Hi Guys,

I'm new here and recently bought a GE6 honda fit gf 1.3(A). It's a 2nd hand car with mileage of 140,000 km.
Sometimes when i start the car, i hear this weird noise after cranking the key. it's the screeching sound after the ignition.
This weird noise does not happen all the time, usually in the morning which is my first drive of the day.
It is only for a half a second when the starter is engaged. It does not continue nor would it happen again if I were to turn off the car and start it again.
No more sound after car is completely started.

Can anybody here help advise what could most likely be the problem ? Please see the video via the link i've put below.



I am very new to cars, appreciate all valuable comments.

thanks !

 

Sounds like the starter's pinion gear is having difficulty disengaging (starter hang). If the starter has been replaced (sounded good besides) a shim may have been left out or something. You can attempt to lubricate the pinion gear with graphite (only getting it on the pinion), or use a gear marking compound/equivalent to visibly check on engagement/interaction between the pinion gear and the teeth on the flywheel (manual trans) or flexplate (auto trans, respectively)
Cant advise too well on procedures because our engines/cars are not the same/from the same country, but you can identify the starter pretty easy. It's got big wires affixed to it, a long soda can like shape, and will be affixed to the engine on the side that mates with the transmission, poking into the "bell housing"..
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thanks for the reply Pyts! appreciate it.

i've been digging quite a lot lately and almost all said it's the starter.
Should i wait till this sound becomes a "everytime" thing when i start my car and i send to workshop for repair ?
Or should i just send it asap to workshop for repair ?

 

I couldn't think of how best to ask the question of what this fault could lead to on google search. Logic says it could mess up the starter by forcing it to spin when it doesn't wanna, killing it somehow. The pinion gear could potentially get stuck meshing with the flywheel/flexplate, requiring some manual *encouragement* to disengage so you can drive.

If the teeth on the flywheel/flexplate get messed up by the starter bad enough to matter, well, that'd be a job of dropping the transmission. I've never personally heard of someone replacing their flywheel because of that, but I haven't been or even looked everywhere. I'd like to think they'd make the teeth on the pinion gear softer, cuz the starter is easier to replace!

The most likely thing I think you'll run into is a bad starter down the line. There's a bunch of starter threads being bumped right now. If you can check them out and the people who started them, you might get an image of how long you'll be fine for. If you've got some cash and know a good mechanic, send it his/her way and be done with the problem without ever getting stuck in a driveway (might be unlikely you'll find a mechanic who would check starter engagement and mess with shims/file teeth on the pinion.. or think to dry-lube it). I really don't know what to recommend 😂
But an inspection is usually reasonable!

Me being me, I have some yellow gear marking compound on hand and would get in there to get a peek and see how bad stuff is, then make a call.

 

I called my local dealer today...to see what they would charge for starter replacement.
I was told..$600-$700 average.

 

Screw that. If you've got time I'll pull up the procedure and tell you the necessary tools to buy 😂
But I'd inspect first, consider shims/adjusting mounting position, and try dry lube if the starter fired fast and otherwise sounded good.