What does a starter motor actually do?
Right, so you turn your key, or push that start button on your Honda Jazz or VW Golf, and bang – that’s where the starter motor gets going. It’s tucked in near the back of your engine. When you’re firing up the car heading out onto Te Rapa Road or crawling through evening traffic near Frankton, the starter motor’s the bit that cranks your engine over, pulling in air and fuel so the whole show kicks off. Once your engine’s running, the starter motor tags out and lets everything else do its thing.
A good starter motor should mean your car starts basically every time. Once in a while though, you’ll get caught out – maybe in a Rototuna carpark, or sitting outside The Base, turning the key and getting absolutely nothing. That’s usually a sign the starter’s on its way out.
If you want to nerd out on what’s happening behind the scenes, check this out: More about how the starter motor works >
Why do starter motors fail?
Starters have a rough life, especially driving around Hamilton, with all the stops and starts, potholes, and bit of everything thanks to our weather. Couple of common reasons they give up:
Worn out internal bits: The insides, like bearings and brushes, wear down over time. Think of a Toyota Wish that’s run the kids back and forth between Cambridge and Hamilton for years – eventually, the starter just taps out, and next thing you know, the engine won’t crank no matter how much you yell at it.
Solenoid drama: The solenoid sends the electrical go-ahead to the starter motor when you turn the key. If your Mitsubishi Outlander or a Suzuki Swift refuses to budge when you try to start it, the solenoid might be on strike.
Dodgy wiring: Some days, it’s not the starter but the wiring. Especially if you’ve got a patchy ground, you’ll hear more clicking than actual cranking. We had a customer from Tamahere with a Euro Peugeot that would just click, click, click – classic sign that the wiring’s not up to scratch.
How do you spot a dud starter motor?
Here’s the stuff we see in the workshop – whether it’s a Mazda CX-5 or a random Nissan Leaf (yep, even hybrids get starter issues sometimes):
Trouble starting up: Maybe it starts after a couple tries. Or you get nothing, just silence. Some folks give it a bit of a tap under the bonnet – that’s not just an urban myth, by the way, it sometimes wakes up old, worn brushes temporarily. But that’s a “get you home” fix at best.
Grinds and groans: Ever turned the key on a cold winter morning in Matangi, and heard an awful grinding coming from the engine bay? That’s usually a worn gear in the starter, scraping against the flywheel. Ignore it, and you could be up for a much bigger repair bill down the line.
If you’re noticing any of these signs, especially before heading over the hill to Morrinsville or early in the morning on those foggy Hamilton days, get it checked sooner rather than later.
Need a new starter motor or repairs in Hamilton?
If your car’s being stubborn, don’t stress – we handle heaps of new starter motor replacements and repairs every week. It can be tough to work out if it’s the starter, the battery, the wiring, or something else messing with you, but one of our techs will suss it out in no time. Honestly, with all the stop-go traffic around Chartwell and the random heatwaves summer throws us, it’s not surprising starter motors don’t last forever.
Pop into Grimmer Motors – we’ll get you sorted, quick as. Give us a shout if you want your starter checked or replaced, especially before WOF time or if you rely on your car for work and school runs. We sort out everything from hybrids to those older European runabouts.
For starter motor repairs and new starter installation in Hamilton, flick us a message or drop by!