https:\/\/www.instructables.com\/id\/Starter-Motor-Repair\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The undeniable fact that an automobile\u2019s moving parts are sophisticated affects most of our thinking when it comes to repairing them. However, luckily, not all of a car\u2019s body parts are complex and require a mechanic\u2019s touch. For example, replacing a car starter is one of the more common, simpler fixes that can be done by the owner of a vehicle. You can replace a car starter even while parked at home. However, it requires some basic tools and a little technical application. The only necessary things to know are how to locate the starter, solenoid, and car battery and loosen or tighten a bolt. Here are the 13 steps to replace a car starter: Replacing a car starter is not easy, but it is straightforward. It takes an average of two to four hours to complete the task. The remaining of the article will go over what car starters are, how they work within your vehicle, the symptoms of a bad starter, and how to replace and maintain them. What is a Car Starter? The name may sound technical, but the function is simple. A car starter is a motor, and it contains in-built gear that rotates on its own; thus, a car starter is also called a starter motor. A starter is a cylindrical object with two different parts, each with various openings. The primary function of a starter is to stimulate the engine such that the engine can begin to work. There are three types of starters, each following the same working principle but differing in design and mode of operation. Types of Starter Functions Mode of Operations Electrical Convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. Through interaction between the motor’s magnetic field. Pneumatic Convert compressed air to mechanical energy. Linear motion or rotary motion. Hydraulic Convert hydraulic pressure to mechanical energy. Working pressure. The Working Principle of a Car Starter A starter works on the principle of a combustion engine. The combustion engine follows four cycles of operations: intake stroke, compression stroke, third stroke, and exhaust stroke. For a car engine to work, the power to initiate the engine must come from an external source, which is supplied by a car starter. The first two steps of the combustion engine must come from a car starter; thus, the intake stroke and compression stroke are performed by the starter. When the processes are completed and the car engine starts running, the function of the starter is no longer needed. In summary, a starter is required to start a car engine, and without it, a car can’t get started. 5 Symptoms of a Bad Car Starter The following five symptoms are signs that you may need to replace your car starter: 1. The car may sound weird. A car owner usually recognizes the familiar sound of their car when the ignition button is pushed to start or the key is turned. The first sign your starter is bad is when you begin to notice a clicking noise as you try to start the vehicle. It is worthy of note that the car may die without seeming to emit a sound at all or may die immediately as the power switch is turned. Try to listen carefully for that clicking sound if you don\u2019t notice it the first few times around. 2. The light only turns on. This is another means of identifying the starter as the cause of a car problem. If the car’s dashboard lights up, but the engine refuses to start, it could be a starter issue. However, note that many other technical malfunctions can lead to a dead engine, not just the starter. 3. The engine refuses to start even after a jump start. If you noticed the previous symptom and applied direct jump start, but the engine still refuses to start, the problem is highly likely a damaged starter. If a jump start cannot light up the car, immediate attention to the starter is required. 4. A smoky car. If a car refuses to start, it is likely that you will try to repeat your attempts to start it up. When you continuously turn the ignition key, there is a possibility that the car will begin to give off smoke due to the poor connections of the starter with the car’s electrical system. When a car gives off smoke while you try to start it, it is highly possible that the error is due to a damaged starter. 5. An oil-drenched starter. A starter can only be covered by engine oil if there is leaking, which is a very narrow possibility. Once the starter is soaked in oil, it can quickly go bad. As you can see, a single symptom does not confirm that a car problem is the result of a bad starter. Because there are a lot of mechanical errors that can lead to a damaged starter or the other way around, further troubleshooting before you decide you want to try replacing your starter is the best course of action. Can a Car Starter Be Replaced without Mechanic Support? Yes! The owner of a car can replace a car starter even while parked at home. It requires some basic tools and a little technical application. The only necessary things to know are how to locate the starter, solenoid, the car battery, and how to loosen or tighten a bolt. Once the car’s components can be identified, the rest is an easy do-it-yourself process. Although the process might be stressful and take a little time, changing a car starter is simple! 13 Steps to Replace a Car Starter Replacing a car starter is similar to the process of changing a bulb in a lamp. The steps involved include identification, switching, and testing\u2014just like a bulb replacement. Knowing how to identify each component is mandatory for a successful starter replacement. Replacing a car starter requires some sets of tools and materials, which are: 1. Turn off the ignition. This first step might seem straightforward, but it is the most crucial part. The process of dealing with electromagnetic devices requires safety first! You do not want to mess around with an electrical component of your car while it is still running. 2. Disconnect the battery. A socket wrench is required to loosen the tight connection of the battery. The main target is the negative terminal of the battery. An ideal starter replacement requires you to remove the cable and put it in a place that prevents it from touching the terminal again. Always remove the terminal\u2014at least the negative terminal\u2014before working on the starter! It is highly important for your safety. Removing the positive cable is not mandatory, and once the negative terminal has been tucked away, it is safe for you to move on to the starter. Safety measures to keep in mind: 3. Jack up the car if necessary. There are different cars with various starter positions. Some vehicles require carjacking. In that case, carefully place the required jack under the correct area related to the starter position, and then jack the car up to access the starter from the ground level. Make sure the jack is steadily engaged under the car at the appropriate height and the settings are firmly arranged. Safety measures to keep in mind: 4. Locate the car starter. The starter is usually cylindrical, and there are two cylindrical-shaped devices attached: one is bigger than the other. The small cylinder is the starter solenoid. Another means of identifying the starter is the connection between the battery and the solenoid. In essence, a wire runs from the battery to the terminal of the solenoid, usually at the top of the solenoid. The key point in identifying the starter is the connection. The starter is majorly connected to the battery or fuse box through some running wire. There might be some difficulties in identifying the starter, as different cars are designed in several ways. At this point, the best option is to refer to your car\u2019s user manual. If it is not present, a manual for your car may be accessed from the manufacturer\u2019s website; you will only need the released year and model of the car to search for it. 5. Disconnect the solenoid wire. Different electrical connectors that transfer electrical power from the power source to the starter are equipped in cars, depending on the manufacturer. There are two types of connections to keep in mind: the clips and bolts. If your car is designed with the clip-type solenoid, it is simple: just remove the clip from the solenoid. On the other hand, if your car has a bolt connection, you may need to unscrew or loosen bolts. Safety measures to keep in mind: 6. Loosen the starter bolts. Loosening the starter bolt is the beginning of the main process. A socket will be required at this point. Considering the connections of the starter, solenoid, and battery, there are primarily two bolts that keep the starter in place to prevent falling or shifting to unfavorable sides. However, there may be more than two bolts in some car models. Your goal is to figure out which bolts are holding the starter in place. The starter may be on the heavier side; therefore, you may need to use extra force to pull out the starter after removing all of the bolts or clips. Safety measures to keep in mind: 7. Remove the starter from the car. After the bolts have been removed, the next step is to remove the starter from the car. This measure requires additional care to avoid other car parts damage. Place your hand on the right and left sides of the starter; be careful not to injure your hand. Carefully raise the starter (the starter might be heavy), and place it on the ground or a table. Make sure you stay aware of the terminal. Safety measures to keep in mind: 8. Compare the old and the new starter. This comparison is to check for similarities. The new starter must be identical to the old one in the number of holes, the placement of the holes, and the size of the starter. Although it is not compulsory for an ideal match, they must at least be similar in size. Note that the number of holes might be more than the one in the old starter because of the new model. If by chance, the starter is not identical, it is highly possible that the new starter is not the fit choice for the starter replacement. 9. Place the new starter into space. Place the new starter in the same position as the old starter; a little wiggling for perfect fitting into the space is necessary. This process might be done either from above or beneath the car engine, depending on the car model. Safety measures to keep in mind: 10. Insert and tighten the starter bolts. Next, you will need to replace the two bolts that you loosened earlier. Carefully place them in the right position and then turn the bolts with your hand in a clockwise direction until they are tightened well enough that they can no longer be twisted by hand. At this point, use the right socket to tighten the bolts and make sure they are firmly in place. Note: a car starter can loosen up through the vehicle\u2019s vibration if it is not properly tightened. To avoid damage due to improper tightening, make sure your starter is firmly in place before trying to start up the car again. Safety measures to keep in mind: 11. Connect the starter’s wire to the solenoid. The starter and the solenoid are two different components that are attached. So, do not forget to reconnect the two. There might be a little difference between the old and new solenoids because of newer models; for example, the new solenoid might come with four terminals instead of two. When the perfect position of the starter and solenoid has been achieved, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13163"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16290,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163\/revisions\/16290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drivinglife.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}