Worried about the starter in your Volvo? Have a Cincinnati Volvo repair shop take a look at it before you replace it outright. Depending on the type of starter, you might not need to replace the whole thing, at least not yet. Sometimes, bits of plastic can get caught in the starter motor, causing it to make a crackly sound or perhaps even stall when starting from time to time. It doesn’t necessarily mean your starter is going bad, but here are some tips to get you going if you are stranded.
Fixing a Bad Starter: DIY Car Diagnostics and Repair
A car with a broken starter will likely either do absolutely nothing or just give a click when you turn the key. If the starter is failing it may also whine, click or smell like it’s burning. If you find yourself stuck in a parking lot or stranded before work and you think your starter is to blame, there are a few car troubleshooting things you can take care of yourself before your call your auto repair shop for the tow truck. Family Handyman put together a list of some things that you can try for yourself:
- Make sure your battery terminals are clean: If there isn’t enough power getting to the starter, the car isn’t going to start.
- Hit the starter (not too hard): An older style starter requires contact of electrically charged brushes within the motor to actually function. If the brushes are out of alignment, your car won’t start. Sometimes some gentle coaxing with a hammer can convince the brushes to go back to where they need to go for the car to start up.
- Check the wires: The electrical current passing through the starter is essential for it to actually function, so if one of the wires is faulty or corroded, the car definitely won’t start. If you check on the wires and reattach anything that is loose, you might be able to get yourself back on the road.
Hitting The Starter With A Hammer Didn’t Help, Now What?
If you are having a serious problem with the starter motor on your Volvo, chances are it’s the Bendix mechanism (in an older car) or the magnetic solenoid in the newer models that has gone bad. A hammer isn’t going to fix either of these problems—even if it is a really big hammer. In this case it’s best to just replace the starter motor with a new one rather than wasting time trying to fix the old one. You won’t save much money with this type of a car repair, and when a starter begins to go bad, it will still have to be replaced eventually.
If you are feeling handy, you can take care of your Volvo starter replacement yourself, but the a starter’s location underneath the hood can vary wildly from car to car, with some much more easily accessible than others. It’s not impossible, but does tend to be a dirty job. If you are lucky, it might take 20 minutes. Or you may have to crawl underneath the car and find yourself wasting the whole afternoon on the job. Step one of deciding whether you want to call a Volvo mechanic or tackle the auto repair project yourself is to find out where that starter is located. If it is hard to get to, and to prevent the waste of a Saturday, contact your local Volvo mechanic who can get it taken care of for you.
Starter Car Repair Trouble? Go To A Repair Shop You Trust
If you do decide you want to tackle your Volvo’s car starter replacement yourself, first off all make sure your car is cool before you start, and always use goggles to protect your eyes from stray rust and road salt. Goggles are are a helpful tool to keep in your arsenal next to the socket wrenches for any DIY auto repair job.
For the actual replacement, there are a few steps to follow, though the specifics are different from model to model.
- First, remove the battery ground from the starter to make sure there isn’t any power going to it.
- When you are sure there is no power, remove the wires from the starter—there is usually a big fat wire that goes to the battery and a smaller wire that goes to the ignition.
- Next remove the bolts that hold the starter to the lock.
- Replace it with your new starter and reconnect the wires as they had been on the old one.
If you have any problems during the starter replacement process for your Volvo, or decide that you don’t feel like doing the work of this auto repair task yourself, bring it to us at European Auto Specialists. If you have any questions, give our car repair shop a call or send us a message on our online form. We would be happy to give you an estimate or tell you how long it will take to repair your car. We know Volvos, and our Volvo mechanics would be happy to help you get your car back on the road ASAP.
