Starter Motor Problems and How to Recognize Them
Pay attention to what is going on if you notice that your car's starter is making any unusual noise. You will want to take care of the problem so you do not get stranded on a busy day.
Slow cranking can be caused by your battery, battery cables or the starter. You can usually get your battery checked to free anywhere that sells batteries. If the battery is good you need to check all the connections to make sure that they are clean and tight. It is a good idea to check the voltage at the starter end of the large cable that runs from the battery to the solenoid to make sure that you are getting full voltage to the starter.
If you hear a clicking but the starter is not turning the engine over there is a good possibility that the problem is with the solenoid switch not connecting the power from the battery to the starter motor as it kicks in. Again make sure that the battery and the cables are not the problem. Now you cay try jumping the two large lugs on your starter solenoid with a screw driver to see if the starter motor will run without engaging the solenoid. Be sure to put the car in park and set the parking brake first. If the motor spins up and sounds good your problem is with the solenoid and it should be replaced
Another problem that might come up is the starter motor not disengaging with the flywheel. This usually makes a lot of noise and causes a lot of wear on the starter gear and the starter bushings by spinning the starter motor at high speeds. Some times the starter will not disengage even after the engine comes to a stop. If you have a manual transmission you can try leaving the car in gear and rocking it forward and back to release the starter from the flywheel. This is usually caused by a broken or weak spring that assists the starter drive to retract when the power is cut to the starting motor.
