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

[Roger Mills]

On 08/02/2020 17:30, TCW wrote:
> 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 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoQ01SQ_bS4) 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.
>

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.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Roger Mills]

On 11/02/2020 13:17, TCW wrote:

> 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?
>

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.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Roger Mills]

On 14/02/2020 12:08, TCW wrote:

>
> 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.
>

Is that single digits in Celsius or Fahrenheit?

--
Cheers,
Roger