How does your starter motor sound?

[Pld118]

Hi,

I'm convinced that on start up - although the car fires up crisp and clean each time the ignition key is turned only once - there is a very brief, right on the point of fire up/ start up, slight grinding or spinning noise that makes me query whether or not the starter motor/ fly wheel are on the way out.  The garage checked this for me last week and felt they were fine.

Is this a trait of these cars or do these symptoms sound nothing like your car on start up?

Please/ thanks.

 

 

[MustardGTI]

Mine certain doesn't make any odd noises like that.

I'm guessing you've only just bought the car, if not did it make the noise previously?

[Booth11]

Mine neither.  What year is the car?

Is it on all starts or just on cold start up?  Not to alarm you, but I take it you have read the timing chain tesioner thread at the top of this section.   The timing chain sound is more of a rattle.  In the first post of that thread there is a video sound clip of it so you can compare, hopefully to rule it out.  There have been various part revisions so it depends what year.

[dereks]

car's with timing chain's tend to make a slightly different noise on start up.

[Pld118]

Thanks for the replies.

2010MY and owned car less than a month.  It's not the timing chain tensioner related noise (warranty covered if that goes wrong, fortunately).  This is a pure and simple starter noise.  The car is going in to the dealership again tomorrow and I'll get them to check it again.  It's not much of a noise but enough to make me think "is that the starter motor".  Hopefully I'm just being over cautious.

[fentshire]

Have you got them to check the timing chain problem?

[Pld118]

fentshire... Yes, I asked them to thoroughly check if it was starter motor or timing chain and they said all was well. I trust them as they fitted a new clutch without quibble when I highlighted a noisy gear selection issue.

[RocketRossUK]

easy way to check if it the timing chain, get some to start it up, you pop the hood and listen for a 1-3 noise near the left hand side of the engine.

PS. they may changed the clutch, but timing chain is 15+ hours labor