When I start our year 2000 9-3 convertible we get a terrible grinding noise. Turn ignition car starts fine but then starts grinding as if we are holding the key in the start position too long. Have made conscious effort to immediately release key from start position as soon as engine fires but noiser still there. Wife seems to think its only started happening in the cold weather. Anyone help?
Thanks
Sounds like your starter is bad. That's not a common failure. You should get it attended to promptly. If it is failing to disengage after starting, it will wear quickly as the engine spins it and fail in a short time. You can also damage the flywheel gear that it hooks into if it is partially disengaging and that is a very expensive repair compared to replacing the starter.
The good news is that the starter is not labor intensive to replace. If you can find an independent shop that uses a rebuilt unit, you can probably save a few hundred $ over the dealer price for a new starter.
I suspect the starter motor isn't disengaging from the flywheel properly.
And yes, that could well be affected by colder weather. Some damage could be being done so you ought to get it fixed.
Graham
I don't know how accessible it is on that model but in general, starter motor replacement can be done by a competent enthusiast without any trouble. It may even only need cleaning up.
Graham
Thanks a lot I may give it a go or get a friend involved.
Before going ahead and replacing the starter, do some simple elimination. Remove or slacken the serpentine belt so the accessories are not driven. Could be water pump, a/c drive pulley, alternator, tensioner, or idler. With your description, it could be the starter, and a minimal investment in time will confirm that. Could even be the turbo, usually by the time its grinding, it's processing some oil or coolant though.
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