burnt electrical smell after starting car

2004 KIA OPTIMA
164,000 MILES
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RONISNYDER
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I got a burnt electrical smell after trying to start car. It wouldn't start until after a few tries. How can we tell if it's the starter solenoid?

Last couple of days when I'd turn the key nothing would happen. But it would star after a few tries. Then this afternoon, when I tried to start it, I heard something running under the hood but it wasn't the engine and i pulled the key out of the ignition to see if the noise stopped but something continued running, when it stopped there was an electrical burnt smell.

We pulled the battery and it tested good. When I turn the key there is a click sound but it won't start.
Jul 18, 2012 at 1:18 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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So does the starter smell burnt?
Jul 18, 2012 at 4:35 AM
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RONISNYDER
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I'm not sure, were going to remove it and take it to autozone to be tested. I'm just hoping that's what it is. We couldn't pin point where the smell aw coming from.
Jul 18, 2012 at 1:10 PM
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SATURNTECH9
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You could use a multimeter to see if the trigger wire on the starter has power in the start position if it does and then starter is inop and all battery cables and battery is good bad starter.
Jul 18, 2012 at 5:56 PM
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RONISNYDER
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Thank you. Turned out to be the starter. Then a few days after having th starter replaced, my car started over heating. It wasn't boiling over or steaming. The water level was perfect, but the gauge shows overheating. I would drive until the gauge pegged, pull over, turn the car off, then restart it and the gauge was normal temp. We flushed the radiator, new radiator cap, then the sending unit and last but not least the thermostat. Still overheating. I live in AZ. the summers are brutal definitely don't want to be stranded on the side of the freeway. It turned out to be electrical. The grounding wire, possibly from moving stuff around to get to the starter . It was cleaned off and checked, I'm back on the road.
Aug 14, 2012 at 3:14 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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Your welcome thats what were here for.Glad to hear you got it all fixed thats what we like to hear.
Aug 15, 2012 at 4:23 PM
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