Starter Motor Troubleshooting Tips DIY - How to diagnose starter problems

[imohmed1]

Great video. Very clear. I'm a carpenter with terrible starting probs on my transit. Helped diagnose dodgy corroded connection. Saved £s on replacement starter that the garage misdiagnosed

[bearing01]

@imohmed1 That's awesome. Thanks for the feedback. /John

[xzzx22]

Thank you very much

I'm a technician and you helped me to learn more about the starter, it the same on the generators!!

[bearing01]

@xzzx22 Thank you. /John

[NEMESIS9O9]

Thank you John

[NEMESIS9O9]

So any idea of what it could be? If its not the starter, alternator, or battery?

[bearing01]

@NEMESIS9O9 My first guess would be a dirty (or bad) idle control valve. That or dirty throttle plate. Clean both with carburetor cleaner spray. Next it could be a bad throttle position sensor. It could also be a vane air flow sensor flapper stuck wide open (if you have one) or dirty or bad mass air flow sensor. It could also be a bad engine temperature sensor or crankshaft position sensor or camshaft position sensor. Clean the throttle and Idle control valve first. /John

[NEMESIS9O9]

My 87 Chevy died while I was waiting at a light, battery is ok. Could it be the starter, if so where can I find it?

[bearing01]

@NEMESIS9O9 If the vehicle died while it was running then it's not the starter. The starter only runs while trying to start the vehicle. It wouldn't cause the engine to stall. It could be a bad alternator.. but a bad alternator would run your battery dead and after the battery runs dead the car would stall. /John

[ManagFTW66]

wheres it located in a jeep cherokee

[bearing01]

@ManagFTW66 Get up in under and look at the transmission bell housing and you should find the starter somewhere in the mid to upper section of it. /John

[RoyofAllTrades]

The solenoid has a switch inside. The always hot wire is the power coming in, the wire coming out of the solenoid is NOT the ground. It is the hot wire once the key/ignition switch is turned.

Otherwise, the video is correct.

[inodob1]

Hi. When I turn the key to start my car (99 Acura), it will start but it makes this loud sreeching noise. the same noise a car makes if you try and start the car when it's already running. It sounds as if i'm holding my key too long to start the car, but i'm not. Could this be a bad solenoid or starter motor? Also, I don't know if this matters but the other day my alternator went bad. I replaced the alternator, but the problem is still there.

[bearing01]

@inodob1 Sounds like the overrunning clutch inside the starter motor isn't working properly to extract the pinion gear from the ring gear. I would just replace the starter. /John

[amirkhayn]

Hi, recently when I start my car, for the first and second try it will click once when I turn the key, but with the 3rd try it will turn on the engine and every thing work fine, what do you think the problem is? you have said if it clicks it is not the Solenoid, may it has to do with alternator?

thanks

[bearing01]

@amirkhayn It's not the alternator. Sounds like it could be a lose or dirty battery cable. First make sure the battery cables are tight. If the problem persists, remove each cable and clean the battery lug and the cable connector and reinstall. Baking soda and water helps clean it up good. /John

[MafiaCarr]

Great schooling, thanks John very good video

[bearing01]

@MafiaCarr You're welcome. Thanks for commenting. /John

[igiveup240]

top class video, thank you.

[bearing01]

@igiveup240 You're welcome.  Thanks for commenting. /John

[tomtmm123]

very well explained,thank you. tom.

[bearing01]

@tomtmm123 Thank you Tom /John

[Palle40]

That was a good video, clear and educational. Well illustrated. Simply great job.

[bearing01]

@Palle40 Thank you. /John

[kenethgonzo]

Excellent video! Thanks a lot for your explanation.

[bearing01]

@kenethgonzo Thanks. /John

[bbroush88]

Thank you so much, exactly what I need to hear

[bearing01]

@bbroush88 Glad you found it useful. Thanks for your comment. /John

[Commando303X]

Wait: I thought the big black wire leaving the battery is the negative, and the big red one is the positive. No?

[bearing01]

@Commando303X The convention for DC powered systems is to use black wires for negative or ground and red wires for power or positive. This is not the case in every vehicle. Most German vehicles, for example, use brown wires to represent a direct connection to chassis ground. You have to follow the wiring diagram to know the colors for sure. On this car the red wire connects the starter to the alternator and a black wire connects that red wire to the battery. /John

[spelunkerd]

Last month in Calgary, a 'sting' operation by a local journalist was done at about a dozen auto-shops. They brought a vehicle in with a bad ground connection at the battery. More than 3/4 of the shops sold the customer an unnecessary battery. As I recall, all three Canadian tire shops missed the diagnosis. Only one or two of the whole group did a voltage drop test and thus came to a correct diagnosis. I admired the one mechanic who admitted he messed up.

Good review.

[bearing01]

@spelunkerd My sister and her boyfriend lives in Calgary and he's a mechanic. Garages are out to make money. They also do stuff like price quote for premium parts but then install the cheapest parts they can find. Thanks /John

[spelunkerd]

@bearing01 I understand what you are saying. But I think that most of those who make those kind of errors do so not because of underhanded practice but out of pattern recognition. Poor starting combined with easy boosting usually means a bad battery. Unless you go through the effort to do a voltage drop test while under a good load, you may miss that bad connection at the negative pole. It's cured with a new battery, not because of the battery but because the connection is refreshed.

[donna2cool]

what if the starter starts to make a grinding noise out of no where?

[bearing01]

@donna2cool Could be one of a couple things. Inside there are gears and if the grease around those gears gets hard it could cause a Zing noise as the starter disengages. Typically a grind or whine noise is due to chipped or worn gear teeth. That could be due to hard grease inside. It could also be worn/chipped teeth on the pinion gear or flywheel ring gear. /John

[donna2cool]

@bearing01 ah i see would it nerow it down if i said that the ground on the battire sparkes to?

[bearing01]

@donna2cool Battery ground has sparks? That's a problem due to either a bad cable or loose connection. You get sparks because something is breaking the flow of electricity. Plug an electric kettle in and try to boil water. While it's on, pull the plug from the wall. You will see a spark jump from the plug to the socket. That's because you broke the connection while a large current was flowing. Make sure your battery ground is tight and the cable is good. /John

[donna2cool]

@bearing01 ok thank so much ill give it a try!

[agnosticpj]

thanks a ton.

[bearing01]

@agnosticpj You're welcome. /John

[igiveup240]

TOP CLASS INSTRUCTIONS THANKS FOR POSTING !!

[bearing01]

@igiveup240 Thanks and thank you for watching and commenting. /John

[karthikneo12]

Excellent !! Cant get any better than this ! Neat job

[bearing01]

@karthikneo12 Thank you for the kind words. /John

[zura1977]

thanks for taking a time.

[bearing01]

@zura1977 You're welcome. Thanks for commenting. /John

[bearing01]

@TheBipolarGemini Thank you for your generous comment and thank you for watching. Glad I could help. /John

[charlieparker1234]

Thanks for the vid! Your diagrams rock! Thanks for thinking of us visual YouTubers. Lot of these tutorials have a guy droninig on and on.

[bearing01]

@charlieparker1234 Thanks, and thanks for commenting and watching. /John

[TheOfficialvice84]

this video helps me alot thanks but i hav a question..my car when i put the key in, i get the clicking noise n if i hold the key ..my car eventually turns on..do you know what may be the problem?... n also my car has been boken into n the inginition isall messd up n the key hole is messd... thank u

[bearing01]

@TheOfficialvice84 My first guess would be either burned contacts or a worn out (or damaged) ignition switch. This is also likely if yours was damaged by those who broke in. You could test to see if you got voltage on your trigger wire (like in the video). If you don't then it could be the switch. Replacing the ign switch depends on the car, but usually you remove the steering wheel and part of the steering column. It's a plug on the back side of the cylinder where the key goes. Thanks/John

[TheOfficialvice84]

@bearing01 thank you sir,..i hav another question,how much would it cost to get my ing switch or burned contacts replaced? i feel that may be the problem. thank you

[bearing01]

@TheOfficialvice84 I don't know how much the labor would cost. I replaced mine a couple years ago. The part is like $20 or something. You have to remove the steering wheel and steering column (not that hard). When the column is out you can easily just unplug the ignition switch plug (the part with the contacts) and plug on the new one. Keep in mind the ignition switch is actually multiple switches. When mine went the wipers stopped working, but the car started. Thanks for watching. /John

[notoriouskelly]

Excellent schematics and explanation.

You are a great instructor!

[bearing01]

@notoriouskelly Thank you for the kind words. Thanks for watching and commenting. /John

[s61927]

They still won't sell it

[s61927]

What if its for an old school muscle car?

[bearing01]

@s61927 Old starter motors are big & heavy because they use electromagnets instead of permanent magnets. Some, like on old Fords, these electromagnets move with a lever action to engage the starter drive pinion with the engine ring gear, called: Positive Engagement Movable Pole Shoe starter. It won't have the solenoid bump but rather a remote starter relay. The trigger wire goes to the remote relay. The starter motor receives only one big heavy wire for power from that relay. (to be cont'd)

[bearing01]

@s61927 The remote relay starter therefore has two big cables running to it as well as the trigger wire. One cable is from battery and the other is switched power going to the starter. The starter receives only one heavy cable from the relay, to energize it. If the car doesn't have an alarm then there won't be any ignition switch disable relay like in this video. But if the car has an auto tranny there will be a gear shift starter disable switch in the trigger wire. /John

[s61927]

what is that cable call the red and black one i need that it riped on mineso i can buy a new one thanks

yeah mine doesnt make a noise but the wire is riped

[s61927]

what is that cable call the red and black one i need that it riped on mineso i can buy a new one thanks

[bearing01]

@s61927 I would call it the ignition switch wire. You usually can't buy just a single replacement wire. Go to an autoparts store or Radioshack and buy yourself a coil of wire and some connectors. Cut off a length of wire and crimp on whatever new wire you want to replace.

[s61927]

so my single triger wire piped is thst bed i taped it but i was wondering if i should get a new one or not

[bearing01]

@s61927 If the wire broke and you reconnected, if you use a crimp connector to make the join you should be okay. Just put black electrical tape over it to keep the water out. /John

[roboaalien]

It Helped me. Thank you very much. i was in the middle of the nothing. When I saw this video on my smart phone, i could see the problem was present in the alarm system, then I made a bypass connection wich helped me to start engine.

Thank you very much.

[bearing01]

@roboaalien That's awesome. Congrats. Thanks for commenting. /John

[skriverful]

Thank you from Sweden. Nice very easy to understand ;-)

[bearing01]

@skriverful Thank you for watching and commenting. /John

[skriverful]

Thank you from Sweden. Nice very easy to understand ;-)

[cillaruiz]

Great video! One of the clearest explanations of voltage drop I have ever seen. Good Job :)

[bearing01]

@cillaruiz Thanks, and thanks for watching and commenting. /John

[rab0306]

Wow, great video man! I'm currently an automotive student at Centennial college and we are dealing with alternators and starters this semester. I been having some trouble understanding some diagnosis procedures and this video was a tremendous help. Thanks a lot!

[bearing01]

@rab0306 I'm glad I could help. Thank you for watching and commenting. /John

[pazparapr]

Excellent Explanation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bearing01]

@pazparapr Thanks. I try. /John

[1771abinder]

What a great video man!! That helped me so much!! I will tell you why, it's because you went over each point several times. I have very poor comprehension and found this video very easy to understand. Thank you so much I wish I could shake your hand. Take care!

[bearing01]

@1771abinder Thank you for telling me that you liked it. I like repeating and pounding in the important facts that you need to remember. Thanks for commenting and providing feedback. /John

[chip973]

every time i start my 98 honda,its a single loud click sound and after a couple of tries,it finally starts...this video is so helpful,im goin to have my battery checked tomorrow...but your sayin,it could be the connection as well..how do i check that?

[bearing01]

@chip973 The video tells you how to check if a connection is bad. If a connection is bad then you either need to replace corroded cables or just use sand paper and rough up & clean any corrosion (ie powder) off the battery lugs and cables. Then make sure all connection are tight. /John

[TheSteelyT]

Outstanding Video! Your approach using diagrams drawn on paper and actual meter probes in your hands is very practical and easily understood. This is the best instructional video I have seen on youtube thus far. Thank You!

[bearing01]

@TheSteelyT You're welcome. Thanks for the feedback and commenting on the video. /John

[hempsteadeagle]

Two thumbs up!!!!! plus an High 5. Simple and to the point.  Better than Harvard or MIT

[bearing01]

@hempsteadeagle Thanks, and thanks for watching.  /John

[jayarscintilla]

this is one of the best presentations i've ever seen. Excellente!

[bearing01]

@jayarscintilla Thank you. Thanks for watching and commenting. /John

[ibkickenyodick]

hi i have a 1997 pontiac trans sport and i had a slow strt prob and changed batt then few days latr the van wont start at all only makes click sound.. had alt checked it is good??????please help

[bearing01]

@ibkickenyodick 1) Make sure the battery is fully charged. Maybe have it load tested or monitor the voltage across it while you turn the key. 2)make sure both battery terminals are clean and tight as well as the point where the battery -ve cable connects to the chassis. /John

[youtubPOIU]

Hi Bearing01,

This video is the BEST wrt starter motor.. I have 96 jeep cherokee recently changed the battery and ignition switch but after couple of days the car would not start.

Though I had concluded it must be starter motor. I had broken information on how to test it .. Your video helped a lot and at the end it was just banging the motor couple of times..

But i had already spent 100$ on rental :-( .. Good thing is I do not have to TOW my car to the garage .. THANKS A LOT ...

[bearing01]

@youtubPOIU You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. Thanks for watching and commenting. /John

[unforgiven7]

thats great john, thankyou for the quick reply

[unforgiven7]

hi john, my corolla had been acting up just clicling but would eventually start...then the other day, it started and continue trying to start while the engine was running...turned the key to off and even took out the key...the engine shut off but it kept turning over(over and over) i'm trying to save a buck by doing it myself...my research is telling me it could be the solenoid(which is together with my starter i believe or the ignition switch or ignition cylinder.any help is greatly appreciated

[bearing01]

@unforgiven7 It sounds like the problem is a welded shut solenoid. The lump on the starter body is the solenoid. Inside there are two heavy tabs and a plunger that moves to connect both tabs. If the battery is weak, when the solenoid is energized, plunger moves slow and internal arching can weld the plunger to the tabs. That means the solenoid is engaged all the time. This will also engage the motor drive pinion with the engine all the time.

[bearing01]

@unforgiven7 You will need to remove the starter and replace it.  If you're desperate, if you bang the starter solenoid with a hammer, you may be able to free up the plunger from the weld. But this could also destroy the starter. Thanks for watching and commenting. /John

[dre1162]

you need a minimum of 9 volts for a car to start.

[bearing01]

@dre1162 Yes, good point. The car will start if voltage across the starter is less than 9V. The service manual recommends there be at least 8V at the braided wire after the solenoid. The voltage will depend on how cold the engine oil is (how slow the motor turns) and how strong the battery is. To load test a battery you draw half the CCA rating for 15 sec and make sure the voltage doesn't fall below 9.6V. A good battery doesn't typically fall this low unless its old and cold outside. Thanks

[oldexarmyranger]

Its an easy video. But you should also instruct diagnosing starting problems when you turn the key and NOTHING HAPPENS! No clicking, no turning, nothing. And also, like in my case, I have a diesel motor, 6.2 Chevy C-20 pickup automatic trans. Otherwise pretty darn good.

[bearing01]

@oldexarmyranger Thanks for the suggestions.  /John

[FU420B]

wow great info thanks your awesome!

[bearing01]

@FU420B You're welcome. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. /John