Should a bad CAR STARTER be detected in a diagnostic check?

Question

After getting a diagnostics check and paying $1500 to have issues with his gaskets and super charger fixed on his 1994 Pontiac Bonneville, my roommate's car STILL exhibited the same symptoms...and wouldn't start up on the way back from the store, about 3 HOURS AFTER it was picked up from GM! When he took the car back in...they told him that it was his starter. He had a diagnostic test run on the car, while it was exhibiting the same issues so he could make sure that he was getting the right thing fixed, and the starter was NOT listed as a problem. Should a bad car starter be detected in a diagnostic check? Please help!!!

Answer 1

NO --- Diagnostics checks will never tell on any car if the starters bad or weak..... There are NO computer sensors in a starter (thank God) to tell if its bad or going bad..... If they did start making cars with diagnostics checks for starters this would drive the price of the cars up and make them more complicated than they are already......

Answer 2

1,IF IT IS COLD AREA?

2.TO START DID YOU PULL THE CHOKE?

3. DID YOU TY FOR A GD PUSH FIR START?  

4.DID  YOUN FIND ANY CLOG IN THE CARBURATOR?

5. ARE THE PLUGS ARE OK & CLEANED?

6.DID YOU START WITH INSUFFICIENT GAS?

7. IS THERE ANY CLUCH CATCHING AND NOT FREE?

8. iS ANY WATER ENTERED IN THE CARBURATOR?

9,IS THE BATTERY IN CONDITION ?

10. IS THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS OK & WHEELS ARE FREE?

KINDLY CHECK THESE POINTS VIGOUROUSLY?

THEN GET IT THOROUGHLY ?

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

the starter may not be out, but going out.  it's really not a piece of equipment with a lot to it.  so i don't think that it's usually got a feed from the computer to it.  just a positive & negative wire and a couple bolts holding it up.  if it's not all the way out, the current could have run through it just fine, giving the impression that it's ok.

Answer 5

No! A diagnostics test will show up components which cause an engine to run out of spec. A starter is merely an electric motor which is used to spin the engine so it can be started by the ignition system. Once the engine is running the starter is totally out of the picture. The diagnostics are a picture of what the car's computer is seeing when the engine is running. Since the starter has nothing to do with the engine, once the engine is running, the computer has no way of looking at it.

Answer 6

Most vehicles are equipped with an OBD system (on board diagnostics) this system when linked to a computer in the shop, will check all of the systems linked to the engines main control module. The started in this car is mearly a simple electrical connection and a problem in the starter would NOT be detected by an OBD scanner. However a bad starter should be very simply detected by a good mechanic, but a supercharged 3.8 GM V-6 is a very complicated system, that commonly has gasket problems. My advise: Seek out a more reliable vehicle before you have to replace the entire engine.

Answer 7

Yes and No.............if the starter passed all of the tests then it was persumed good at the time but it could have had a flat spot on it and did not show during the test......

Answer 8

I assume a no start condition was listed as a complaint? A starter draw test should have been performed, as well as a battery load test, for starting issues. Most shops will have a worksheet, or record of test results, while this does not always happen, it should, to avoid any question as to what was checked, and charged for. Remember the car passes through more than one set of hands before it gets to the technician.

I  have diagnosed fuel pump issues from a complaint of no passing gear, or trans will not upshift, so the complaint and symptoms described can be very important to the tech working to solve your problem.

It could have been working correctly, so a proper diagnosis could require the vehicle to be run, then allowed to "heat soak" after which the tests should have been run.This is called like conditions, produce the conditions that the issue presents itself.

Bottom line is that if the symptom cannot be detected, don't automatically buy all the other service work unless they tell you the part failure is directly causing the problem, if they did, I would ask for a recheck and have them address the problem they allegedly fixed, as the starting issue is still present.