What Is a Starter?
The starter is a small battery-powered motor located in the engine. Between the starter motor and the battery, you’ll find a starter relay that transmits power. If the starter or starter relay does not work, neither will your vehicle. Both are needed to get your vehicle’s engine fired up.
Signs of Starter Problems
When you’ve been driving for a while, you learn the way your car, truck, minivan, or SUV sounds, feels, and responds, and your knowledge of your vehicle can often clue you into problems. When it comes to starter issues, here are some signs of problems:
- Something sounds wrong: You turn the key or push the button, and nothing happens, or you turn the key or push the button, and you hear a clicking sound, or you hear a whirring or grinding noise, but the engine doesn’t start.
- The lights turn on, but your vehicle doesn’t: Dashboard lights come on, and your headlights may power up, but your engine doesn’t turn over.
- Vehicle is not cranking: Your engine doesn’t crank, even after an attempted jump start. It’s time for a tow to get your vehicle worked on by the professionals at Victory Chevrolet.
- Your vehicle starts smoking: Since your vehicle is part of an electrical system, it is prone to blown fuses and short circuits. When you attempt to start your vehicle too many times, the starter can overheat and cause electrical problems, which may cause it to start smoking from under the hood.
- You see oil: If you check under the hood and you see oil covering your starter (below the passenger side exhaust manifold in RWD vehicles, above the transmission, or beneath the exhaust manifold in FWD vehicles), it means you have an oil leak that you need to resolve to prevent other issues with your engine.
Starter issues can be caused by many things, like loose wires, corroded connections, battery corrosion, damaged or worn-out parts in the starter system, oil leaks, and bad relays. These or other secondary issues can cause starter troubles.
If you think you have a starter issue, contact us at Victory Chevrolet and set up an appointment with our Service Center, or schedule the service yourself online. Our technicians are trained in the latest tools and techniques of the trade.
