How to test a car starter

The easiest way to check the starter on the vehicle is to use jumper cables to bypass the vehicle’s electrical system. With the ignition turned off and the transmission in “park” — and with all due care — connect one end of the red/positive jumper cable to the positive terminal of the battery.

Testing the resistance of the starter with a multimeter is a fundamental step in diagnosing vehicle charging system problems. A starter that shows high resistance will drain power from the battery faster than the alternator can recharge it.

You can test a starter solenoid by manually jumping the solenoid as well. Using a long, metal screwdriver, you can test a starter solenoid by placing the screwdriver on the large bolt and battery cable on the front of the solenoid and the small terminal that the starter wire is attached to on the front of the solenoid.

Push the Car to Start

Push-starting functions even when the battery is flat and the starter is bad. However, push-starting only works in vehicles that have manual gearbox transmission; that’s the only limitation. Position some able bodies behind the car to push forward while you’re inside it switching on the ignition.

Last, Check The Starter

The battery sends a burst of energy to the start which uses this energy to turn the engine over and get it car started. If you put the key in the ignition, but only hear a click when you turn the key, you’ve got a problem with your starter.

In bypass starting, you touch a wrench or a screwdriver to the terminals of the starter motor, to the solenoid of a tractor, or to other equipment. This bypasses all tractor-neutral starting switches. Sparks fly and electricity snaps as the circuit is completed, the starter engages and the engine starts.

Jump-starting a car with a bad starter motor will not help start the engine. Jump-starting will only boost battery power. A manual transmission car with a bad starter maybe push or tow started but an auto transmission car can not.

Power output test

Connect one lead to the feed terminal (the battery side of the solenoid) and earth the other to bare metal on the bodywork. The lamp should light. If it does, the fault is in the solenoid or in the starter itself.

If you hear a whine or the sound goes fuzzy when you hit the gas, your alternator is probably failing. If the vehicle won’t crank or start but the headlights are still working, look to problems with the starter or other parts of the engine.

Test the Starter

It is under the hood, usually on the passenger side at the bottom of the motor next to the transmission. The ignition switch is a set of electrical contacts that activates the starter and usually is located on the steering column.

If nothing happens when you turn the ignition key to the “Start” position, it means that the starter motor doesn’t turn over the engine. Most commonly this could be caused by a deceased battery; read above How to check the battery.

A ‘bad’ starter wont drain the battery while it is not being used to start the car, if that is what you mean. If the starter has a damaged commutator, it will not run at full power and so could mean that you have to turn the engine over longer to get the engine to start which will use more energy from the battery.