Note: The information provided here is for informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Sometimes your car engine can fail to start successfully or require several start attempts, a frustrating experience, if the car’s starter disengages too soon from the flywheel. start your car at all or have to make several start attempts before it finally starts, a frustrating experience if you ask me.
What causes this? There are several components that work together to get the car started – the battery, ignition, starter motor, solenoid, and fly-wheel. How do you know which one might be at fault?
What checks can you do and how can you get the car engine to start on the first attempt?
This post looks at the possible reasons why the starter may be disengaging too soon, what checks you can do to identify the underlying fault, and provides suggestions on how you can fix this.
What Causes a Car Starter Motor to Disengage Too Soon
There are several possible reasons why a car starter motor may disengage only after a few seconds before the car engine can successfully start.
#1. Check that the battery is sufficiently charged and is still in a good condition. The starter motor draws a large current from the battery.
An aging or failing battery may not be able to hold charge, resulting in a drop in battery voltage that then starves the car system of sufficient power to turn the engine over.
So, in addition to measuring the battery voltage to gauge its state of charge, also conduct a load test to confirm that is able to supply the required cranking amps to turn the car engine over.
Additionally, check the battery connections including the ground to confirm that they are intact, clean, and firmly connected to avoid voltage drops.
#2. Faulty starter. The starter may be faulty and not able to apply enough pressure to hold the pinion gear in position so as to mesh with the flywheel gear until the engine starts.
This may be caused by a faulty or weak solenoid. In some cases, car owners have reported being able to start their vehicles on the first attempt after taking out and cleaning the starter to remove any debris.
#3. The teeth on the flywheel may are damaged and not able to engage properly with the starter gear teeth. Get a qualified mechanic to inspect it if this is the case.
Signs a Car Starter is Disengaging Before the Car Starts
Your car’s starter motor is probably disengaging too soon if you turn the ignition on, hear the solenoid click and the starter motor turns, and engages with the fly-wheel momentarily (it sounds like the car is starting) but then the starter motor disengages and the car engine dies down.
Note: You may have to make several start attempts before it successfully turns over.
Closing Thoughts
If the car engine fails to turn over because the starter is disengaging too early, it could be the case that the battery is damaged, has a low voltage, the battery connections are loose, a faulty starter, or damaged gear wheels on either the starter or flywheel.
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