Hello,

Not a dead battery!

Hoping to again get some help from the pros.

2006 Honda Civic DX - 220,000 km (140,000 miles) - most recent work was replacing the spark plugs and an oil change about a month ago, no other issues or maintenance since then.

Problem: When attempting to start, it gets about half a turn-over then stops, and sounds exactly like a dead/dieing battery except no clicking. No other strange sounds. All other electrical in the car is working fine.

I'm pretty sure the battery is fine, as trying to jump the car from two other sources didn't help anything, and the wipers are moving full speed (slow wipers are usually a sign of bad battery I find). Battery reads 12.5 V when the car is off, about 10 V when trying (and failing) to start.

Here's the part that is stumping me. If I let the fuel pump finish priming (leave the key in the "On" position" for about 5 seconds, till the fuel pump stops), the car starts up completely normal. If I try to start the car immediately after turning it off, it starts fine without waiting in the on-position. If I let the car sit for a few minutes, the problem emerges again (half turn-over, no start) and to resolve the problem I need to let the fuel pump finish priming.

What I think is happening is either my starter or fuel pump is dieing, and when both try to run at the same time my battery can't keep up with the current draw, so neither works properly, however the fuel pump fuse hasn't blown yet.... Does this sound likely or is there something else I'm missing?

I'm going to have time tomorrow morning to do some troubleshooting. I'd greatly appreciate any input you guys can provide, even if it's a quick idea of something different to check