After vehicle has been driven and I have turned off it will not restart

Tiny
MATT ESSER
  • MEMBER
  • 2012 HYUNDAI VELOSTER
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 133,000 MILES
My vehicle has 133,000 on it. Battery tested good by mechanic about 2 weeks ago. Only three years old battery DieHard Gold. For some reason the car after sitting a day or longer starts up perfectly. However after driving the car for a decent amount and turning it off to run in to a store for a couple minutes restarting the car is an issue. It clicks and tries to start. You don't hear the engine engage at all. Just flickering lights and clicks from the dashboard when the key is turned. But wait longer and then it starts and pops on like nothing at all wrong. Alternator is good. Have a digital meter plugged in to cigarette lighter and shows 14.5-16 amps. And 11-12 amps in resting or off.
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 AT 11:25 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Hi,

Keep in mind, heat causes steel to expand and it can cause a starter to fail. With that, what I suggest is to first, confirm the cables and connections between the battery and starter are clean and tight If they are, then you need to check at the starter for power. Here is a link that shows how it is done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

You will need a helper to do this. If you find there is 12v to the smaller wire on the starter solenoid when the key is in the start position and the large cable from the battery is uninterrupted with 12v power, it sounds like a bad starter.

Do this and let me know. Keep in mind, you will need to check the starter when the problem exists. I suspect something inside it is expanding due to heat from the engine and losing a good contact. When it cools off again, it works.

Let me know.
Joe
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Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 AT 3:51 PM
Tiny
MATT ESSER
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Good day Joe,

I appreciate your prompt reply! As I read your suggestions, I realized I left out a very important detail that may lead down the road to another solution (fingers crossed). As I said, the battery was deemed good. The alternator functions well according to my voltmeter. The car starts normally after sitting for a good period of time (overnight or after a couple days) And is not so great after restarting after a brief time off. The part I forgot to mention was that when I turn the engine off after for some time running and have trouble 50% of the time getting it to restart I have used a portable charger directly connected to the battery terminals and it pops right off perfectly. So, this seems odd-like it would be a bad battery. But we know it is good. Anyhow, that is where I am at. And why I am not thinking it is not a heat issue affecting the starter itself. Thanks for taking my question!

Warm Regards,

Matt Esser
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Thursday, February 20th, 2020 AT 1:38 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
I have to agree with what you are saying. However, when a starter is hot, it can cause it to draw more power. Are you certain there isn't loose, corroded, or damaged connector? If you put the battery pack on it, that isn't going to provide move voltage if the battery is already good. However, if it starts better with it, I feel there could be a weak connection.

Let me know.

Joe
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Thursday, February 20th, 2020 AT 6:46 PM

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