What happens when a starter goes out?

0 votes
asked Mar 29, 2022 in Repairs/Maintenance by Oweelsee (2,430 points)
What happens when a starter goes out?

1 Answer

0 votes
answered Mar 29, 2022 by Wenja921 (26,070 points)
When a starter goes out the starter may crank slow, may have grinding noises, or the the starter may only click or the bendix may not engage properly.

Sometimes the clicking or slow cranking may be a weak or bad battery but it can also be a bad starter or starter solenoid.

You can bump start a car with a bad starter if it has a manual transmission.

To bump start the car go down a hill or have someone tow the car around while you have your foot on the clutch, the ignition in the on position and then put the transmission in 1st gear.

As you're being towed or going downhill simply ease off the clutch to engage the transmission and then the car should start.

When a starter goes out or is bad the car cannot be jump started to get it going.

Jump Starting a car only charges the battery and if the starter is bad then it won't work either way.

Sometimes tapping on the starter motor can get it working temporarily but if the starter is actually bad then it needs to be replaced.

Although sometimes a weak battery or low battery or even a partially dead battery can cause the starter to just click as there's not enough voltage going to the starter.

So Jump Starting the car can get the starter going in that case.

Autozone can test a starter if you remove the starter and bring it into them to bench test.

If the starter is on the vehicle then Autozone cannot really check it but they can do a load test on your battery and check your alternator as well.

Signs of a bad engine starter include, clicking noises, grinding noises when starting the engine, starter not engaging, slow cranking with good battery.

Most often an engine starter will begin showing signs of failure before it actually goes bad.

In some cases the starter may not engage properly or there may be grinding noises or the starter may be hard to turn over.

Sometimes when the starter solenoid clicks is a sign of a bad starter or even loose battery cables, bad battery cable connections, or even a weak battery.

Jump-starting a car with a bad starter motor will not help start the engine.

Jump-starting will only boost battery power.

A manual transmission car with a bad starter maybe push or tow started but an auto transmission car can not.

The battery sends a burst of energy to the start which uses this energy to turn the engine over and get it car started.

If you put the key in the ignition, but only hear a click when you turn the key, you've got a problem with your starter.

On average, a starter motor lasts for 100,000-150,000 miles.

In many cars, the starter motor lasts for the lifetime of the vehicle; however in some cars, it can fail prematurely.

Autozone can check your starter for you if you bring it into them.

However if you have the starter off and it's older then you should replace it with a new one anyway.

Every AutoZone in the USA will check your alternator, starter, or battery at no charge.

98,443 questions

94,715 answers

1,269 comments

6,992,426 users

...