What are the early symptoms of a bad starter?
2 Answers
Early symptoms of a bad starter: When turning the key to start, there is little resistance felt, and only a clicking sound is heard without the engine starting. Reasons why the starter fails to start: 1. Insufficient battery power or loose terminal connections; 2. Short circuit in the starter solenoid switch coil or poor contact with the contact disc; 3. Burned or eroded relay contacts, or short circuit/burned-out relay magnetic coil; 4. Physical deformation of the starter's armature shaft, worn brushes, poor spring contact, or dirty commutator. The starter, also known as the motor, converts the battery's electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the engine flywheel and initiate engine startup.
My car has been acting up lately, making it a bit difficult to turn the key every time. Last week when starting it for work, I suddenly heard a 'click-click' sound and had to try three or four times before it started. These past two days it's gotten worse—the dashboard lights flicker during startup, and I've noticed a faint burnt smell. The mechanic said these are classic symptoms of worn starter motor brushes, causing unstable current due to poor brush contact. If left unchecked, even the starter motor gears could get damaged. He recommended an early inspection—replacing the brush set costs just a few hundred bucks, but letting the whole starter motor fail could set you back two to three thousand.
