A couple of things can prevent your engine from turning over. While the starter is in charge of the actual cranking, it isn’t always the problem. Luckily, you can quickly narrow it down to the starter with some simple troubleshooting steps.
How to Be Sure the Starter is the Problem
Before concluding that your starter is the problem, you have to eliminate other things that can prevent your engine from cranking. These are:
- Your transmission isn’t in Park
- A bad battery
- An armed aftermarket alarm/immobilizer
- Damaged cables
- Poor connections
- A bad starter solenoid
- A damaged starter or trigger switch
Your Transmission isn’t in Park.
All automatic transmission vehicles have a safety switch that prevents you from starting the engine if the transmission is in gear.
It is easy to forget, especially if you turned the car off in a hurry and didn’t put it in Park or Neutral.
ProTip: Some manufacturers go further and cut off the ignition unless your foot is firmly planted on the brake pedal. Try this too before starting other complex troubleshooting procedures.
A Bad Battery
The starter is the most power-hungry electronic in your internal combustion engine vehicle. It needs a lot of amps from the battery to work. Your starter won’t work if the battery is low.
- It might click but fail to spin and crank the engine
- It might try cranking the engine, but it will be slow and sluggish
- Nothing will happen at all
First, confirm that your battery has enough power. Your electronics should be working, and the lights shouldn’t dim so much when you try to crank the engine. You can also use a multimeter to get the battery voltage with the headlights on. It should be 12.4 to 12.6 V for a good battery.
ProTip: If you don’t have a multimeter but have another car or a jumper pack nearby, try jumping the car to see if it starts. If this works, then the problem is your battery.
An Armed Stock Immobilizer
Some vehicles have a stock immobilizer that kicks in when someone repeatedly tries to turn on the car without the proper key. If this happens, you will get an immobilizer light on the dash. Follow the immobilizer reset procedure for your vehicle to fix the problem.
An Armed Aftermarket Alarm or Immobilizer
Some cars have aftermarket immobilizers and alarm systems that cut power to the starter and the engine unless:
- You disable the alarm before turning on the car
- You press a specific kill switch before starting the car
It is easy to forget if you are driving a borrowed car or recently installed the system. This also happens in case you are trying to start a vehicle whose battery died recently. If the battery died with the alarm active, you have to press the alarm keyfob to disarm it before starting the car.
If this is the case, there will be no reaction from the starter when you try cranking the car. Everything will be silent, but some lights might and will pop up in the dashboard.
Damaged Cables
Damaged cables leading to the starter can render it useless. This could be the main power cable from the starter relay and solenoid or signal wires that activate the starter relay.
Also, a less than ideal ground strap can make the starter fail to work as it won’t push enough amperage through the existing flimsy connection.
To confirm if the starter is getting power, you can use a multimeter to test the live terminal to the ground while someone tries to start the car. If you get no power, chances are:
- You have faulty wiring
- The starter relay is faulty
- You have blown a critical fuse in the starter circuit
ProTip: If you suspect the starter relay, identify your relay’s location and listen to it (ear close) as someone starts the car. You should hear an audible click as it engages. You can also bench test it for better results)
Poor Connections
Since the starter needs so much power, you need perfect connections to transmit all that current.
The clip and terminals on the starter itself should be clean and corrosion-free. The battery terminals should be clean and firm too.
Sometimes, cleaning the terminals and tightening them could solve your problem very fast.
ProTip. If this is the problem, the start will click but fail to crank or crank slowly. You might see visible corrosion on the battery or sparks if the terminals are loose.
If by now you haven’t got your car to turn over, chances are the problem is the starter itself.
Some possible problems here include:
A Bad Starter Solenoid
The starter solenoid ‘kicks’ the starter’s gear out to connect it with the ring gear or flex plate so that it can transfer its rotational power to the engine.
This is the pronounced click you hear before the starter cranks if everything is working fine. If the solenoid is faulty or has no power, you won’t hear the click. Chances are your starter will still whir, but without a mechanical connection to the engine, nothing will happen.
How to Start a Car With a Bad Starter Solenoid
Luckily you can bypass a bad starter solenoid and get your starter working for an emergency run.
Run a bypass cable from the battery’s positive terminal to the point where the solenoid connects to the starter.
This will automatically kick out the starter gear, and your starter will crank the engine when you hit the start button. Remember to disengage the wire as soon as the engine starts to retract the gear and avoid that jarring noise that happens if you hold down the key after an engine cranks.
ProTip: This should be a two-person operation as the bypass should be disconnected as soon as the engine cranks to avoid damaging the car.
Worn out Brushes on the Starter
Another common failure on older cars is worn out brushes or ineffective spots between the amateur and field coils.
If this is the case, you will hear the starter click as the starter solenoid kicks out the gear, but the starter won’t turn—just silence.
If you can access the starter, a couple of soft thumps on the starter with a hammer, a tire iron or even a stone should reinitiate contact making the starter work again. Try cranking the car after every two thumps to see if it worked.
This is a temporary fix that could get your starter working for a couple of starts before it fails again. The permanent fix is servicing or replacing the starter altogether.
Warning: Some engine designs have the starter hidden away and inaccessible. You can’t try this universal trick if you can’t access your starter.
If nothing has worked by now, you will need tools and a replacement starter to fix the problem.
How to Move a Car With a Faulty Starter
Your next step depends on where you are and what type of vehicle you drive.
Push Start the Car if It is a Manual
If you drive a manual, you can push-start it and drive it around – as long as you don’t turn it off or are ready to push start again. You will eventually have to buy a replacement starter, though.
Note: Even push-starting needs some juice – especially on a gasoline engine. You will need some juice in the battery to run the fuel pump and spark plugs. Diesels can be more forgiving as they can use residual fuel to jumpstart as they don’t use spark plugs.
- Turn the car on by turning the key ON.
- Put the car in the lowest gear and hold the clutch in
- Have your buddies push the vehicle until it starts rolling at a walking pace
- Pop the clutch
- The car will jerk a bit, and the engine should start if the momentum is enough.
- If the engine doesn’t start, press down on the clutch again and try with a bit more momentum.
- If the engine starts, press down the clutch again immediately to avoid stalling the engine
If your car has a Push to Start button, you first have to push the button to turn it on.
- Have one foot on the clutch and the other on the clutch
- Push the start button just as you would start the car
- Continue to push start the vehicle as a normal manual
ProTip: Push-button vehicles need some juice to activate the start circuitry after pressing the button. You can’t push-start such cars on a 100% dead battery.
If you are parked on a slight incline, use it to your advantage. It is easier to roll a car downhill. It might even roll when you release the brake. You can even jumpstart when rolling in reverse as long as you put the transmission in reverse.
ProTip: If on an incline, avoid using the brake often. The brake boost reservoir has enough pressure for around three stops with the engine off. You might lose brakes if you don’t start the car soon enough.
If You Drive an Automatic?
If your car has an automatic transmission, you can do nothing to start safely without a starter.
Have a professional service the existing starter or buy a working replacement and install it from your garage. Installing a starter motor is a simple job on most mainstream vehicles.
However, if it is hidden and you have to disassemble other components to get to it, consider having a professional handle it – unless it’s not the first time working on an engine.
If you are out on the road or at the shops, you will have no option but to have your car towed or repaired in place.