Eventually, your car, truck, or C/SUV is going to need a new starter motor. That is, if you keep your vehicle for several years. The starter lasts about 100,000 miles or seven to 10 years, unless it gets soaked by motor oil because you’ve got a leaking cylinder block. As you can imagine, that’s not something that happens every day. A dying starter can happen due to age, however, and LP & Sons Auto Care can replace the starter when it needs it. Here are signs that it does.
Noises Before Ignition
One of the things that the starter will do if it is too old and needs to be replaced is it will make strange noises from the time that you turn the ignition key or press the start button to the time that the engine actually starts. The most common sound the starter will make is it will click continuously. Another sound you might hear from the starter is whirring noises. Your engine may or may not start after these noises.
Engine Refuses to Start
If the engine does start, head to our shop right away so we can replace the starter before you end up with a dead engine. This being said, not all starters have the courtesy to give their drivers a warning before they die. You might end up stuck with a dead engine that refuses to start no matter how much you try. The reason why your engine won’t start is that the starter is unable to turn over the engine. When this happens, the combustion chamber is void of the air and fuel it needs to fire up.
All of the Lights Work
Without the necessary air and fuel, much less the electricity the starter provides to the spark plugs, the engine is unable to start. You might think initially that you have a dead battery and this is why your engine is dead. To check, check all of your lights to see if they illuminate at their normal brightness. If they do, the battery is fine. The dead engine is likely being caused by a dead starter motor.
You Can Smell Smoke
If you end up smelling smoke alongside the dead engine, this definitely points to the starter. The smoke means that you’ve tried too many times to start your engine and, consequently, you’ve overheated the starter motor. When it gets too hot, it releases smoke.
Call LP & Sons Auto Care in DeLand, FL, today if you believe your starter might be going bad. We’d be happy to test the starter and replace it if necessary.