February 11, 2023
Do You Have a Bad Starter?
Photo by Erik Mclean under Pexels License
People who drive modern cars enjoy superb ride quality and comfort over long distances. Consequently, automotive engineering advancements often make it easy for them to forget that their vehicles go through tremendous stress on the road. Since car components wear out over time, car owners who fail to ensure proper maintenance are likely to experience issues related to their starter motors.
How to Start a Car with a Bad Starter
Since the starter motor produces the kinetic kick that gets your car’s engine revving and running, it undergoes great stress each time you twist the key in the ignition or press the start engine button. It’s also worth noting that the starter motors of bigger and newer vehicles undergo more stress than those of smaller and older cars.
If your car doesn’t budge after you turn on the ignition system, don’t panic. You can still start your car even with a starter motor failure. Veteran Car Donations shares two ways of doing it:
Push-Starting
Although bump-starting or push-starting is a tried and tested way to start a vehicle with a bad starter, it won’t work unless you’re driving a manual transmission vehicle. Here’s how you push-start your engine:
- Put the manual transmission in first or second gear while keeping the ignition on.
Besides allowing you to push-start the engine smoothly, putting your vehicle in second gear helps you prevent or reduce damage to the car’s system. However, if the distance to push-start is considerably smaller, try using the first gear.
- Have an adult push your car from behind.
Try to attain a speed of 5 to 10 miles per hour by asking an adult to push your vehicle from behind.
- Let go of the clutch.
You can let go of the clutch once you gather some speed. At this point, the attained speed should be enough to start your vehicle.
- Repeat the process if necessary.
If your first attempt fails, you may repeat the process.
Jump-Starting
Cars usually fail to start due to a weak or discharged battery. In such cases, jump-starting your car will give the starter enough amps to work and crank up the engine. You may choose to use a portable jump starter or another car’s battery to be connected to your battery using jumper cables. Regardless of what you prefer, follow these steps:
- Open the hood and find the car battery.
Consult your vehicle owner’s manual if you can’t locate the battery. A note of caution: You shouldn’t work on a battery that has leaks or looks bloated. Since a leaking or bloated battery requires a replacement, it’s best to have a mechanic handle the problem.
- Use the jumper cable’s red wire to connect your weak battery to the spare battery.
If your car battery looks fine, you may use the red jumper cable, which is the positive wire, to connect your weak battery’s positive terminal to the spare battery’s positive terminal or jump starter.
- Use the jumper cable’s black wire to connect the charged battery to your battery’s metal surface.
Grab the black jumper cable and use it to connect the charged battery’s negative terminal to your vehicle’s bare metal surface.
- Turn on the ignition and wait.
Turn on your car’s ignition system. Wait for a few minutes to give your battery enough time to charge. A dead battery usually takes 5 to 20 minutes to boost up. The time it takes to do so depends on the battery’s health, depth of charge (DOD), and your car’s engine type.
- Detach the jumper cables.
You may detach the jumper cables if you’ve managed to jump-start your vehicle. Be sure to detach the (-) clamp first before you detach the (+) one. While at it, ensure that the cables don’t touch each other.
However, if your car won’t start even if your battery is charged, you’re dealing with a bad starter, and you can bypass the starter relay.
Got a Beater? We Can Make Something Good Out of It
While the above methods can help you start a car with a bad starter motor, they won’t make a difference if your vehicle has other damaged components. If the costs of repairing or replacing those components would approximate the value of your car or would be even higher than that, it may be unwise for you to proceed with the repair.
Consider donating that vehicle instead to us at Veteran Car Donations. We’ll make something good out of it by turning it into a tool for improving the living conditions of the struggling underprivileged veterans in your area.
We’ll sell your car through an auction and use the proceeds to support the life-enhancement programs of our veteran-focused charity partners. These IRS-approved 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations cater to former U.S. service members who are suffering from homelessness due to poverty, chronic unemployment, service-connected disabilities, and serious illnesses, including mental health issues.
Our nonprofit partners use the funding we give them to provide deserving veterans and their families with housing and financial assistance, employment and livelihood opportunities, family support, free quality health care and medical treatment, psychotherapy services, and many other benefits.
As our way of showing our gratitude for your donation, we’ll promptly mail to you the 100% tax-deductible sales receipt of your car soon after its sale. This will entitle you to claim the maximum tax deduction when you file your itemized income tax return in the next tax season.
We’ll also be hauling your vehicle away without charging you a single dollar. We can collect your donation anywhere in the United States.
However, the best reward you’ll get is the priceless feeling of satisfaction, knowing that your act of charity will give our neglected and suffering heroes opportunities to fulfill their most cherished dream: to live a decent and dignified life.
We take almost all types of vehicles, including those that are barely running and with damaged or missing parts.
For more information regarding our donation program, including our quick and convenient donation process, head over to our FAQs page. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call us anytime through our toll-free hotline at 877-594-5822. You may also leave us a message here.
Honor Our Heroes Today!
Photo by Benjamin Faust under Unsplash License
A simple act of charity can transform the life of a disadvantaged veteran. If you’re ready to honor the brave men and women who risked their lives for our nation’s sake, go ahead with your car donation. Call Veteran Car Donations at 877-594-5822 or fill out our secure online donation form now!
Last Updated: March 8th, 2023