My car has been hesitating to start. I can’t find a pattern based on temperature or on time since the last time it ran.
Items:
Sometimes the starter tries to crank, sometimes it doesn’t.
It has (so far) always started on the 2nd to 5th try.
Spark plugs are perfectly gapped (did it last night).
Battery voltage is 14.4 V at rest.
Dry gas is in the system.
Fuel injectors all seem to work (based on listening with stethoscope)
Tomorrow, I’ll be trying fuel injector cleaner. Also, turning the car to ‘On’ for about 10 seconds before trying to start it to see if the fuel pump has to catch up to get enough pressure to start.
Do you always hear the starter solenoid click, regardless of whether the engine cranks or not? If so, I’d say perhaps there are dirty or corroded contacts in the solenoid. That’s the first thing I thought of when I read the symptoms.
Q.E.D., there is a click even when the engine doesn’t crank. But it sounds like it’s from the rear of the engine, on the driver’s side. Is that where the solenoid would be?
Joey P, no. Sometimes it cranks without starting. Most of the time, actually.
Yep, the starter and solenoid are located at the rear of the engine, where the flywheel is, in most engines. The solenoid does two things: first, it engages a pinion gear driven by the starter motor to the gear teeth around the edge of the flywheel, and second, it applies power to the starter motor after the pinion gear has been engaged. If the electrical contacts in the solenoid that apply power to the starter are dirty or corroded, you’ll experience just the symptoms you’ve described. In most cars that I’ve seen, you can replace the solenoid spearately from the starter motor.
Great! One of the options in my troubleshooting book considering my problem was broken teeth on the flywheel, but I was told that you would hear that for sure. It sounds like the solenoid misbehaving could give the same effect.
Thanks! I’m glad there’s another option to check out besides the fuel pump. I love to work on my car, but am only knowledgable about the things that I have already done. Taking off my fuel tank is something I want to avoid.
Intermittent no-crank. With a robust single click in the starter (but no cranking) when the key is turned to the “start” position, this is a starter problem. Depending on the type of starter, you might be able to obtain and replace just the solenoid, which usually will fix it for some length of time. I’d suggest a complete rebuilt starter to avoid having some other portion of the starter act up in the not too distant future.
Missing or broken ring gear teeth (on the flywheel) result in the starter spinning (a whirring sound) rather than cranking (a ruh-ruh-ruh sound).
Difficulty starting even though cranking. There are many possible causes of this symptom. The spark plugs are a good place to start. Correct gap is great, but is this on new plugs? Somewhat worn plugs? Very worn plugs? If the plugs are significantly worn (rounded electrodes, deposit build-up), replacement is called for.
I saw the thread subject and thought maybe your car was starting trouble. Picking fights in the street, dripping oil on the neighbours driveway and generally being a nuisance, a bit like Herbie.
Do me a favor, while I don’t think that the battery is the issue, take another reading after the engine has been off for several hours (over night is fine) and post it. The 14.4 voltage would be with the engine running (or right after shut off) It does not tell me the condition of the battery.
Also did I miss it, or what is the year make and model of the car in question?
Gary T, you’re ruining my day…only one problem at a time, please.
I checked the photos in the back of my troubleshooting guide against my spark plugs, and they don’t look like any of the pics. They look totally fine, except that there was white (not ash) residue on the part that you actually move to gap them. (I’m not very technical with the names of parts) I was going to replace them all this weekend with Bosch platinums this weekend, but right now, the car isn’t starting at all, so AAA is coming to take it away. I can’t do much here, because I live in an apartment and my dad has all the tools, about 90 minutes away. Anyway, car maintenance is illegal on the property for insurance reasons.
Right now, since the car is going to a mechanic anyway, I need these ideas so they don’t try to rip me off because of my lack of a Y chromosome. Any idea what kind of labor is involved with changing a solenoid? As long as it gets started and I can get the car to where I can work on it, I would rather change the starter myself. Both for the experience and for the savings.
youami, that’s funny. You must have heard what trouble Geo Prisms are. They’re the redheaded stepchild of Chevy products. Punks, the lot of them.
Rick, after sitting overnight, the battery is reading 12.68V. I can’t even crank the engine right now, so I can’t see what the voltage drop is when it starts. It’s a seven year battery on its third year, which doesn’t necessarily preclude it from being the problem, but makes me inclined to believe otherwise.
The car is a 1993 Geo Prism with almost 160K miles on it. According to the AAA lady, they have a tendency to go through ignition switches.
12.68 indicates a fully charged battery. This is a good thing.
Ign switch could be a contender, as the starter/solonoid.
I agree with Gary T that if it is the solonoid, change both.
Rick, do you think it would be worthwhile for me to only have the solenoid replaced and to do the starter myself, or would it be a lot of hassle just to save a few bucks in labor. Once the car is dismantled enough to get out the solenoid, would the mechanic replacing the starter make sense?
I wonder if the mechanic would let me watch. I want to be able to do this stuff on my own…
Have you checked the condition of the battery cables? I recently replaced mine, it was corroded neat the post terminal clamps, and I aslo had problems with the starter getting enough power to crank. The voltage can be ok at the battery, but can drop quite a bit across a bad cable.
Have you checked the condition of the battery cables? The voltage at the battery can be fine, but a bad cable will cause it to drop quite a bit at the starter.
The solenoid is part of the starter. First the starter is removed, then one can disassemble the starter enough to access the solenoid.
Years ago, it was common for shops to repair starters, replacing solenoids, brushes, bushings, etc. as needed. Things have changed. Now the overwhelming majority of repair shops do not repair starters, they replace them with rebuilt units. Availability of parts for starters, including solenoids, has been diminishing. You may find that it’s difficult or impossible to locate a separate solenoid, that only complete rebuilt starters are available.
Even if solenoids are available separately, I suggest getting the rebuilt starter. Why? For the same reason repair shops don’t mess with repairing starters – chances are, within 6 months some other aspect of the starter will fail. It’s quicker and generally more reliable to replace the starter rather than repair it (e.g., replace only the solenoid), and it’s less expensive than removing and repairing the starter two or three times.
You can ask about watching the repair process, but don’t be surprised if the answer is “no.” Auto repair is not a spectator sport, and it’s not an educational enterprise. Just having a body hanging around nearby can be distracting and disruptive to the normal flow of things. If you’re lucky, you may find a place with the time and inclination to let you watch, but most shops have other priorities.
Dag Otto has a good point about cables and connections, which need to be in good shape. I am assuming you’re hearing a vigorous click from the starter when the key is turned to “start,” and taking that as an indication that the battery, cable, and connections are okay. But if I were actually repairing the car, I would test those items to be 100% certain they were in good order.
Sorry about changing your name, Gary T. I tried replying over the course of about an hour, and somewhere along the line Gary mutated into Rick.
It’s hard to know what is vigorous and what isn’t. The click is quite audible. The towing guy who came this morning tried to start the car and said it sounded like the starter, and I assume that he has enough experience to know that it’s vigorous.
The biggest problem I have right now is that my car is missing! The tow company dropped it off on the street that the mechanic is on, and the mechanic hasn’t found it yet. It was parked with the keys in it and everything. I’m just hoping that some car thieves don’t have better luck starting it than I do.
The mechanic sounds nice, but in a “isn’t it cute that this girl tried to tell me that the voltage on the battery is fine and that the sparkplugs are freshly gapped. Awwwwww.” way. He probably wouldn’t let me watch the repair. It’s too bad. I really want to learn more, but I don’t know how to study up in these things without my car actually needing the work.
Mithril I really don’t mind being mixed up with Gary T he knows his stuff.
Again I agree with Gary T that replacing a solonoid only is false ecomony. Either the solonoid will cost you more than a complete starter, or in 3 months the starter will take a dump.