Starter Problems

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 2005 Dodge Stratus. 2.7 Engine. It died the other day and wouldn’t start up. I tried to jump it and noticed smoke coming from under the engine. When I checked the starter was burnt so I replaced it with a new one and it does the same thing. It almost cranked once and then just makes a woo-woov kind of sound. Any Ideas?

2

Sounds like your engine may be seized.

3

I tend to agree. Try rotating the engine with a wrench or socket on the crankshaft pulley and pray that we’re both wrong.

4

Pretty good answers so far but the problem could still be electrical. Make sure your negative battery cable is not damaged or too corroded to function. It could also be a dirty negative battery terminal. The new starter could also be junk. If the negative cable looks like it melted, the engine could be seized.

5

I agree with the others about the seized engine. I think you have a more serious problem than just a bad starter. When an electric motor is powered up but can’t spin normally the current in the motor windings goes real high and will burn up the windings in short order if it continues. The replacement starter motor may now be damaged enough that it needs to be replaced again. Whenever a starter is spinning slowly or not at all you really need to be cautious for the previously stated reason. Make sure the engine can turn over normally before trying another starter.

6

The Engine was not seized. The ingiton wire was shorted and burned out the starters.

7

Thanks for posting back OP. Sounds like you have the problem under control. The shorted ignition wire is a lot less expensive problem to solve than a seized engine. All that cranking heated up the starter motor too much I guess.

8

Thanks for the update. I don’t see how a shorted ignition wire could cause damage to the starter. The small wire would just burn up if there wasn’t a fuse to protect it. Now if you are saying “shorted” and really mean the ignition switch wire going to the starter solenoid didn’t switch off as it should and kept the starter running with the engine running also, I can sure see that happening.