Troubleshooting starter motor problems

How do you troubleshoot a starter problem. Starter motor troubleshooting.

What causes starter motor problems.

Photo by: Each time you enter your car, you expect it to start with ease. But sometimes it fails you when you least expect it. The early signs are difficulty in starts before it fails. Most people make the mistake of repeatedly trying to turn the ignition on. Doing so will only lead to more problems. If you are in such a situation, you should not panic. Most
starter problems occur in predictable places, and diagnostics are easy to run. When your car fails to start, it could be because of a damaged starter component. It can also be a poor electrical connection or insufficient power. Understanding your starter It starts the internal combustion of your engine. When the battery powers up after an ignition,
electric current goes to the starter motor. In the starter motor, pinions move the engine. When the starter relay is on, the starter rotor will start to move firing up the engine. Troubleshooting starter not engaging Photo by: The first thing you must check is if your battery has enough voltage to power up your car’s engine. If there is insufficient power,
your starter will fail. To know if your battery has power, you can use a voltmeter. Taking a voltmeter reading is simple. Set the device for 12V and connect the voltmeter to your battery terminals. Turn on your car’s headlights and take the reading. The reading on your voltmeter should be between 12.

4 and 12.6 volts. If your reading is below these figures, your battery will not power up your starter.
To solve this problem, you can jumpstart your car, and it will work fine. If the battery drops charge again, you should consider having a replacement. Photo by: Car-Battery-Corrosion When your battery terminals corrode, you will see white and green deposits. To clean your terminals, you can use a baking soda and water solution. The ratio should be
one-part baking soda and three parts of water. If you do not have baking soda, you can use carbonated drinks like sodas. The carbonic acid will clear the deposits from the terminals. When cleaning, make sure the solution never gets past the filler caps. Photo by: The starter motor is not easily accessible. Depending on the car you are driving, you may
have to remove other engine parts to access it. You should take the intake manifold out then run the following checks on your starter motor.
Tighten the mounting bolts and other connecting wires. If the mounting bolt is loose, the starter drive will not engage the flywheel properly. It will make a grinding noise when you try to fire up your engine. What this means is that the pinion gear on the starter is clashing with the ring gear on the flywheel. Check the pinion gear. It is a small gear
found at the front of the starter of your car that will engage the flywheel and crank your engine. You should ensure that the teeth of your pinion gears are not worn-out or damaged. Damaged teeth will prevent your car engine from cranking. Try moving your pinion gears. They should move in only one direction. If it does not move or it moves in both
directions, then you must replace your starter. Photo by: A flywheel is a large and heavy wheel that is between the transmission and engine. The starter pinion gear engages this wheel to make your car engine crank. How to inspect your flywheel Remove the starter motor and set your transmission gear to neutral. Rotate the crankshaft manually using
a ratchet.

There is a pulley at the front or bottom of your engine block. The pulley should move as you watch how the pion gears are reacting. If the gear teeth have damage, you will need to replace the flywheel. Photo by: It can be a starter solenoid or a starter relay depending on the model of your car. It is the cylinder at the top of your starter. It connects with
the positive side of your battery terminal. If the solenoid fails, your car will not start. How to inspect your starter relay Photo by: //www.partzilla.com/ Start by disabling your start system to prevent your car from starting accidentally. You can start by removing the fuel pump. You can also disconnect the thick wire that runs to the center of your
distributor cap. You must ground the disconnected wire from your distributor on a bolt using your car jumpers. You should make sure that you ground it to a non-painted part of your metal bracket. Start your engine and listen carefully to the sounds it is making. If there is a loud click, it means the starter relay is working correctly. A weak click means
there is a loose connection. Check the wires that connect to your starter solenoid and tighten them. In the case of broken wires, electrical current from your battery will not reach the starter.

If the wires are in place and still your car will not start, then you must replace the starter solenoid.

Signs of a poor starter Photo by: The obvious symptom is when your vehicle fails to start when you turn on the ignition. An electrical signal should go to the starter relay. If it fails, then the starter system has a disconnected circuit. Regardless of the number of times you try starting your car, it will fail. It happens your battery has a low voltage. The
repetitive clicking sound is a weak electrical current to start the engine of your car. If the starter relay does not receive a full signal, your car will not start.
Occasional difficult starts Sometimes your engine fires up immediately while at times it takes a couple of tries. If this happens to you, it might be a case of cumulated debris on the starter relay. You should clean it up and see if it solves the problem. If, after cleaning, it still behaves this way, then your starter relay has outlived its better days.
Diagnosing your starter system using your headlights Photo by: Photo by: After running all the checks, you might want to confirm your suspicion further. A headlight diagnostic will rule out faults in your starter system. The test is simple. You will need an assistant to turn on the headlights of your car, and then start your engine. No sound and
headlights do not work. It means that there is an open circuit in your starter system, or the battery is dead.
When battery terminals corrode, they prevent electrical current from reaching your starter motor. The headlights go off when you crank your car When this happens, it can have more than one possibility. It could mean that your battery does not have enough charge. If the battery has sufficient charge, then the fault may be on the starting motor.
A short may make starter motor to draw too much electric current. There is also the possibility that your problem is not in the starter system but the engine. Headlights are fine, but the engine will not crank When this happens, it means the circuit has too much resistance. It could mean that there is an open circuit, and the electrical current does not
reach the starter motor. You should check if one of the starter components has taken damage. When you have a faulty starter, it is only a matter of time before it fails. You should know all the starter problems with the sounds they produce when the engine fails to come to life. The problem might be as simple as a loose battery terminal connection. It
can also be difficult and need you to take out your starter motor for a closer check. Video tutorial on how to diagnose the starter on your vehicle. If you are having an issue with the starter or starting circuit, the engine of your vehicle will not turn over. If the engine does turn over, then you are having an issue relating to somewhere else on the
vehicle, therefore the starter and starting circuit is functioning correctly. As for starter replacement, you can rebuilt it yourself which is by far the cheapest method and I have a full in depth tutorial on how to do this, have a specialist rebuild the unit, purchase a rebuilt unit, or purchase a new unit. The option of a used replacement also exists, but I
am not normally a fan of this as you are unable to determine it’s life expectancy.Tools/Supplies Needed:multimeter socket set and ratchet battery load tester wrenches screwdriver setThe ignition switch which is the main controller of the circuit. Next is the battery that provides the power to the whole circuit. The solenoid acts as a relay and provides
linear mechanical movement, and finally the motor. The ignition switch and solenoid operate on the low amperage circuit while the starter operates on the high amperage circuit. The case of the starter motor assembly is ground or earth. When the ignition switch is turned to the start position, this activates the solenoid that provides mechanical
movement and turns on the high amperage circuit providing power to the motor.Either the power going into the ignition switch, the ignition switch itself, or the wire between the ignition switch and solenoid may have an extra switching device which can be relating to neutral safety switch, clutch switch, or some type of anti theft feature. If it’s an anti
theft issue, then most likely you will have some type of light flashing on the dash relating to a security feature.First check the fuse, use a multimeter or test light to determine if the fuse is faulty.
If your vehicle is equipped with a fusible link, this will be known by it’s wiring diagram. A continuity test can be done between two points, but make sure your testing the wiring only with no electronic components in between.The battery might be either low on voltage or it is unable to handle a load.
A load test can be done on a battery to determine it’s condition. Use a multimeter, also test to ensure the engine has a sufficient ground.
Not all vehicles will have a relay in the circuit, so refer to your wiring diagram which will determine if the vehicle has one or not. The relay itself can be tested to determine if the coil or contacts are faulty.
Next the electrical connector can be tested to determine if it has voltage and a sufficient ground. On some older vehicles, the solenoid might be separate, but the same testing procedure will apply. Test the voltage at the solenoid switching wire using a multimeter as you turn the key. Battery voltage should be present at the connection. If not, there
could be a fault with the wire or a faulty ignition switch if previous areas have passed. Test the main power able feeding the starter assembly which is the high amperage side & should have battery voltage present at all times. The ignition switch connector can be tested for power, back probed when it’s operated, & also have a continuity test when
disconnect from the circuit. If it’s not receiving power, then there is an issue with the wiring or circuit between the switch and battery. Set the multimeter on the lowest ohms setting and test the resistance of the coil of the solenoid. The solenoid also has an internal connection to switch the high amperage circuit. The solenoid may need to be powered
up if it doesn’t have a plunger, but do not hold the power on for an excessive amount of time as you can overheat the coil. If all tests pass above, then you will have a faulty starter motor.Stay up to date with my latest tutorials, don't forget to FOLLOW my profile and be sure to check out my YOUTUBE page as well for all your DIY needs.