Car Starter Dynamo: How To Detect and Fix The Broken One
7 July, 2021
Dynamo starter is an important part in a car as it helps the process of starting the car to be efficient. If the dynamo of the car is getting weak, of course it will make the car difficult to start. At least there are several causes that can make the car starter dynamo get quickly damaged.
Characteristics of a Broken Car Starter Dynamo
If the car starter dynamo is damaged, it will certainly hinder your mobility. If the car does not start, it will cause damage to various other car components. It can even make the car die all of a sudden in the middle of the road which is a frustrating experience you sure don’t want to occur.
Damage to the car starter dynamo is easy to detect, because there are various characteristics we can use as indication. Check out the explanation below.
1. Whooshing and Rattling Sound
The presence of a rattling sound is usually caused by the connection between the teeth on the pinion gear and the teeth on the engine ring gear. When you find the 2 gears on the starter dynamo are damaged or worn, it will make a rattling sound.
If the sound grows louder, it is a sign that the damage has been done. Another factor that often occurs is the occurrence of a very whooshing sound when the car is started. Usually a whooshing sound will occur when the one way bearing in the pinion gear is damaged.
This of course will have an impact on the armature shaft which in normal condition should provide a rotation for the pinion gear. Instead, the rotation occurs by itself or often referred to as starter loss. This condition will make the sound become very whooshy, but there is no sign that the engine will also spin.
2. The engine is difficult to start in hot conditions
Another characteristic of a broken car starter dynamo is that it makes the engine very difficult to start when the car has been used for a while or is still hot.
When the car is left parked for a long time or the engine is cold, the engine will be easier to start and the engine will not show any symptoms. That way the car can be used smoothly and safely.
If you have difficulty starting the car when the car engine is hot, this happens due to the increased coil resistance.
When the engine heat hits the solenoid body, the resistance value inside the coil will increase. This will have an impact on the electric current being held back and will not be able to flow perfectly to the coil. When the electric current is blocked, the engine will automatically become more difficult to start.
3. The Car Doesn’t React When Started
When there is a reaction from a starter dynamo, then it can be a sign that the starter dynamo has been damaged. The most likely cause of damage is a blown fuse in the dynamo.
A blown fuse will usually indicate that the electrical line will be shorted or burned. This condition will usually trigger the appearance of carbon brushes and copper coils which will usually catch fire.
4. The battery is exhausted or soak
Characteristics of a damaged starter dynamo can also be seen from the battery that has started to weaken or soak. When the car battery starts to weaken, the car’s starter system will get slowed down and doesn’t trigger a fireplace system.
Conditions like this are very easy to recognize because when you start the car an abnormal or intermittent starter sound will be heard. This indicates that the voltage is insufficient or even very low.
Please check the car battery, because it could be that the battery connection is dirty or shorted out. If you find it exhausted, you must immediately replace it with a new one.
The Cause of The Car Starter Dynamo Being Damaged
When you find a car starter that breaks, it will certainly be very, very difficult and confusing. At least there are several causes that commonly play a role in the damaged car starter.
1. Dynamo Forced to Work
A faulty starter dynamo can be caused by various factors and one of them is the result of overly forcing the dynamo to work even though the engine cannot start. If the work of the dynamo continues to be forced, it will make the starter dynamo quickly damaged.
When you force the work of the dynamo, it will make the dynamo hot and in return, it has the potential to burn various other components in the engine. Make sure to give it a few minutes and please try again.
2. The Carbon Brush Part on The Dynamo Starter is Exhausted
Another thing that can cause the starter dynamo to be unable to operate is the exhaustion of the carbon brush in the starter dynamo. There are various signs that appear when the starter dynamo has started to run out, namely the rotation of the dynamo which is often weak and usually makes a strange sound when the car is started.
When you feel there is a problem with the car’s starter dynamo, you can check the carbon brush. If the part is no longer working properly, it must immediately get replaced with a new one.
3. Troubled Car Battery
The last cause that is usually an obstacle for a car starter not working is a problem in the car battery. Basically, the car battery is the most important part that supports electricity in a car.
When there is a problem in the car battery, the starter will not function properly and this is usually caused by a weak supply of electricity from the battery to the car dynamo.
How To Overcome Car Starter Dynamo Damage
Problems with the car starter dynamo often cause the car to break down and even die completely. To be able to fix it, then you can take the car to the nearest repair shop and get it repaired by expert technicians.
To repair a dynamo starter yourself at home is not too difficult and there are various ways that can be done:
1. Performing an Automatic Check on the Socket Section
When you find that the car’s starter is not working properly, but the indicator light on the dashboard is lit and flashing, then there are several important steps that need to be taken to fix it.
- Make sure you check the socket that is found on the starter dynamo. Usually you will find a small cable connected to the starter dynamo.
- Make sure you check whether the condition of the small cable is disconnected or detached.
- You can also check the fuse in the relay. When you start the relay and there is a sound like a click, then most likely the damage is not coming from the relay or fuse.
- If you find the problem is too severe, then you must immediately take the car to an official repair shop to get help from a guaranteed quality service.
- When your condition is in an emergency, you can immediately fix it by starting the car engine by pushing it from behind. Be wary, though, as this method can be tiring.
Those points explain how to repair the car starter dynamo by checking the socket automatically on the starter dynamo section. If you know the cause and know how to fix it, then you don’t have to spend a large amount of money getting it to the repair shop.
2. Check The Battery Cable Clamps
When you start the car and there is a loud tickling sound, then this indicates that the condition of your car battery is very weak. This makes the battery unable to deliver electric current optimally. The tickling sound will usually be accompanied by a blinking dashboard control light.
There are several ways to fix this:
- Make sure you check the battery cable clamps which are usually found on the positive and negative terminals.
- Make sure you pay attention to the various components of the car because there may be bolts that are not strong enough or loose.
- If no loose or dirty bolts are found, then the condition of the car battery is not good and needs to be handled by the workshop.
- Repairing the car starter dynamo can also be done by jumping the battery by pushing it. This solution can only be done on manual cars and can’t be done on automatic cars.
The points above explain how to repair the starter on a car and this method can only be done on automatic cars. Cars that are automatic are very different from cars with diesel engines.
3. Check The Battery Cable
If you start the car and all the controls on the car also turn off, then the car has a problem with the battery cable.
- Make sure you do a car stun check, whether the battery cable is working properly and fix it if there are some loose parts. When you have tried to repair it and the damage persists, then you should immediately take the car to the nearest repair shop.
- Problems can also occur in various other components in the car and these problems require intensive repair. Make sure the work is done by a professional technician, so that the results can be optimized.
- Also make sure you immediately repair the car starter dynamo when a problem occurs and don’t let the damage happen for too long. If left alone, the damage will spread to other parts of the car.
- In addition to the various methods described above, you can also check the battery cable regularly. The cables in the car have a big enough influence on the problems of a car. Of course, high accuracy is needed to be able to carry out cable inspections properly and precisely.
Dynamo starter is a car part that needs to be considered, because it is the most important part of the vehicle. If your starter dynamo is damaged, it must be repaired immediately.
Those are a complete review on the car starter dynamo. Hope the above explanation can be your reference to detect and fix broken car starter dynamo!
