One of the difficulties experienced by car owners over time is starting a car with a defective starter. Everyone dreads having trouble starting their car, especially if they are stranded somewhere they don’t want to be.
Damage to the starter could prevent you from starting the engine. To get back on the road, you can learn how to start a car with a bad starter.
This makes it a frequent flaw discovered at the auto repair shop, but it has declined recently. But how can you get rid of damaged starter automobiles without using an EV?
Well, due to this decline, electrically powered cars were developed, which lessened the occurrence of faulty starts but did not eliminate them. It will be advantageous to be able to jumpstart an automobile with a defective starter, at the very least.
In this reading, we’ll explore how to start a car with a malfunctioning starter. We’ll also cover other important things you need to know.
Let’s begin!
Learn about the reason why your car starter is not engaging with this guide!
How to Start a Car with a Bad Starter
Here are the two most common ways to start a car with a bad starter:
- Jump-start your car
- Push-start your engine
Jump-start your car
Your automobile may frequently not start because of a weak or drained battery. Giving the starter enough amps will enable it to operate normally, which enables the engine to start. You can either use a portable jump starter or the battery and jumper cables from another automobile to jump-start a vehicle. Here’s how to jump-start your car:
- Open the car’s hood and find the car battery. Please refer to the car’s manual if you are unable to locate it. If the car’s battery seems bloated or is leaking, don’t work on it. Instead, give a mechanic a call because the battery could need to be changed.
- If the car battery appears to be in good condition, connect the positive terminal of your weak battery to the positive terminal of the backup battery or jump starter using the positive wire (red jumper cable).
- Connect the negative terminal of the charged battery to any exposed metal on the vehicle using the black jumper cable.
- Now start the engine and wait for the battery to charge for a few minutes.
Depending on the engine type, DOD, and battery condition, a dead battery may take between 5 and 20 minutes to start up. Please disconnect the jumper cables once your vehicle has successfully started.
The -ve clamp comes first, followed by the +ve. Ensure that none of these cables touch one another. Keep in mind that a defective starter may be to blame if your battery is charged but your car still won’t start. Therefore, you can disregard the starter relay. There is also another, more straightforward method you can employ as well.
Push-start your engine
Push-starting, often referred to as bump-starting, is an outdated yet reliable method to start an automobile with a defective starter. It only functions, though, if your car has a manual transmission. Here’s how to push start a car:
- Keep the engine running while shifting into first or second gear on your car’s manual transmission. Maintaining your vehicle in second gear will enable a smooth push start. Additionally, it lessens system harm to your car. However, when you have a significantly shorter distance to push-start, use the first gear.
- Get a strong person to push your automobile from behind so it can accelerate to 5–10 mph.
- When you reach this speed, release the clutch. The car can be started at the speed that has been reached.
- If the first effort doesn’t work, try again.
Also learn how to test a car battery with a multimeter with this guide!
Symptoms Of a Bad Starter
Below are the most obvious symptoms of a bad starter:
- The engine will not start. If nothing happens when you turn the key or hit the start button, that is the most obvious sign that your starter has a problem.
- There are unusual noises such as grinding, whirling, and clinking. The engine flywheel could get damaged if you ignore these noises.
- Smoke is coming from under the hood. An electrically driven mechanical system known as the starter is prone to overheating. You will either see or smell smoke coming from beneath the hood when the starter overheats.
- intermittent issues with the car’s ignition. If you try to start your car and the engine doesn’t fire up immediately but starts on the second try, you most likely have a starter relay issue.
How To Test A Bad Starter
Here’s how to diagnose if a starter is bad:
Check The Connections
Ensure that the starter battery pathway doesn’t have any loose connections. Check the other ends of the positive battery cable if the connection appears to be secure. There are two sections to this positive wire. You connect the starter to one end and the car alternator to the other. Try the jump-start procedure once more if the connections to the alternator and starter appear to be sound.
Examine The Starter Solenoid Cable
The starter solenoid connects the starter to the transmission in your car. If you hear the starter turning freely when you turn the ignition on, there might be a solenoid issue. Check for dirt or rust on the solenoid wire to diagnose a faulty starter solenoid. You can work around the damaged starter solenoid wire if rusting is the problem.
To achieve this, connect the starter and solenoid using a 12V cable that runs straight from the car’s battery. You’ll hear a click sound upon making the connection. Now switch on your ignition. As soon as the engine cranks, you should unplug the 12V wire.
If not, the flywheel, which is moving at a much faster speed, will continue to rotate with the starter gear (pinion) engaged, which could cause damage.
Check The Battery Voltage
A voltmeter or multimeter can also be used to determine whether the starter solenoid is receiving enough power from the battery or whether the battery is dead. To determine if the battery is weak, Set the meter’s scale to 20V, which is higher than the voltage of your battery.
Activate the meter. Connect the meter’s (+ve) and (-ve) leads to the appropriate posts. Now, turn on the headlights of your vehicle and take the reading.
If the reading falls between 12.7 and 13.2 volts, you have charged your battery, and the problem lies elsewhere. For the engine to start, your battery needs to be charged if the reading is less than 12.4 volts.
You should also learn about how many volts a car battery is with this guide!
Examine The Engine Flywheel
To start the engine, the starting motor’s pinion gear engages with the flywheel’s ring gear. When your car won’t start, the flywheel may occasionally also be to blame.
To inspect the flywheel, remove the electric motor first, then put the car’s transmission in neutral immediately. Ask someone to use a ratchet or breaker bar to turn the crankshaft pulley’s center bolt.
This pulley aids in the operation of the steering pump, alternator, and other parts. Now check the flywheel for any broken or missing teeth that might be preventing it from engaging with the starter gear.
If you find any discrepancies, you may need to replace your flywheel’s ring gear. Keep in mind that it’s best to let a trained expert handle this task.
Check The Engine Grounds
A bad engine ground wire or transmission ground wire can sometimes affect the starter’s overall grounding. In order to prevent an open circuit from forming and preventing the starter from turning, inspect these two grounds for any rust or damage.
A jumper cable that provides a direct ground from the battery’s negative post to the starter frame can also be used to get around this issue.
Tap The Starter
The armature and field coils of the motor frequently acquire dead patches over time. These dead spots can be eliminated, and the starter’s motor made to run by gently tapping the malfunctioning starter with a hammer.
Inspect For Corrosion
One of the most frequent issues with car starters is corrosion. Make sure your battery cable and the terminals are free of any acid build-up to prevent it. Any battery terminal, post, or battery cable will have an acid deposit coating that has a white, green, or blue tint to it.
Learn about how to start a car without a key with this detailed guide!
How To Start A Car With Bad Ignition
There are two methods we suggest using to start your car if the ignition system is damaged. Hotwiring is the first option (it works for cars made before the middle of the 1990s), and jumpstarting is the second.
How to hotwire a car with a bad ignition switch:
The first step is to take out the surrounding panels from where your battery is located. Then, using a socket wrench or screwdriver, remove the four bolts holding it in place. If necessary, take them out using pliers.
Once the panel is off, you’ll need two wires: one red for the positive (+) end of an automotive battery terminal connector, which is located near the airbag cover attachment point in the top center of the left side panel.
This will go into one post, while the other will fit into the bottom right corner post from underneath through a little hole that was drilled there when the vehicle was first built.
Don’t forget the ground wire, though! Before starting the engine again, simply join those three items together because if anything else breaks throughout the process, everything will simply revert to the previous state, which is not ideal
You should also see how to tell positive and negative on a car battery with this guide!
FAQs
What to do if a starter is not working?
Here are a few things to do if a starter is not working:
- Look underneath the hood. Verify the battery’s condition and the battery wires to make sure everything is functioning properly.
- Tap the starter. Avoid hammering the starter; instead, try lightly tapping it a few times with a firm item.
- Change the transmission.
- Examine the fuel gauge
How does a car act with a bad starter?
The engine will not start. When you turn the key or hit the start button and nothing happens, that is the most likely symptom that your starter has a problem. Unusual noises like grinding, whirling, and clinking. The engine flywheel may eventually be damaged if you ignore these noises.
What causes a weak starter?
There are several reasons why a starter could malfunction: improper electrical connections. stiff or broken solenoid switch (activating relay). Electrical damage to an electric motor.
Can a starter be repaired?
When a starter malfunctions or loses dependability, you can buy a new replacement, a rebuilt unit, or replacement parts to repair the starter yourself. The majority of repairs are simple to complete and may be done with standard hand tools.
Can you start a car without a starter?
Unfortunately, there is no way to restart your car if the starter motor is fully dead. But when a car won’t start, it’s usually because the battery doesn’t have enough voltage to turn on the engine.
How do I know if my starter fuse is blown?
Using a test light is one of the best ways to tell if an automobile fuse has blown. If neither end of the fuse is illuminated, the fuse needs to be replaced. Sometimes a damaged wire, motor, or other component will result in a blown fuse.
How do I know if my starter is draining my battery?
- Your Starter Is Making Odd Noises.
- Car Won’t Start Despite the Lights Being On.
- The engine won’t start.
- Smoke or an odd odor.
- Oil Is Dripping Off the Starter.