The starter starts your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine. It’s a small motor that gets everything going. Without a working starter, you won’t be able to start your automobile, but more on that below. Mike’s Automotive is going to list the signs of starter problems so you can catch the issue early, and, hopefully, replace the starter before you end up with a dead engine.
Clicking Noises at Start-Up
One sign that may or may not appear is clicking noises at the engine start-up. You will hear the noises before the engine fires up. You might also end up with just the noises and an engine that won’t start. You noticed we say may or may not above, however. This is because sometimes the starter will die without a sound. You won’t hear any clicking noises before the starter motor becomes useless.
An Engine That Won’t Start
We’ve mentioned a couple of times that a dead starter will prevent you from being able to start your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine. This, too, can happen without any warning or signs beforehand. For example, if it has been difficult to get your automobile started lately, there could be something wrong with the starter. It’s important to have this issue checked out before you end up with a completely dead engine.
Lights That Work Anyway
There is a way to test your vehicle to see if the reason why your engine won’t start is because of the starter or the battery or alternator. If your engine is dead but all of the vehicle’s lights work, this points to a malfunctioning starter motor as the problem. If the battery or alternator were dead, there would be no electricity and the lights would refuse to turn on.
Smoke and Burning Odors
Another thing that points to the starter as the reason why your engine won’t start is smoke and burning odors. If you try several times to get your vehicle’s engine started, you will overheat the starter motor. This will cause burning odors and smoke that will waft from underneath the hood.
An Oil-Soaked Starter
If your vehicle isn’t that old, the starter might have died because it is being soaked by motor oil. The starter is located under the cylinder block. If you have an oil leak running through the cylinder block, the starter will get soaked by the motor oil and die.
Thankfully, Mike’s Automotive in Del City, OK, can fix both problems if this is the case. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment for your automobile.
