how do i fix the starter in my car?

  • Thread starter Thread starter margotmargot
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margotmargot

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i don't know a lot about the starter, its parts, or how it works. my car was making a horrible grating noise and not starting, so i crawled under because i thought the starter bolt had come out. i found that on the front (meaning closest to the headlights) of the starter, there was a bolt sticking out, and a piece of metal nearby that had a hole in it. i moved the piece of metal so the bolt was going through it, and it started normally. i'm worried that the metal and bolt will come undone again though. how can i temporarily make that stay in place till i can get better assistance? would duct tape work or would that harm the car/starter?
 
Duct tape will not harm the starter, although it's a very temporary fix and will come undone as soon as it gets wet.
It sounds like you have a stripped bolt hole and the bolt just rattled itself out because the threads are stripped away from someone tightening it too much. The reason the starter made a grating sound and wouldn't turn the engine is likely because it was just too loose under there without that bolt to hold it in. It's hard to visualize from your description, especially the part about moving the bolt through a piece of metal with a hole in it, but it sounds like that's what happened.
What I would do is go to OReillys and buy some high-heat gasket maker in a squeezable tube (get the kind that comes in one tube, as opposed to the kind that requires a separate hardening compound). Then just squeeze that gasket maker into the hole where the bolt goes and then put the bolt back in and tighten it up and let it cure overnight before you start the engine again - this way the bolt will be glued to the engine in that hole, but you can still get it back out again when you need to replace the starter if that's what you decide to do.

That's probably the cheapest, easiest semi-permanent fix you'll be able to get.
Good luck, hope this helps
 
duck tape would just come of from the heat and make a mess i say just check it every morning before you leave till you get it fixed
but once you screwed it back and gave it a nice lil tug it should stay
 
Hi
Remove the bolt and put a new lock washer on it. That will do the trick!
Just happened to me.
 
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