what causes a car starter to go bad? how to avoid it.?

Answer 1

Over time the brushes wear out. There replaceable and not meant to last forever, that's why the auto parts store wants you old starter back (core) to send back to manufactor to replace those brushes and sell starter again.

You can't keep the brushes from wearing out. It's gonna happen sooner or later.

Answer 2

Starter motors can be damaged by excessive cranking. The starter motor generates a tremendous amount of heat while operating and it is not designed to allow this heat to dissipate. Your owner's manual should includes a statement to not crank for more than ~30 seconds and to allow several minutes for the starter motor to cool off after being cranked for any length of time.

Another common failure mode is the starter solenoid. The starter requires a significant amount of electrical energy to operate. This energy is far too much to pass through the ignition switch. The ignition switch actually controls the starter solenoid which then turns the starter motor on and off. The contacts inside the solenoid will eventually erode resulting in failure of the starter. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent this.

The other failure modes are also related to wear and again, you really can't do anything to prevent them. These areas include the starter bearings, the brushes which supply electrical energy to the rotating armature, and the bendix which extends when the starter is operated and engages with the engine's flywheel.

In conclusion, the best way to extend the life of your starter is to keep the rest of the engine in good repair so that the engine starts quickly every time you try to start it.

Answer 3

Starters do not have 100% duty cycles. Over use builds up heat, melts wires, causes more resistance, eventually shorts out.

Answer 4

alot of cranking it gets hot and a low batt incorrect timing makes ur engine kick back on the starter causing it to break