A bad starter is considered one of the most common problems for which people repair a shop. We do not give any attention to the ignition sound, but ignition shows some symptoms before any bad starter. That’s why here we are to solve the problem of a bad starter and to learn how to start a car with a bad starter.
How To Start a Car with a Bad Starter
So before knowing the steps of starting a car with a starter, we should know which vehicles this type of problem usually occurs. Bad starter problems take place on a vehicle where the electric energy is converted into mechanical energy.
People are using electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles a lot in this era. Luckily these vehicles are haven’t shown a bad starting problem. Still, we can say, bad starting problem is one of the majors, very few people are using electric vehicles. So let’s see what we have got about the bad starter.
What is Starter?
Before knowing about the solution of a bad starter, we should understand what a starter is. The starter is considered an electrical motor that forcibly cranks the vehicle’s engine, and finally, the vehicle starts. Usually, we see the vehicle starting system consists of a motor and a connected solenoid. The solenoid hauls the battery power and transmits it to the starter motor.
For starting the engine, the engine needs to suck fuel and air into the cylinder, and for that, you must start the engine at a specific speed. The starter motor initially helps to turn on the engine, and a small gear wheel with the shaft will get involved with a big ring broad rim of the engine flywheel. If you have a car with an engine in the front, the started must be mounted low down close to the back of the engine.
Indication of a Bad Starter
You have already known that a starter has three significant components. Electric motor, Flywheel, and Solenoid. If any of these won’t work smoothly, you’ll face faulty starting. Ultimately, those faulty starts will turn into a bad starter. To exterminate a bad starter, you should prepare yourself with pre-signs of a lousy starter. Let’s see what we have got here.
Car Missing to Start
The most common sign of your bad starter. You will see that the vehicle will fail to start increasingly even if your battery is in good shape and fully charged day by day. So when you see a vehicle failing to start one quick ignition regularly, it might be a sign that you will face bad starter problems in the recent future.
But don’t think this sign is obvious. Sometimes, this sign means other vehicle problems and or maybe you are not good at starting the engine. But you may consider the missing start of the vehicle as one of the signs of bad starter. There will be 2-3 signs, which will confirm that you will have a bad starter problem.
Dimming Down of Interior Light
A clear sign of a bad starter. When you try to turn on the ignition key engine, the interior lights will start to dim. It’s an indication of short-circuited starter wiring. It happens when the starter consumes more power and provides less power for the other vehicle segments. So, you can say that consuming more than enough power for starting the vehicle is not a good sign for a starter.
Clicking Sound Instead of Roaring
When we usually start the engine, it expects a roaring sound immediately. Sometimes a vehicle can produce a click sound instead of what we used to hear. Here, you may get it wrong, thinking about the sign of a bad starter. A dead battery can cause a clicking sound too.
A simple solution is to check the headlights and other lights if you hear the clicking sound instead of the typical roaring. Headlights and other lights light up due to a dead battery. If they light up correctly, then it is a problem for the starter.
If the car needs a long time to start, it must be a reason for a faulty starter. Sometimes it may need more than one try to start a vehicle but starts immediately on the second or third try. It’s also an indication of a bad starter.
Whining Noise At The Time of Starting
Instead of starting the car, freewheeling will generate a whining noise every time you turn on the ignition key. This is a clear indication that the freewheel and electric motor these two main starter segments are incapable of connecting to each other.
You may have to go to the mechanic for this freewheeling problem, but you can solve it on our own if you are experienced.
Smoky Smell
A smoky smell or burning smell is always an alarming situation. Too much power flowing through the starter can cause overheat, and as a result, a burning smell occurs. Also, short-circuiting, blown-up fuses, and a loose connection in the starter can cause a burning smell. Don’t try to avoid them.
Try Different Methods To Start a Car With a Bad Starter
Some people think that if a bad starter happens, there’s no way to start the car other than a repair shop. But we are suggesting you try several methods before going any mechanic. We’ll discuss these methods thoroughly. We have listed these methods keeping in head that you are not a professional mechanic. So, all of the processes are easy, and they require less equipment.
Examine Your Connection
So, you have turned on the key, and the car has failed to start. If this is the case, the first and foremost thing you need to be concerned about is the connection between the battery and starter. A loose connection between them causes a starting problem because a loose connection doesn’t allow the starter to receive good amps from the battery.
Now, use a ratchet and screwdriver to tighten the connection. Now find the positive wire and follow its path. The positive that comes from the battery divides into two sections, one goes to the starter, and the other goes to the alternator. Follow both the positive wires and shake them a little bit to find out if there has a loose connection problem. This is also a solution to how to start a car with a bad starter with a ratchet.
Even if everything seems fair, you can bypass the positive wire with a lengthy number cable to the starter. Now turn the ignition key on to the start position.
Using Hammer To Tap The Starter
It is a common question of how to fix a car starter with a hammer. Looks very unprofessional act, believe it or not, tapping the starter’s outer frame with a hammer is one of the oldest and most successful acts. Even the experts will suggest you to tapping the starter. It works for old cars, or the car has a starter for a long time.
After using for many years, the starter starts to wear out, some dead spot is created between the armature and field coils. So, when you tap the starter with a hammer, it will allow the armature to get an adequate spin to start the car.
But this trick won’t work for modern-age vehicles. Most vehicles nowadays have a transversal engine, which is opposed to older cars when all cars were RWD. In this transversal engine system, the starter situates behind the engine.
Most of the time, over the exhaust manifold or under the intake manifold. There has very little space to position the hammer. You can use a ratchet extension bar in this situation
Jump-start
can you jump start a car with a bad starter? There is no exact answer to this asking. If your battery is transmitting enough power to the starter, then jump-starting won’t be an effective solution. To jump-start, a car due to a bad starter should ensure that the starter isn’t getting enough battery power. In this case, no options are available to supply the starter with powerful current from another large battery or a portable jump starter. This powerful current will force the armature over the dead spot, and the armature will start to spin.
Bypassing The Relay
This trick is for how to start a car with a bad start with a screwdriver. It works for older cars and the cars which allow the screwdriver in the starter.
To overcome the bad starter problem, touch the positive terminal and solenoid terminal to the starter with a screwdriver to build an electric connection. This method will help you bypass the relay and send 12 volts to the solenoid, which will help start the vehicle. Also, it’s a solution to how to start a car with a bad starter solenoid.
Push Start The Vehicle
You can call it a final try if all the method fails for you. This method is also the solution to how to start a manual car without a starter. Now another question comes, how can you push start a car with a bad starter? Turn the key on the run position, hold the clutch, and keep the gear in the second position. Now tell someone to push the vehicle from the back.
When your vehicle will reach 5-10 mph, quickly release the clutch and rotate the key to start the car. This push will help you to start the car.
FAQ
How can anyone start a vehicle with a bad start with a screwdriver?
- It works for older cars and cars which allow the screwdriver in the starter. To overcome the bad starter problem, touch the positive terminal and solenoid terminal to the starter with a screwdriver to build an electric connection. This method will help you bypass the relay and send 12 volts to the solenoid, which will help start the vehicle.
Does tapping with a hammer work?
- Tapping the starter’s outer frame with a hammer is one of the oldest and most successful acts. Even the experts will suggest you to tapping the starter. It works for old cars, or the car has had a starter for a long time. After using it for many years, the starter starts to wear out, and some dead spot is created between the armature and field coils. So, when you tap the starter with a hammer, it will allow the armature to get an adequate spin to start the car.
What are the indications of a bad starter?
- The vehicle will miss the ignition.
- Dimming Down of Interior Light
- Clicking sound Instead of Roaring
- High pitches sound
- Whining Noise at the Time of Starting
- Burning Smell
Final Note
All the methods we have discussed here are temporary solutions for how to start a car with a bad starter. You can solve your bad starter problem in the middle of the road. But after getting back to your area, you should concern your local mechanics and fix this problem immediately. The more you’ll wait, the more costly the problem will be.
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