Horrible starting noise in morning--need some help please.
 

Ok well every moring(its normally cold in the morning) when I start my car, it makes the most nasty sound. Its hard to describe but its a scratching metalish sound and it is loud. Most all other times during the day when I start the car, everything starts normally but there are times during the day it makes the same sound, just not as loud. It sometimes sounds like an old chevy truck trying to start. There have been two other occasions where I turned the key and it cranked once and then quit..I sat there for a moment, turned the key again and it started right up. Please don't tell me my starter is about to take a ***** but is that the problem? Need a new starter?

Nathan

thanks for the help guys! anyways, its getting checked out now

HMM ive had the same exact problem with my old mustang 4cyl. Does it make that grinding noise and then the engine will crank like it never made the noise? if yes, then your pinion and ring gear are not meshing properly. This is very common. You can try to fix the problem, but the easiest route to go is to Just replace your starter.

yes. The engine cranks perfect most of the time. Just not in the cold mornings or if the car has sat for half a day. When im running around town, it starts fine. I hear that replacing the starter on the Sc400 is like 800 bucks because of its location..True?

I just hit 300 posts!!!!!!!!

Same problem
 

I have that same problem...it almost seems that though the starter isn't fully disengaging after the enging starts up even though it stops trying to crank the eninge over.

This is what I've noticed....when the engine starts, I hear that noise and notice the engine will idle at a very low rpm ~ 400rpm (maybe for 2 seconds or so) until the noise goes away.

Don't really know what is causing this....

yea, the sound is similar to the sound you get when you try to start the car after it was already running.

Oh you have a V8 SC400; V8 starters are more expensive. I really can't tell you much about that.