4 Signs of a Broken Car Starter Motor and Their Causes

The signs of a damaged car starter motor are something that car owners need to be aware of. By knowing these symptoms, one can avoid more extensive car damage.

As is known, the starter motor in a car is one of the vehicle's engine components that functions to turn the engine for the first time. The motor will convert electrical energy into motion energy to rotate the engine's crankshaft or shaft through the flywheel.

If the starter motor is damaged, the impact can hinder your mobility. Because, the car may not start, trigger damage to other components, or even stall suddenly in the middle of the road. Of course, that would be very troublesome, right? Actually, this problem is easy to handle as long as you know which components are starting to weaken.

Curious about the signs and causes of a damaged car starter motor? Let's take a look at the discussion below!

Also Read: 10 Causes of Cars Not Starting with a Clicking Sound & Their Solutions

Signs and Causes of a Damaged Car Starter Motor

What are the signs of a damaged car starter motor? There are 4 signs of a damaged car starter motor, as follows:

1. Clicking and Whining Sounds

The clicking sound occurs due to the misalignment of the pinion gear with the ring gear of the engine. When the two gears in the starter motor are damaged or worn, it will produce a clicking sound. If the sound gets louder, it means the damage is already at a severe stage.

Another factor is the emergence of a whining sound when the car is started. The whining sound occurs if the one-way bearing on the pinion gear is damaged.

This affects the armature shaft that should provide rotation for the pinion gear, but instead, it rotates on its own, a condition referred to as starter loss. This condition causes a whining sound to be heard, but there are no signs of the engine turning over.

2. Engine Hard to Start When Hot

The next sign of a damaged car starter motor is that the engine becomes difficult to start when the car has just been used for a short time or is still hot.

This condition is often unnoticed by car owners because if the car has been parked for a long time or the engine is cold, the engine starts more easily and shows no signs at all.

Difficulty starting the car when the engine is hot can occur due to increased resistance in the coil. When the hot engine affects the solenoid body, the resistance value in the coil increases.

The impact is that the electric current is held back and cannot flow to the coil. When the electric current is held back, the engine becomes difficult to start automatically.

Also Read: 4 Reasons Why Cars Are Hard to Start When the Engine is Cold

3. No Reaction When the Car is Started

If there is no reaction from the starter motor, it could be a sign that the starter motor is damaged. One possible cause of a damaged car starter motor is a blown fuse in the motor. A blown fuse indicates that there is an electrical circuit experiencing a short circuit or has burned out. This condition also triggers the carbon brush and its copper winding to burn as well.

4. Dead or Weak Battery

Another issue that arises and is one of the signs that the car starter motor is damaged is a weak or even dead battery. This affects the car's starter system, which becomes weak and does not drive the ignition system.

This condition is quite easy to recognize because when starting the car, a choppy starter sound will appear. This is a sign that the voltage is insufficient and indicates that the starter motor is weak. Check the battery, as it could be due to dirty connections, short circuits, dead, or loose connections.

If you are not familiar with the signs of a dead car battery, you can click the following link. Hopefully, it can help in addressing the issues with the damaged car starter motor.

Thus, some things that you must know about the signs of a damaged starter motor. If it happens, immediately service the car starter motor at the nearest official Daihatsu workshop.

If you have never taken a car mechanic training course, the easiest way is to take your beloved car to your trusted workshop so that the problem can be resolved quickly. If this condition is left unchecked, the possibility of damage could spread to other components.