hello all and i hope someone can shed some light on this problem
i wouldnt really say its a problem as it RARELY happens, but i think it mainly happens when its really cold or when i've left her sitting for a week or two without driving her (canadian winters).
usually when i start her up it goes like this (pardon my extremely bad description)
chick-chick-vroom

so you have those two audible chick sounds before the car starts up

but with the electric shock sound, it sometimes happens during the vroom stage as the engine starts
or sometimes it happens during the double chick phase

like i said it rarely happens and its never happened when i start my car on the regular and on warm days
seems to be happening only on cold days

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

I don't know, but just throwing it out there.

Try starting your car while holding the start button as little as possible. As soon as you think it's going to start just let go.

I know you said sometimes it happens before it starts, but I'm just making sure it's nothing else.

 

is it that you're interpretting the sound of a sticking starter as a 'shock'? A lot of people have mentioned sticking starters when the cars really cold.

 

Sounds like the starter is sticking. Very common issue on this car.

Mine has been doing that periodically for over 5 years that I've owned it.

 

mystery solved!
thanks for all your help guys

 

If it is a fast clicking sound before the engine turns over you have a dying battery or the start of a failing starter (it happens intermittently). If it is more of screeching noise as the engine is turning over then that is the sticky bendix pin on the starter, harmless but irritating.

 

February post from the Great White North makes the battery and cold temperature the first suspect. In April it would probably just be a weak battery. Parasitic electrical draws from the remote locks and radio memory will severely deplete the battery is left alone for weeks.

-- Chuck

 

As mentioned, most likely starter sticking. It will do it more often as time goes by. You can repair it vs replacing it, which is what many of us have done. You can search and probably find posts about it. And don't let the "dreaded top starter bolt" scare you. If you use the right approach and long extensions that is easy to remove and replace Once the starter is out it is all about taking it apart, cleaning and greasing and putting it all back together and it should resolve the issue

Based upon the description, I am guessing you hear a noise similar to those gag things that you wind up in your hand that feels like an electric shock when you shake hands. Kind of a very rapid grinding type of noise. If so, that is indeed the starter sticking.

 

While it is worse when cold, it will do it in hot weather too after a while. When I fixed mine it did it every start in mid summer in 90 degree temps. At the beginning of the summer it only did it every now and then, before that only when cold out. But it certainly will do it when hot at some point. The trick to trying to avoid it happening is to release the start button a tad sooner so it starts to disengage before the engine spins up fully But that is not foolproof.

If a slightly low battery, that is a series of clicks that sounds quite different than the starter noise. Those are more clicks and less of a grinding sound normally.

 

^ the clicks are what I was referring to when he described it as an electric shock sound. So the question is does he hear the sound before the engine turns over = dying battery or failing starter, or does he hear the screeching sound when the engine is turning over = starter pin.