Tips on How to Fix Your Car's Starter

Repairing the starter on your automobile is no easy task, but it can be done at home, especially if you have a classic car. The first thing you need to do is evaluate the situation. Start by turning the key and listening carefully. If you hear a quick buzz as if the motor is turning but the gears are not connecting then that could be the problem.

Another thing is if there is a small thud, if you hear a thud as if it is trying to turn the engine over check the connections. If one is loose that is probably the problem. Check again and see if it won't turn over.

If that does not work, and you can not think of any other problems you can try to gently rap the starter with a wrench, be careful though because this can sometimes do more harm then good. If the starter does exactly nothing when the key is turned there could be a problem, not with the starter, but actually a connection at the key. Sometimes if you turn the key gently from the on position into the start position without going all the way to the end of where the key turns the starter might engage. This is rare to happen but sometimes can.

If all else fails you can try going to a local auto parts zone such as NAPA, or Autozone and get it tested, most companies do this for free. Usually there is a top bolt and a lower bolt that need to be taken off for you to remove the starter, which is not difficult on some model cars and extremely hard on others, so examine your vehicle and plan accordingly.

To remove a starter, from the bottom of your vehicle, first make sure you have your jack and jack stands ready, once you have jacked up your vehicle from a recommended place, place your jack stands on another strong part of the cars frame. Now that you can crawl underneath your car, get your set of wrenches, I would suggest you grab both the ratchet and regular wrenches for this job, and put them so that you will be able to reach them from under the car.

Label the wires that come off the starter with masking tape that has been numbered to match where the wires are suppose to go on the starter. That way you will be able to put it back together if the starter is not the problem. If you can take the starter off from the top then you do not need the jacks or jack stands, get at it from under the hood. The best thing you can do to make sure everything goes smoothly is look in a repair manual that has been specifically written for your vehicle.