Signs of a Bad Starter Relay or Struggling Solenoid - Hogan & Sons

Climb into your car. Buckle up for safety. Turn the key in the ignition and… nothing. Nothing but a click. The engine won’t turn over and your car won’t start. Could be a dead battery. But since the dash lights and the radio and the headlamps seem to be working, maybe something else is the culprit. This could be a sign that your car’s starter relay – or starter solenoid – has gone bad. Need Automotive Electrical Repairs? Schedule Service Today! Relay vs. Solenoid When you turn the key to start your car, you are activating the ignition switch. Like most of the switches in your vehicle, the ignition switch controls only a low-powered signal, in this case to start the engine. On older vehicles, the signal is an electrical current (like a light switch in your house); on newer vehicles, the signal may be an electronic impulse sent to the vehicle’s computer. In any case, the switch “tells” the starter circuit to engage. But the starter itself requires a lot of power. Certainly more than the...