Are you wondering why your car wont start? Issues with the starter system are more common than you think, but drivers often confuse them with other car troubles. Read up on bad starter symptoms and learn how to tell them apart from other problems.
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The starter is a small motor, powered by the battery. It gets the engine of your car running. A starter relay sits between the battery and the starter motor, transmitting power. Without a properly working starter relay and motor, you wont be able to start your vehicle and may need a tow.
One of the symptoms of a bad starter is a clicking noise when you turn the key or push the start button. However, a starter can die without making any sound at all, or it may announce its impending death with whirring and grinding noiseso listen up!
If you try to start the engine only to find that the dashboard lights up, but the engine doesnt power up, you might have a problem with the starter.
Is your engine not revving up, even after attempting a jumpstart? At this point, its time to call roadside assistance and get your car to the nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care. If a jumpstart wont fire up your engine, nothing other than a certified technician will!
The starter is part of your cars electrical system and subject to blown fuses and short circuits. When youve been desperately attempting to start your car, the starter can overheat making electrical issuesand the accompanying smokemore likely. If you see or smell smoke, call for help rather than turning the key harder, again!
Your starter can usually be found on the passenger's side (if RWD) of the engine, just below the exhaust manifold. Or if it is FWD, check on the drivers side above the transmission or under the exhaust manifold. They can also be located just under the intake manifold on some vehicles. If you pop the hood only to find that your starter is drenched in engine oil, your bad starter might be a symptom of another probleman oil leak. Unfortunately, what starts out as a few drops of oil can slowly and sometimes unnoticeably turn into an expensive problem, so keep an eye out for oil leaks to avoid starter issues of this nature.
A variety of problems can lead to a bad starter, including:
Assuming youve already tried to start and jumpstart your car, try one of the following troubleshooting tips.
Check the battery and battery cables to see whether everythings in working order. A weak or dead battery, or even faulty battery cables, could be causing the problems with your car, not the starter.
Try lightly tapping the starter a few times with a hard object, making sure not to pound it. In some cases, this gentle tapping can help power it back up, since youll be tapping the electrical components back in contact with each other. Know how you can sometimes bang on the side of an old TV to bring the picture back into focus? It's kind of like that. But like your wonky television, your car may only react to this fix temporarilyjust long enough to get you to your nearest service center.
Lets say your cars automatic transmission is in the park setting but the car wont start. If thats the case, try starting the car in neutral. If it starts in "neutral," there may be a technical glitch thats preventing the car from starting in "park," like a faulty neutral safety switch.
We know it seems silly but...is your gas tank empty? Thats a sure reason why your car isnt starting!
Many times, the quick fix for a bad starter is tapping it. Jumpstarting your car can get it on the road, at least temporarily, but then you'll want to get the problem checked out by a qualified technician. If a jumpstart or tap doesnt do the trick, youll most likely need to get the car towed and have the starter repaired or replaced. We can help with that.
When you suspect a starter problem, start with your local Firestone Complete Auto Care. We'll provide you with a free inspectionno strings attached. If your starter is bad, our experienced technicians can get your car fixed right, at the right price, right on time.
Starting a car with a bad starter can be challenging, but there are a few steps you can try as a temporary solution. Here's how to get a car going when the car starter is not working:
Make sure your car is off the road and away from traffic flow. Put your vehicle in park or neutral if its a manual transmission, and then engage the parking brake for your safety.
Pop the hood of your vehicle and look for the starter motor. It will typically look like a large metal cylinder with a smaller cylinder stacked on top. The location of the starter motor may be different depending on the make and model of your vehicle. Be careful, as some parts of the exhaust could be extremely hot, AND the electrical terminals on the starter may be attached directly to the battery and will short/spark!
Helping a starter motor come to life is one of the few times some percussive maintenance is useful. Once youve found the starter motor, try tapping it gently with a hammer or a similar object. By tapping on the starter, youre aiming to help unstick starter brushes so they can engage and start up the system. If your vehicle starts after using the tapping method, you should make your way to your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care for a more comprehensive starter repair. Be careful to not tap too hard! There may be brittle magnets inside the starter housing.
If tapping doesn't work, another option is to jump-start your car. So, call over a friend with a working vehicle battery and grab a pair of jumper cables.
Go through the standard procedure for jumping a car battery. Always refer to your owner's manual for your vehicles specific instructions. To connect the batteries using jumper cables, inspect the positive and negative terminals on the batteries in each vehicle and make sure they are free of corrosion and not loose. Jumper cables are color coded, typically red for positive and black for negative.
Connect a positive clamp first to the positive terminal of the dead battery and then the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal of the live battery. Then connect the negative clamp to the negative terminal of the dead battery and the other end of the negative cable to the negative terminal of the live battery.
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Now its time to jump the battery. Have someone start the working vehicle and let it run for a few minutes to charge the inactive car's dead battery.
After taking time to charge the battery, you can attempt to start your car. While the jumper cables are still connected, turn the ignition of your vehicle. With the extra power coming from the live battery, you should have enough energy to start the engine and bypass the dead battery.
Once the car has started, keep it running and carefully disconnect it from the working vehicle. Start by removing the negative clamp attached to the negative terminal on the helper vehicle, and then remove the negative clamp on the negative terminal from the jump-started vehicle. Next, remove the positive clamp on one end of the positive cable from your helpers vehicle. Finally, remove the last positive clamp on your vehicles positive battery terminal. Avoid turning off the jumped cars engine until you reach your destination or a repair shop.
Remember, starting a car with a bad starter is only a temporary solution. So, when you encounter a starter problem, start with your local Firestone Complete Auto Care. If your starter is bad, our experienced technicians can get your car fixed right, at the right price, right on time.
A car that won't start can leave you stranded. In many cases, this problem is caused by a bad starter.
The good news is there are signs of a bad starter. If you know what to look for, you may be able to address the issue with the help of a tire shop or auto repair facility before the starter gives out and leaves you without transportation.
Below, we've shared information that can help you identify and address starter problems.
Your car starter is the part of the vehicle that gets the engine running. Essentially, it's a small electric motor that cranks the engine. By cranking the engine, the starter helps give the car the power it needs to move from a standstill.
The starting system in your car consists of the electric motor and an attached component called a solenoid. The solenoid shuttles power from your car's battery to the starter motor. The solenoid also moves the starter gear forward which allows the gear to connect with the teeth of the engine's flywheel.
The starter is found on the driver's side of the engine. It's typically placed just beneath the left bank of cylinders.
The starter can be identified by its cylindrical shape. It looks like a large cylinder with a smaller cylinder attached.
Your original starter can last throughout most or all of your vehicle's lifespan.
The starter motor is only used when you crank the engine. Since it's not as heavily used as some of a car's other parts, it can last a long time. It is difficult to predict when or if this part will fail. When the starter motor fails, wear and tear is often the cause.
Here are some signs of a bad starter solenoid or a bad starter:
There are specific sounds that let you know when a starter needs repair. Here are some sounds that indicate starter trouble:
If you're worried about the health of your starter, test it with a multimeter. A multimeter is a tool used to troubleshoot electrical components and devices. Here are the steps to follow:
Wondering how to start a car with a bad starter solenoid or bad starter? Here are a couple of emergency options you can use to get the vehicle up and running so you can take it to a repair shop:
You may be able to fix a car starter by tapping it, as explained above. This will work if the starter problem is caused by a connection issue.
However, if a defective starter caused the problem, it will need to be replaced. The easiest way to handle this task is to turn it over to a skilled service technician.
To avoid the inconvenience caused by a failed starter, pay attention to this component. Watch for the signs that indicate starter problems and quickly address the issue.
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