The good news is that the starter should not have to be replaced very often, if at all. It was designed to be used repeatedly under a variety of weather and road conditions. You should be able to count on the starter lasting at least 100,000 miles, if not for the entire life of the car.
On average, you can plan to get about 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles out of your car, truck, utility vehicle's starter. This is the average lifespan of the part.
Your car's starter motor is used only when you crank the engine. In theory, it's possible that your original starter will last for most of the vehicle's life, but there's really no set lifespan. They can fail at almost any point.
How long a starter lasts is between 100,000 and 150,000 miles, but it depends on your environment. are more likely to die a little sooner than that. Instead of thinking about it in terms of miles driven, you can also think about the number of starts.
Starters do wear out or fail over time. However, they usually have several warning signs that they're on the way out, and mechanics may ask you about them if you take your vehicle into an auto repair shop. Your answers will help them diagnose the problem.
In most cases when a starter goes bad, it's completely random with no warning signs or symptoms of mechanical failure.
The simplest cause of this sort of fault is a loose or corroded electrical connection. If there is a fault with the internal windings of the starter motor, bad brushes, or other electrical faults, the starter motor may lack the torque to crank the engine.
Normal wear and tear from extended exposure to higher temperatures can also cause the starter to go bad. Over time, the flywheel and pinion gear's teeth wear out, causing them not to interlock properly, and this causes the flywheel not to rotate. Often, this causes the whirring sound you hear when starting your car.
A brand new starter could cost you around $50 – $350, while labor costs from a qualified mechanic could range between $150 – $1,100. In total, replacing a bad starter motor could amount to between $200 – $1450. However, these figures could be lower if you're able to identify car starter issues early.
So can a bad starter drain your battery? The short answer is: Yes, it can. It could also drain the battery even faster if you repeatedly try to start your car with a faulty starter. A faulty starter is also one of the leading causes of battery overcharging.
Electrical faults in the starter are mainly caused by overloads. This can manifest itself in ground and winding short circuits in the field and armature winding, but sometimes also in the coils of the control elements (solenoid switch).
As a rule of thumb, you can expect about 80,000 starts from a brand new starter with no defects. Starters in warmer climates will typically last longer also, which is why car trouble is more likely on the worst day of the year when you need your car the most.
Due to the complexity of starter motors, the average amount of time it takes to completely replace a starter is generally between 2 and 4 hours. If your car has an easily accessible starter and you take it to a mechanic worth their salt, your time should hopefully be closer to 2 hours rather than 4.
The most common sign of a failed starter is a clicking noise. If you turn the key but get this, it is definitely your starter that has the problem. Lights on the dashboard that illuminate without a start show that the car has power, so it is likely to be a starter and not a battery problem.
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.
The cost of replacing a starter motor in the UK can range from £150-£400 depending on the make and model of the car.
If it's not working properly, your car isn't going to go anywhere. That's why it's important to know how to replace a starter should the need arise. Luckily, replacing a starter is not a difficult task. In most cases, it's a fairly simple process that anyone with basic car knowledge can do.
Occasionally, if you keep trying to start the vehicle, it will work, but chances are your starter is worn out and it will not last much longer. This can be due to a wiring issue from the key switch to safety interlocks or antitheft devices, but it is most often the starter that is not working properly.
Car starters can fail for several reasons, and age isn't usually as critical a factor as overheating. Engine mechanical problems can overload the starter motor, leading to overheating. Oil leaks can cause overheating because the starter can't cool off.