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What happens to a car when the starter goes out? It’s pretty simple, the car won’t start again. But then, a failing starter would show different signs before it finally goes bad – you probably ignored the signs and now you’re caught in the web.
Imagine that you’re driving, and out of the blue, your engine stopped functioning, which made your car come to a total stop? So you checked and everything looks good in the engine bay, then you tried starting the car again, but it’s not starting. What could possibly be the problem?
Well, it could be an underlying issue you didn’t care to fix, or maybe, your starter just went out. Yeah, when your car starter goes out, it’s practically impossible to get the car to start again – until it is fixed.
What Makes a Starter Go Bad?
Every component in a car is subject to wear and tear as you use the car every day. Your starter could start failing due to excessive wear, improper maintenance, or a bad battery.
Notwithstanding, accidents, and collisions can also cause a starter to go out.
What Happens To a Car When The Starter Goes Out?
The starter is a very important part of every automobile. It is the electrical motor that triggers a car to start. Without a “Starter,” you can’t possibly get your car to start and drive. Here’s how the starter works.
When you put your car key into the dedicated slot and turn the ignition, what you actually turned is the starter. The starter then engages the crankshaft and drive gear to get your engine to suction fuel and oil so that your car can fully start and you can drive.
So to say, before a car can start and drive, the “Starter” must be up and working fine. Yes, the starter draws its power from the battery, and as soon as your car starts moving, the starter goes back to rest because it has done its job for the moment.
With these explanations, it is clear that a failing starter would cause your car to hard start, or not to start at all (if the starter has finally gone bad). So, if your starter goes out, your car won’t start until it is fixed back or replaced (if broken).
While trying to start a car with a bad starter, all the dashboard lights may come on, but the engine won’t start – it’d only be cranking but not start.
Conclusion
So, what happens to a car when the starter goes out? Your car won’t be able to start again. But before a starter would go out, it must have shown you certain unusual signs.
A failing starter would exhibit the following warning signs: hard starting, engine cranks too long before starting, all the dashboard light/icons illuminate when you try to start the car.
When you start noticing the symptoms above, it’s time to check on your starter before it finally fails, requiring you to spend more on repairing or replacing the starter entirely.