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Is it the starter going bad?


KRH20

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Over the past week, when I start my car it seems to take an increasingly longer amount of time before it starts. Usually I just turn the key and ban let's go. But, now it takes holding it for about 2 seconds or so.

 

On top of that, when it fires, there's a sound like a zip or low kazoo as the engine starts :?: :?: I hope its nothing too serious, I'm thinking its a starter problem. I just got the intake manifold gaskets and fuel injectors worked on, so its not that.

 

Thanks in advance

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Does the starter sound like it's rotating slower than usual? If it does, then it is most definately the starter. The kazoo sound might be the solenoid releasing and the starter motor continuing to spin...

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Try using some top end cleaner (I dunno how, but people here say it works), cleaning your throttle body and also putting some fuel injector cleaner in the tank. Also, it COULD be your battery. Happened this past summer on the van. It would take a couple seconds to start and then one day the batt was just dead.

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I'll check out the Top end cleaner and do the fuel inhector cleaning also. I hope its not the battery but I would sadly be unsuprised if it were. thanks for the input CB

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Sounds like the battery might be developing a bad cell, or the battery is bad. It could still be the starter. But I would start with the battery since its alot easier to get to....

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:lol: My car always takes that long to crank. But that sound you describe sounds like a starter starting to fail. Then again, a weak battery can cause some strange things to happen. Just have the batt. tested and go from there.
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I'll check out the Top end cleaner and do the fuel inhector cleaning also. I hope its not the battery but I would sadly be unsuprised if it were. thanks for the input CB

 

GM Top End Cleaner...get the can...warm the car up and then using a straw, suck in the cleaner through the PCV hose leaving about a quarter can left. engine should run rough and possibly die (dying out is the best). ideally, since the Top End Cleaner is usually run on a carburated motor the air intake is also effected. with EFI, there is not restraint on air intake since the cleaner feeds through the PCV hose. so...block off some of the air intake and let the engine die...if it doesnt die...shut the car off after the 3/4 can is sucked in. let it soak for 20-30 minutes. longer is better. start up the car and suck the rest of the can in...let it die again or kill the ignition and let it soak for another 20-30 minutes.

 

after the wonderful process...start the car up and let it idle. then drive it until all the smoke stops coming out of the exhaust. run it through the entire RPM band when you drive the smoke out of it.

 

ideally, once you run Top End Cleaner...you want to change your spark plugs and also your oil.

 

thats my write up on that, hope it helps.

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I just thought of something when I was reading the replies about checking the battery. Does your car have ABS? One way to tell if your alternator is failing or the battery won't hold a charge is if your ABS light pops on for seemingly no reason while you're driving along. Happened to me on both my old 93 Cavalier (when the battery was toast) and my old 94 Grand Am (when the alternator was about to crap out.) After I remedied the problem each time, no more ABS light. Thought I'd toss that out there for good measure...

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I havent had any ABS light comeon in the 8 months I've owned it, only the Air Bag every once in awhile. I'm gonna check into the battery test and eventually do the top end cleaner since the spark plugs are just recently installed. Thanks to all!

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I just thought of something when I was reading the replies about checking the battery. Does your car have ABS? One way to tell if your alternator is failing or the battery won't hold a charge is if your ABS light pops on for seemingly no reason while you're driving along. Happened to me on both my old 93 Cavalier (when the battery was toast) and my old 94 Grand Am (when the alternator was about to crap out.) After I remedied the problem each time, no more ABS light. Thought I'd toss that out there for good measure...

 

 

 

:x I get the ABS light coming on all the time, it usualy happend the most when it snowed like crazy and the roads were slippery as hell. I hated seeing that light on when i was driving to work on the freeway. It comes on at diff times, btu the ABS does work. In fact, it came on today when iw as driving home to work, and my battery gauge thing was over 13 volts.

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