need to know about starter trouble..?

Question

i have had trouble with my car starting once in a while and feel that i probably have a bad starter or connection to my starter. can you tell me what the symtoms of a bad starter are and when i go to have my car looked at what it would look like, etc. if my starter is bad so i dont get ripped off if my starter is not bad.

Answer 1

First, the battery cable connections to the battery should be removed and the cables cleaned with a wire brush or sandpaper. If the have a large amount of corrosion on the connections some baking soda and water can be mixed into a paste and applied to the terminations and left for a few minutes, then rinsed with plain water. When the terminations are clean, replace the cables and tighten securely.

The cables should be inspected for corrosion at both ends. The cable connection to the starter should be inspected.
Assuming the cables are good and the connections are clean the next item is the starter solenoid. Depending on your manufacturer the solenoid is mounted on the starter or in the case of ford mounted separately. You can trace your positive battery cable to it. On cars other than ford the solenoid does two separate jobs. One it makes a large contact to run the starter motor when a signal from the ignition switch is made by turning the key to start; and also slides a gear into place on the flywheel to engage the ring gear and turn the engine over.

1) The symptoms you sometimes have are the starter motor runs but he engine does not turn. The solenoid is not pulling the gear into the flywheel or teeth on the flywheel gear are broken or missing or the teeth on the starter gear are stripped.

2) You hear a loud click from the starter ""each time"" you turn the key to start but the starter does not run, could be the solenoid contacts or brushes in the starter or starter winding are open.

3) If you hear a click 'once' and then when you try to 'start again' hear nothing, we are back to a battery or cable problem.

Diagnosing the problems 1 & 2, usually require removing the starter and testing the solenoid and starter outside the car.

I would start with the cables first, then the battery and move on from there.


Yours: Grumpy

Answer 2

Check the battery connections to see if they're tight. The starter will make a clicking noise before it kicks in. Or it just won't start. But the battery is always the first place I start checking for loose connections, bad connections, etc. They're not too hard to replace and many places will take the old one in on trade so they can re-condition it and it brings down the price of the new one.

Answer 3

If the headlights still work, it's the starter or starter relay. If the headlights are dim, it's battery or alternator. The only other possibility would be bad wiring, but that's unusual. If you can bypass the relay using a screwdriver and it starts, the starter is okay. If the starter 'drags', it might be bad, or just misaligned. You will need to find a mechanic you can trust. This is an easy one to rob you with.

Answer 4

A bad starter will whine and then engage or may not even hit at all.
If it is making a bad noise then its time to get a new one.
If it is just dead for a few turns of the key then it may be a bad cable.

Answer 5

There are a host of symptoms and signs of a failing starter. There are other components that can mask the starter, or could interfere with a starter that functions properly.
Before anyone can tell you much, we need to know- - -
YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
ETC>
and tell us what you are experiencing.

Answer 6

a bad startor will make a clicking noise when the key is in the starting posion the startor is round and its about 10 12 inches long with a smaller round thing sitting on top called your solienoid witch has a positive terminal in the back side

Answer 7

feels like the starter solenoid could be going undesirable. it may artwork fantastic for many months or it may proceed to stick. in this motor vehicle, you will ought to replace the starter to replace the solenoid, by way of fact the solenoid is integrated with the starter.

Answer 8

usually, if the starter goes bad, the car won't start.

Answer 9

see if the cables r loose at your battery,listen if the engine turns slowly,or 4 a grinding noise ,clicking noise while turning the key
might be loose cables or low battery.

Answer 10

I would check you battery connections first