Replacing starter on 2013 Elantra GLS, easy or let a mechanic do it?

Hey all,

Looks like the starter on my 2013 Elantra GLS is starting to go. Had a couple instances the past few days where I turn the key and...click...no start. After about 5-25 key turns it will start. Battery is ok, had it tested. I ordered an OEM replacement as the local mechanic I trust said not to bother with Remanufactured ones.

I saw a video

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that shows hot to replace it but seems like a helluva lot of work to remove all that intake stuff just to get at it. Is it easier it get under the car and do it?

I've replaced a valve cover gasket and heater core so I am willing to get up in there but am I better off having a mechanic who knows how to do it take care of it? Thanks for any tips.

Reply to
TCW
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It's nearly always easier if you can get the car high up on a ramp and tackle it from underneath whilst standing up.

Having said that, your starter motor may be perfectly ok. There are lots of other things which could cause your symptoms - including a dodgy key switch or various intermediate relays.

I had a (non-Hyundai) car many years ago which had similar symptoms. Sometimes it would start with no problem. Other times, the ignition would turn on ok - then nothing. I used to be able to start it by bridging between the battery and the starter solenoid, using a short length of stout insulated cable - not for the faint hearted!

In the end, the keyswitch was replaced, and I had no further problems.

Reply to
Roger Mills

Thanks for the reply. I plan to have my mechanic replace the starter tomorrow and see what happens. I intend to have him give me the old starter in the event it's ok. No likelihood there's any kind of test to see if it's the key switch, is there?

Reply to
TCW

Well, you could monitor the wire which it switches, with a voltmeter.

Alternatively, "hot wire" the starter, as described in my previous post. Find a suitable length of stout insulated cable (the sort used for rear-window heaters) and strip a few mm of insulation from each end. Turn on the ignition. Hold one end of the cable on the starter solenoid terminal, and touch the other end on the battery live terminal. If the engine then cranks and starts, but not when turning the key-switch to the Start position, it indicates that the starter solenoid isn't getting fed from the key-switch via whatever intermediate relays may exist. It doesn't mean that it's definitely the key-switch, but it does mean that the starter motor is ok.

[Make sure that the car is in Neutral or Park - and don't get your fingers in the way of any rotating machinery or belts!]

If you eliminate the starter in this way, it's back to tracing the path from the key-switch to the starter solenoid in order to find where the discontinuity is. Your User Manual will indicate the function of all the fuses and - hopefully - the relays, enabling you to identify likely suspects.

Reply to
Roger Mills

Great. I'll mention this to my mechanic too. I'm sure these local small shop guys know the hotwire trick as well. Hopefully it'll save time down the road. Being that it's February here in Chicago, I don't want to get stuck in 0 degree weather somewhere. Cheers for the tips.

Reply to
TCW

So far so good with the new starter. I mainly notice that when starting the car it is more instant and not taking a couple cranks of the starter to get going. Now that the temp outside has dipped into the single digits, it'll be the real test.

Reply to
TCW

Is that single digits in Celsius or Fahrenheit?

Reply to
Roger Mills

It was in F. Starter still working good though so that must have been it.

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