What are the early warning signs that indicates that your car's starter needs to be changed?
I drive a 2007 Honda Civic coupe. Sometimes when I start my car the starter gives a bit of a slow start. Sometimes it may act as if it is not working but after a few seconds the engine will turn over.
Does this mean I have to change my starter?
Could be the battery, or the battery connections need cleaning.
More that likely it's the battery.
What others have said, battery or dirty battery terminal connections are the MOST likely reason, but many a mechanic have sold starters when all was needed was a terminal being cleaned.
Starters actually rarely fail. The problem is far more likely to be electrical, maybe battery, cables or connections.
Could be a simple case of a poor electrical connection.
When the car won't start
Weak battery, corroded battery wires, but likely the starter has a bad spot… Get it rebuilt instead of a reman unit…
First you'd want to make sure your Battery Terminal are CLEAN and TIGHT. Next, stop at any parts store and let them test your Battery. When that is done, the next time it starts slow, stop the car and go feel the terminals and fat wires off the battery. If they are WARM that is an indication that the starter has excess resistance and is struggling. Then you would want to remove and test the Starter.
I would think it is more an indication of the electric energy that the battery delivers to the starter; the battery may be weak or the cables from battery through the various cables and contacts may be an issue.
As starters get older, they require more amps to turn. Eventually, a battery can't produce enough power, and the starter has to be changed. A battery can only last so long - not much more than 5 years in most cases. At some point, batteries can no longer hold a charge and have to be replaced. The alternator could stop powering the battery. Those 3 things are possibilities. If you haven't touched anything under the hood, your connections are probably good - but maybe corroded. Check and see.
So if your battery is around five years old, then you can replace it.
A starter will get sluggish before it dies. A new starter will provide crisper, cleaner starts.
I changed the starter in my 2006 Chevy Express van last year. I would turn the key, and it would hesitate a second before starting. It did that 3 or 4 times over the course of a month. Then one morning, it wouldn't start at all. I tried again, and it did start; but I knew it was time for a new starter.
Lots of starters are semi-easy to change. Raise the car. (I didn't have to on my van because there's clearance.) Remove two or three bolts holding the starter to the block. Lower the starter. Disconnect the wires. Take special note (even a picture) of which wire goes where. There are probably two wires/ cables - maybe just one. Before installing the new one, clean the cable ends with a wire brush or sand-paper to ensure a good connection.
It's not a time consuming repair. A shop will not charge you a ton of money to do it.
Not every car is easy. Some have difficult access to the starter. You should make sure before working on it:
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