One of the symptoms of a bad starter is a clicking noise when you turn the key or push the start button. However, a starter can die without making any sound at all, or it may announce its impending death with whirring and grinding noise—so listen up!
A bad starter's tell-tale noise is loud clicking. It can either have a fast tempo, click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click or a slower lilt of click, click, click, click. No other part makes these noises when they fail, so if you hear either, you're likely going to be on the hook for a brand-new starter.
A bad starter actually sounds quite a lot like a dead battery – you turn the key, and all you hear is a click. It might not be the entire starter, though – it could be a weak component known as the solenoid. It prevents the starter from creating the correct current to start your car.
When you attempt to start the vehicle, is there a clicking sound, but it won't turn over? That may be a good sign. If a jump gets the car running, but won't turn over again once it's shut off, a dead battery is likely the cause.
Can you jump-start a car with a bad starter? Most of the time, NO, you can't jumpstart a car with a bad starter unless you repair it. When the battery is dead, jumper wires or boosters are employed. You use a second battery to provide the necessary electricity to start the car.
How Much a Starter Replacement Costs. The cost of rebuild parts for a starter can range from as little as $50 to as much as $350. A brand-new starter can range from $80 to over $350. For a qualified mechanic to replace or rebuild your starter, you can expect to pay between $150 and over $1,100.
So can a bad starter drain your battery? The short answer is: Yes, it can. It could also drain the battery even faster if you repeatedly try to start your car with a faulty starter. A faulty starter is also one of the leading causes of battery overcharging.
This works because the brushes wear out which results in an inadequate electrical contact. By gently tapping on the back of the starter with the hammer, the brushes are knocked back into place so they can make contact one more time.
Average car starter lifespan
A car starter can give you around 80,000 starts before you should expect it to struggle, regardless of the mileage you drive. This is around 150,000 miles for some cars, while some starters can last the vehicle's life.
No two starters will last the same length of time and there is usually no way to know that your starter is dying until the day your car doesn't start and you have to call for service. They could last as long as 200,000 miles or as little as 30,000.
A starter motor's lifespan varies between automobiles, but you can expect to get about 100,000 miles out of the factory starter. Stringer Auto Repair advises that your starter may start to go bad once the odometer has reached this coveted mileage milestone.
If you decide to jump start your car that has a bad starter: It's unlikely that your engine will die or stall while you're driving—but never say never. In some instances, the shorted starter can cause a continuous battery discharge and your vehicle cannot operate without proper voltage.
If you hear a whine or the sound goes fuzzy when you hit the gas, your alternator is probably failing. If the vehicle won't crank or start but the headlights are still working, look to problems with the starter or other parts of the engine.
CAUSES OF FAULTY STARTERS: CAUSE OF FAILURE
Electrical connections faulty. Solenoid switch (engaging relay) stiff or faulty. Electric motor damaged electrically. Single-pinion gear, starter pinion or freewheel damaged.
Due to the complexity of starter motors, the average amount of time it takes to completely replace a starter is generally between 2 and 4 hours. If your car has an easily accessible starter and you take it to a mechanic worth their salt, your time should hopefully be closer to 2 hours rather than 4.
Luckily, replacing a starter is not a difficult task. In most cases, it's a fairly simple process that anyone with basic car knowledge can do.
It might be a battery or alternator problem.
A rapid clicking noise when trying to start your car could mean there's something wrong within the electrical system. Perhaps your battery's dead, or your alternator, which charges the battery, isn't working correctly.
Why won't my car start but the battery is good? If your car won't start but the battery is good, the most common cause is a faulty starter – though it could also be to do with your fuel. You may have insufficient fuel to get the car going.
Jump-Start Your Car
Providing enough amps to the starter can help it function normally, which in turn, will crank up the engine. To jump-start a car, you can either use another car's battery and jumper cables or use a portable jump starter.