Did you know that an oil leak can kill your car’s starter? It’s true. Depending on where the oil drips, it may saturate the starter and kill the motor. Unfortunately, without a starter motor, you can’t get your vehicle started. It’s the starter that fires up the engine. Eurotech Auto Service & Repair advises that the starter in your European automobile will last about 10 years. If you are driving an older automobile, you may end up with the following four signs that your starter motor is dying.
1. Strange Clicking Sound
The starter is usually the problem when you turn the key in the ignition or press the start button and hear nothing but clicking. This noise points to the starter rather than the battery or alternator. You may not always receive this warning before the starter dies. Sometimes, the starter will die and you will never hear a single click. This being said, if you do hear clicking sounds before your engine fires up, or if you hear clicking sounds and your engine doesn’t fire up, this is likely a problem with the starter.
2. Lights But a Dead Engine
The starter is only responsible for firing up your engine. It does not power your vehicle’s lights. The battery and alternator do that. Therefore, if you cannot get your car started but the dashboard and other lights turn on, it’s a safe bet that your starter is the reason why the engine is dead.
3. Dead Engine After a Jump-Start
When you jump-start your battery, this gives the battery an influx of power to get it going. If you jump-start the battery yet your engine still won’t crank, this suggests that the starter has died. No amount of jump-starting is going to get your engine running if the starter motor isn’t working. The problem does not lie with the battery or alternator. Rather, your engine is dead because of the starter.
4. You See/Smell Smoke
Finally, the more you try to start your automobile the more you will overheat the starter motor. When it gets too hot, it will begin to smoke. You will smell the smoke and you may also see smoke coming out from underneath the hood. Don’t keep trying to start your automobile. The starter motor is dead, and it is not going to work despite your best efforts.
Bring your European automobile to Eurotech Auto Service & Repair in Fort Myers, FL, if you believe your starter motor is going out. We can test the starter and replace it if necessary.