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Re: Starting noise: New noise & Worrisome Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Sun, 9 Mar 2003 20:46:22
In Reply to: Starting noise: New noise & Worrisome, AeroJT, Sun, 9 Mar 2003 18:06:04 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Oh, the joy of diagnosing sounds over the Internet.
First - do you hear the sound only when you've turned the key to 'start', or does it continue after you release the key and the engine is running?
A starter sound is usually a 'grinding' sound, like gear teeth that don't mesh well. It tends to be a low-frequency sound. If it's a grinding sound, and it goes away immediately after you release the key from 'start', then it could be the starter. But the first thing to check is that the starter isn't loose. It's held in with bolts, and if those bolts loosen up a little, the starter gear won't engage the flywheel teeth right, and it'll grind. It is a DIY task, just a real pain, because the starter is between the engine and firewall, underneath the intake mainfold. You might be able to reach under and see if it's wobbly. If you do go to tighten things up, Please first remove the ground wire on the battery. The hot wire from the battery goes directly to the starter, and it's not a place to wander around with metal tools.
Another possibility is a loud squeal - like a cat caught in a fan belt - that continues for a few seconds after you release the key from the 'start' position. This usually happens when the car is cold. The sound lasts longer as the problem worsens. This is due to a bad harmonic balancer, which is just a fancy name for the main crankshaft pulley - the one that drives all the belts. It's made up of an inner and outer part, with a rubber ring in the center. If the ring breaks, the two pulley pieces slip, making a horrendous squeal. After a little bit things warm up and the slipping stops. Eventually the pulley will separate, but it gives plenty of warning with the squeals. Replacing the main pulley is definately DIY.
Please describe the sound a little better - is it a grinding or a squeal? Does it go away the second you release the key, or does it continue for a bit? Is your car a manual, and is the clutch in when you start the car?
posted by 12.90.160...
, Sun, 9 Mar 2003 20:46:22 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:12:47
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