Starting Question: What is this?

KenB · Post by **KenB** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:08 pm

From time to time, my car scares me by doing the following:

Turn the key to start. Hold it. Nothing...nothing...nothing...(up to 6-7 seconds)...START UP!

Typically, I then drive it to wherever I'm going and it starts right up again when I get back in. And everything may be fine again for weeks or months. And then it happens again.

So, what *is* that??

I ask because it happened to me today far, far from home at what would have been a very inconvenient time. Needless to say, those were an agonizing 6 seconds. :/

KenB

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:05 pm

I, who some people think know everything, (but I don't) don't know. But... I did have a parts car one time that was kind of like that. Turn the key, it made kind of a whirring noise for a second or two, then it would hit. It wasn't the starter as it was a rebuilt one I took off and put on a E28 I proceeded to put 155K on which never did that. So, it was the car. An auto, is yours? Neutral safety switch? Bad ignition switch? As it was a parts car I never got into troubleshooting.

KenB · Post by **KenB** » Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:11 pm

Mine is a manual. I have heard the barely audible whirring during that interval--sometimes. It almost sounds as if current is "gathering" and then all of a sudden bursts forth.

My thought is it's got to be either a starter motor quirk or an ignition quirk. It's a strange and disconcerting thing.

Let's solve this one issue, though, so that Mike W. will then truly know every last thing about e12s.

KenB

DMS · Post by **DMS** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 2:01 am

It's got to be either a bad contact or the starter motor that has a bad sliding axle. It's inconvient that this only happens once in a while but when it does and you can measure the current to the starter you would know more.

Do you hear it click immediatelly or after six seconds when it happens?

Eddie in TO · Post by **Eddie in TO** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:23 am

Mine had the same symptoms a few years ago and I had the starter rebuilt. Problem fixed.
In my opinion, if it was a contact issue, it would occur more frequently.

Mesrine · Post by **Mesrine** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:59 pm

Had the same issue a few weeks ago, freaked out at first hearing that whirring noise and didn't keep trying more than a few secs, so not sure if it would have started. I also realized the battery was low at the time, so it might be related? I just put a spare battery in and it started right away.