Starter Troubles

[Kwik_Cutty88]

All of a sudden my car decides to keep grinding the starter. It only does it after you shut the car off and try to restart it after it has been running for a minute or so. Resting voltage on the battery is anywhere from 11.5-12.5 volts, and the starter bolts are tight. Any ideas?

 

[seawolf18]

You will need to take the starter off, and check the starter drive and flex plate for damage. If there is none, the starter may need to be shimmed so the starter drive engages the flex plate correctly. The starter drive may also not be returning to the correct position after you let off the key switch. Battery voltage should also be around 13 volts at the battery.

 

[Kwik_Cutty88]

You will need to take the starter off, and check the starter drive and flex plate for damage. If there is none, the starter may need to be shimmed so the starter drive engages the flex plate correctly. The starter drive may also not be returning to the correct position after you let off the key switch. Battery voltage should also be around 13 volts at the battery.

I load tested the batter, it it wasn't elcellent, but not bad either. Could it also be an ignition switch telling the starter to keep going while the key is off? I mean this starter is not even 2 years old and has less than 20,000 miles on it.

 

[pontiacgp]

the ignition switch could be sticking. Check the purple wire and if that has power when the starter is stuck on then it's the ignition switch. The switch isn't an expensive item and easy to change

 

[seawolf18]

Yes pontiacgp, I forgot about the actual switch. The key switch is not the actual ignition switch. The switch is actually a rectangle shaped box bolted to the column near the bottom of the column. There is a metal rod that goes from the key to the ignition switch. If the rod is bound up or sticky, it can cause the switch to not release like it should. The internal parts of the switch could also be going bad. Test it like pontiacgp posted.

If you have a rebuilt starter, I have seen them bad right out of the box many times. When the big reman companies "rebuild" them, they usually just replace the one or two bad parts in it, clean it up and put it back in the box. I had to get a new starter for my truck. After replacing the reman parts store starter three times in a couple of months, I finally took it to a local guy that rebuilds starter and alternators. I haven't had a problem with it in over a year.

 

[Kwik_Cutty88]

the ignition switch could be sticking. Check the purple wire and if that has power when the starter is stuck on then it's the ignition switch. The switch isn't an expensive item and easy to change

So I hook up the dmm to the purple wire, start the car, and if the dmm shoes voltage while the starter is grinding then the ignition switch is faulty?

 

[seawolf18]

Once you let off the key switch you should have no power to the purple wire. If you do its a switch problem. A test light would also work for the test if you don't have a multi-meter.

 

[pontiacgp]

and if you don't have a test light a 12v light would be easy to hook up and it'll be easy to see if the light stays illuminated after to release the key

 

[roachownsu]

thanks for the info yall