My car was having no problems at all and then one morning it did not want to start. I was only getting one click and that was coming from the starter. I went and bought a new starter and put it in and it wouldn't start at first and then i put it in neutral and it started right up. It drove perfectly fine for 2 days and then it didn't want to start again and started doing the same thing. I went and got the starter tested and it came out good so i came back home and put it in and it started right up again. It then wouldn't start again 2 hours later. I've tried cleaning all the grounds, checked fuses, got the battery tested, and i just can not figure it out. I found out that the end of the shaft on the starter was extending to far so i shimmed it. It ran fine and i started it probably ten times. i then drove it to and left it off for about 20 mins, came back out to start it and it wouldnt start. I cant figure this out, does anyone have any idea what is going on? I have a 97 Civic Coupe EX V-TEC

 

It could be the neutral switch, test that by making sure the car is in park then jump from the battery + to the small terminal on the starter. If that makes it crank every time take the console cover off and check for voltage in and out of the switch (black wires with white stripe I think).

Otherwise your replacement starter is probably bad. Civic starters should not require shims in any case, that's an American car thing. You could confirm the battery, cables, and connections are OK by testing for battery voltage reaching the starter when someone turns the key to try to to start (measure from the big terminal to starter ground, and also from the small terminal to starter ground). Typically when these starters are going bad they sometimes start and sometimes not.

 

But if its the neutral safety switch then wouldn't it not start at all or start when i put it in neutral? and yeah the shims didn't make much sense to me either but it got it started and it worked for probably 10 starts. But i dont think it is a bad starter because im on my 3rd starter and am having the same problem every time. Ive been told a starter relay, but my car doesnt have one.

 

Make sure the wires to the battery, grounds, and starter (including the small one) are secure. Do the jumping the starter and the voltage test. Two bad chain-store "rebuilt" starters in a row is entirely likely.