Your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine cannot start without a starter. The starter turns the engine over so it can draw air and fuel into the combustion chamber. It also provides electricity through the spark plug wiring to generate sparks out of the spark plugs. If the starter is unable to do any of this, Eddie’s Auto Repair advises that your engine will not start because you will have no combustion in the combustion chamber. Here are signs that your starter is going bad.
Noises Before Ignition
You may hear noises before your vehicle ignites or noises and no ignition. Either way, these noises are made by a starter that is malfunctioning. The most common sound is clicking. Another sound you might here is whirring. These sounds should stop once your engine starts. If they don’t, the starter is still engaged. This can damage the starter and the engine.
Hard Starts or No Starts
Bring your vehicle to our shop right away if it makes the above noises before the engine fires up. This is a warning that the starter is going bad. Failure to address the problem right away can result in difficulty starting your automobile or a dead engine. Once the starter has died, the engine will not start because it does not have the ingredients for combustion.
Illuminated Lights
If you are wondering why your engine refuses to start, turn on your vehicle lights and check them. If the lights are working, the starter is the reason why your engine is dead. Working lights are a sign that the battery and alternator are producing electricity as they should. If the lights are not working, your engine is not starting because you have a dead battery or alternator.
Smoke/Burning Odors
We understand that we all are encouraged to keep trying when we fail, but in the case of a starter, you need to give up. If you keep trying to start your automobile, you will overheat the starter motor. You aren’t going to get a running engine, but you will get smoke and burning odors.
Oil Soaking the Starter
Finally, a starter usually lasts 100,000 miles or more, but motor oil can cause problems with the starter prematurely. If you have a cracked engine block or engine gasket, you may end up with motor oil soaking the starter. This will cause it to malfunction no matter its age.
Eddie’s Auto Repair in Kingston, TN, can replace your starter if it needs it. Call us today.
