Hot answers tagged starter
9
Your battery was dead.
In many cars, when the battery can't provide enough cranking amps, you will hear a clicking instead of the normal starting sound.
The starter battery draws a lot of current. When that happens, the voltage available to the rest of the system drops dramatically, especially if the battery is weak. That's why your clock reset itself.
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6
Upon the regular engine starting key turn area the dash lights dim and
there maybe a single 'tch sound or no sound at all coming from the
engine block.
Sadly, I know this sound well. This sounds like a dead battery.
Here are the steps that I would suggest:
Charge the battery with a plug-in battery charger. They aren't terribly expensive to ...
6
As I’ve read, alternative starting systems nowadays used mostly in commercial, industrial and emergency applications, where it is mission-critical to get it started, such as back-up power generator in the hospital, fire pump on an oil rig, or a life boat. Redundancy is required in some of these situations; in others there is no other option even. There are ...
6
You should be fine in that instance. I wouldn't make a habit of it. The rule I was taught was crank for no more than 15 seconds and let the started cool for a few minutes in between. The goal is to keep the starter from overheating so your time is cumulative. It shouldn't take more than 3 - 5 seconds of cranking to start the engine. Based on that you could ...
5
This sounds like a classic case of "heat soak". In most Chevy V-8's the exhaust pipe runs very close to the starter. The starter absorbs the heat, the heat increases the electrical resistance along with expanding the metal parts. The combination of the two can result in sluggish starts when the engine is hot. The symptons get worse as the starter ages. The ...
5
As starter motors get old they can require higher current in order to turn successfully, so despite you having no obvious power problem I would first check your battery - also because this is a simple thing to replace if necessary.
It could indeed be the starter solenoid, so having a look at both this and the starter motor itself would probably be my next ...
5
It sounds to me like a dead battery.
Depending on how accurate your voltmeter is, what you see as 12V may be 11.9V or lower. To give you an idea, an open circuit battery terminal voltage of 11.7V indicates a completely uncharged battery.
What you are describing happened to me once with a Volvo car, due to a faulty switch in the glove-box; the glove-box ...
4
It's possible that your battery has enough charge to light the headlights and dash, but not enough to turn the starter. Typically though in this case you will hear some sort of click when you turn the ignition to "start." Your description says you hear nothing, however. That points me to consider that some sort of an electrical interlock (safety system) is ...
3
Could be the carbon brushes that are almost worn out. These brushes ensure the electrical connection between the stationary and rotary parts of the starter motor. Tapping the motor could shift the position of one or both brushes enough to make a connection, thus rotating the motor.
Brushes are probably comparatively cheap and potentially easy to replace.
...
3
First, sorry for my bad English.
I think it is because a modern battery is more reliable, from the car manufacturer's point-of-view, so they remove the unneeded crank system alternative.
Dead batteries may be very common -- yes, it got me multiple times on my old car -- but if you are maintaining your car regularly as the manufacturer suggests, you might ...
3
If the dash lights dim and the starter doesn't turn, it's usually either the battery going bad or the starter that's at fault. I'd check the battery voltage both without any consumers and with someone trying to operate the starter motor and would expect at least 12.8V (no load) and about 10V (trying to start), otherwise the battery is dead.
If the battery ...
3
99% of the time, the symptoms that you describe are a dead or dying battery. Charging the battery or jumpstarting the car should work.
The 'green stuff' is caused by the terminal oxidising - it's not good to have it on there but I doubt it'll affect the connection enough to make the battery unusable. Often, carefully pouring hot water over it will dissolve ...
3
It depends specifically on what's wrong with the starter.
Sometimes you hear a clicking sound when you turn the key but the starter motor gears don't actually turn. This could actually be due to a weak battery, but if you know the battery has a full charge, then it could be the starter gears actually failing to turn.
You may hear a whining sound, ...
3
If you believe it's not the battery, it could be your starter motor solenoid. I've had a solenoid go on a couple of cars I've owned, it seems to be quite a common thing. The solenoid is what you hear clicking when it can't get enough current to turn the motor over, but it could also be on it's way out and getting stuck perhaps.
Usually when a starter motor ...
2
If you've tested the battery and determined that the battery is good, and if a jump start doesn't solve the problem, you could remove the starter motor and take it to an auto-parts store or a mechanic. They can test the starter motor independent of the other systems in the car.
While the motor is out, you can also inspect it for damage.
On most cars ...
2
However you hooked up that alarm, disconnect it, and make sure it is good and disconnected. If that alarm was what drained your original battery in the first place, it's probably still not working and draining your battery and shorting out your electrical system.
Then, take that new battery right back to autozone and convince them to trade it for a new one, ...
1
If you really wanted to avoid dead battery situations, the best solution is probably a second, isolated battery. Charge both batteries off the alternator, but disconnect the starting battery (via a relay) except when the alternator is running or the key is being turned. It's really stupid that cars are designed such that using non-essential accessories can ...
1
Oil in the coolant reservoir is usually a pretty bad sign! Are there signs of coolant in the oil as well (a creamy mayonnaise-like substance)? Either of those are signs of Head Gasket failure, which would eventually stop the engine from starting, but would normally give a lot of other signs first...
You say it started off as an intermittant problem - is it ...
1
Certainly sounds like a dead (or dying...) battery. Voltage measurement here would be crucial. From what I'm hearing I'd venture during crank you'll see less than 10V DC on that battery. That's a definite indicator to replace the battery.
Could the alternator also be part of the problem? Surely, it could.
If there's an excess current draw could that be ...
1
That sounds like the starter motor not engaging, which probably means the solenoid (the bit that ought to be clicking) is sticking or has failed.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Corsa's starter is right up under the back of the engine, which makes it awkward to get to for testing... Can you get a helper to turn the key while you listen to the engine to ...
1
I would suggest taking the starter out and bring it to your local auto parts store. Most can test it to verify it is bad. There is the oddball chance that the engine may be overheating and something is binding internally. While installing the new starter verify that the heat shield is intact and that the battery cables are clean tight and in good shape. ...
1
SOLUTION: As is turns out, I was not connected to the VATS resistor value/ground reference wires at all. The PLJX instructions SUCK and give almost no info on VATS systems while everything is written up more for the older Passlock I and II systems. I had followed the instructions as spot-on as I could and found the yellow/black/green wire that was inside a ...
1
As already stated, the problems that you describe can be caused by two things i have described all
1-Broken Starter:
The Starter Brushes may have failed (or a starter coil broke) in which case you will need to have the starter repaired/replaced this will be your last port of call
2-No/Too Little Current to Starter:
If you hear a click when you turn ...
1
Did you install the correct module? If so, warranty it and get a replacement. The vehicle is equipped to disable the starter unless the clutch is depressed. Your circuit is stuck on START and becomes aactive when the clutch override is disabled by the clutch being depressed. As Rory mentioned - it is impossible to offer a definitive diagnosis without being ...
1
As mentioned by Bob, you should definitely charge the battery when you get a chance, but first and foremost, get those to terminals out of there. You can go to Advance auto and get a good set of corrosion resistant terminals for under 10 dollars.
Take some electrical cleaner or rubbing alcohol and clean the posts on the battery as best you can with a paper ...
1
Beyond what jmort253 said, and separated out into a specific answer at Bob Cross' suggestion:
I ran into a particular difficult to track down problem which was caused by the clutch in the starter opening up. The starter would wind up and make a screeching sound, but sometimes wouldn't turn the engine over. I was thinking it might be a broken tooth on the ...
1
I'm not sure about the Beemers, but many starter motors have an (dis)engagable gear /clutch that will connect the starter motor to the fly wheel. Once the engine starts, the gear disengages.
From your description, it sounds like that gear was munged somehow. Also, you may have dislodged it by push-starting the car.
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