have fouled.

Thanks, Curly, Jim. Great replies, as always.

Original poster here. I'm posting back to help anyone who may have this problem.

Turns out it *was* a flooded injector. I cranked for 15 seconds while holding down the gas, and on the second try the engine sputtered to life. Ran rough for about half a minute but gradually ran smooth. The "flapping/bubbling" sound may have been just lack of lubrication, or maybe just due to too much fuel..

Thanks, curly, jim. You were right on the money.

I plan to put in some injector cleaner, but right now the car will sit for about another month. In the meantime i s there any way I can prevent another flooding? Should I plug the fuel line somehow?

-----------------------------

There's only a couple ounces of fuel (or less) in the line and if it's gonna leak, it's gonna leak. You already know how to solve it, so don't sweat it. Once the injector gets cleaned out it will hold pressure while car sits, whether for months or overnight.

'Curly'

At 6,050 miles my 2007 Accord 6 cylinder with automatic reached "10% oil life remaining" on the Engine Oil Life Indicator. At this rate the recommended oil change interval is 6700 miles at 130 days.

This car is driven 4 - 10 miles per start about 80% of the time, and 75 miles per start the other 20%.

I am curious what the range has been among others that have Honda 6 cylinder vehicles equipped with the Engine Oil Life Indicator feature.

For instance has anybody had a change recommendation before 5,000 miles or after 10,000? If so does it seem to correlate, as you would expect, to stop and go versus highway miles?

I am not in the group you were asking about because I have the 2007 4 cylinder Accord. However, my current oil life is at 30% which is also going to extrapolate to around 6000 to 6500 miles. The car is driven about 12-15 miles per start with an occasional 150 mile trip

Elliot Richmond Itinerant astronomy teacher Freelance science writer