Yes, Trojan Auto Care advises that your car will need a new starter if the factory-installed starter gets covered in oil. The oil will damage the starter beyond repair. This isn’t the only thing you need to worry about, however. The leaking oil indicates that you have a cracked head gasket and/or cylinder block. As you can imagine, that is an extensive auto repair. We can repair that for you and replace the starter. We can also replace the starter if you notice any of the following things.
Odd Whirring or Clicking Sounds
Oftentimes, the starter motor will start to make strange noises before it goes completely bad. The most common sound that a starter will make is a clicking noise when you turn the ignition key. You may also hear a whirring noise when you press the start button or turn the ignition key. These are signs that the starter is not engaging the way it needs to. In addition, if you continue to hear the whirring noise after the engine fires up, the starter has not disengaged the way it needs to.
An Inability to Start the Vehicle
If you ignore the above problem because you were able to get your vehicle started, there will come a point when you won’t be able to get your vehicle started. Unfortunately, once the starter motor dies, you will be unable to get your engine to fire up no matter how hard you try. This is because the engine needs the starter in order to ignite. Hence, its name.
Vehicle Lights That Still Work
There is a way you can check to see if the reason why your vehicle won’t start is the starter or a dead battery. Turn on your vehicle lights and open the door to see if the lights turn on. If you have working headlights, taillights, and interior lights, they are getting electricity from the battery. As such, it’s safe to assume that the battery is not dead. Rather, the reason why you can get your vehicle started is because the starter is no longer working.
Hot Odors and/or Visible Smoke
If you keep trying in vain to fire up your automobile, you will overheat the starter motor. You may start to see smoke coming out from underneath the hood of your automobile and you will smell hot odors coming from the engine.
Call Trojan Auto Care in Troy, OH, today if you suspect that your vehicle’s starter is going bad. We can replace it if necessary.
