Car Starter Makes Grinding Noise

Car Starter Makes Grinding Noise Auto Repair

No one enjoys hearing their car make those awful grinding noises because that’s usually a sign that the car needs a repair. But when it happens, it happens, and knowing how to take care of  a car starter that makes grinding noise can go a long way toward saving you money.

As we are dealing with expensive and potentially dangerous equipment, it is important to be careful and to follow these directions prudently.

Steps to fix car start up grinding noise

1)   Lift the hood and disconnect the battery.

2)   Locate the starter (usually under either the hood or the vehicle). To locate, follow the positive battery cable from the battery and it should lead directly to the starter.

3)   Raise the vehicle with a jack if need be, then remove the positive battery cable from the starter motor.

4)   Remove the solenoid energizer wire. The wire is much smaller than the battery cable, but is still a vital part of the starter motor.

5)   Remove the starter mounting bolts and set aside.

6)   Look within the starter mounting hole and examine the ring gear teeth. When completely normal, the teeth should appear fresh, the edges should be sharp and crisp, and the teeth should be free of chips and discoloration. If the teeth don’t look like this, then unfortunately the transmission must be removed and the flywheel or ring gear flex plate must be replaced. However, if the ring gear doesn’t show any abnormal wear, then the problem lies with the starter and it will have to be replaced.

7)   Test the starter by mounting it in a large vise. With the jumper cables, attach the ground cable from a battery to the starter body and a positive cable to the starter positive post (where the main battery attaches). Now, attach the jumper wire from the solenoid-activator connection. Attach this wire directly to the starter positive post. If done correctly, the starter should start to spin and the starter drive-gear should forcefully extend.

8)   Finally, check on the starter drive gear teeth. These are made of much harder steel and thus should show far less sign of wear than the ring gear. Even so, replace the starter assembly anyways. The problem is that the solenoid is weak and not pushing the gear far enough into the ring gear. This process creates grinding that is forceful enough to start the car, but ultimately it will die and will need to be fixed.

If all this technical jargon seems like too much to handle, use TalkLocal to find a local auto repair professional in just minutes who can assist with any issues.


4 Responses to “Car Starter Makes Grinding Noise”

  1. Willson Smith says:

    When we are using any vehicles whether car or bus we need to be more careful in every cases regarding any types of short comings of the particular vehicle we are using. The article tells about such a problem that generally occurs in these cars and also it is more critical when creates serious damage in terms any incidence. So need to be more careful and follow the instructions need to followed.
    http://www.germanimportservices.com/services.htm

  2. Ron says:

    I know which one is the ing. wire however I have 2 larger [thick] wires going to the large post . The starter works perfect with no weird noise 9 out of ten times but on the [about] the 10 try I hear a loud grinding sound. When I try again, it works fine. This is the third mini starter in my 350 chevy and its driving me nuts.Any advise ???

  3. Andy Harrison says:

    Well for starters, no pun intended, if it’s grinding, then you should get it checked out. Doing step number 7 might be a bit out of reach for some people. In that case, it would be a good idea to take it to a shop and have them check it for you.

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