Hi everyone,

I have a 2007, FD2 civic (Australian sports model), K20Z2 engine, automatic.

Today when I turned the key in the ignition, the starter cranked as usual, and then i heard my engine turning over a few time and finally stalls. I re-tried starting two more times and same thing happened. Then finally I resorted to putting the gear to neutral, and this time after a few sluggish crank the engine started. After that for the rest of the day, the car started normally in P. I never had this problem before.

Now just for a few more background details:
- My battery seemed fine, and it was only recently purchased.

- I have replaced my starter motor at the start of this year, because the old starter had trouble retracting from the flywheel, resulting in grinding after start up. Ever since I replaced the starter, the car started smoothly, had no problem at all. Now just to point out, I the starter I put in was a second hand starter, so maybe it is also showing its age?

- I have changed my engine oil 2 days ago, with a 10W-30. Is this oil too thick?

- For those who live in melbourne, we have been experiencing a really cold week. Today was also extremely cold, so maybe that contributed to the problem as well?

What I think might be the problem:
1. Weak battery? Unlikely, as battery is less than a year old.
2. Aging starter motor? Could be, as this starter I put in is second hand. But for the rest of today, the starter worked perfectly as usual.
3. Engine oil to viscous + cold weather?

These are just my thoughts. I am wondering if anyone else here might have a better explanation to this problem I'm experiencing? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated, thank you!