Lately, about half the time I try to start my car it just doesn't seem to want to turn over. If I hold the start button, the engine will turn over once, wait a second, turn over again, wait again, and then finally fire up. Sometimes it starts no problem as well. I had the battery tested so I know it isn't that. My car is a '05 with 135k and is probably on the original starter, so it would make sense if that was the case. Is there anything else I should check or should I just go ahead and replace the starter?

 

First suspect is the battery and then wiring. Those check out? Any auto store can load test the battery in 5 minutes, just drive over.

-- Chuck

 

yea, let us know if it was the starter. i've yet to hear of a starter give out, although they mostly make crunching noises.

 

I had the battery tested when it first started acting up and it came back good. I'll try to check connections tomorrow when I have a chance.

 

Who tested the battery? I've seen plenty of over the counter sales guys at AutoZone, advance auto parts, etc...not knowing how to use the equipment properly.

 

A healthy battery will energize the starter and you'll get fast, steady cranking until the engine fires. If the engine is cranking very slowly, I'd assume the battery is weak, and start with a second opinion of the battery you have.

Occasionally my 14 year old starter will "grind" after the engine fires, which I equate to it starting to wear out, but it cranks fast and consistent and has a good battery providing power.

 

The battery was tested at Advance Auto Parts. The battery isn't very old either, but I know that doesn't rule it out. The weird thing about this issue is that it doesn't happen every time. Sometimes it fires right up without any drama. I'm going to check some connections in a bit here and I'll report back.

 

Yeah, a lot of times it's the connections. High tension ones and grounding. Also, the battery connections must be clean and tight.

Good luck!

 

Slave your car to another with a running engine. Two batteries in parallel have double the amps available than just one. Different or the same?

-- Chuck

 

I checked out the connections as best I could, and everything looked secure. I cleaned up the battery terminals/connections although they weren't bad at all. I cleaned up the ground on the front passenger side near the headlight as well. I tried to check out the starter wires from underneath and those looked clean and felt secure. I've started it 3 times since then and it started pretty well the first time, the 2nd and 3rd time seemed to be 80-90% of what I feel is normal. I'm just going to keep an eye on it for now since it's never been to the point where it wouldn't start. I may have the battery re-tested soon as well. The starter doesn't make any weird noises except for the occasional screech when it's cold out, which is rare in Florida. I just wanted to get ahead of them problem before I got stranded somewhere, but I can't seem to find anything really wrong.

I appreciate all of the responses, and I may try your idea when I get a chance Chuck.