Solenoids are critical car components since they allow your ignition system to reach the starter motor and, in turn, cause your car to turn on in the first place. Without a solenoid, turning your key ...

But solenoids attached to the starter motor are usually much harder to get to, because the starter motor itself is also hard to access. Sometimes you’ll have to remove the starter motor itself ...

The solenoid is essentially a high-current relay used to control the application of battery voltage to the starter motor. Like a relay, a low-current control signal is used to switch the high ...

Instead, you'll have to bypass it by hot-wiring your starter motor directly to the battery. This might've been cool in a '70s action flick but it's not recommended for modern cars with sensitive ...

There are usually a few clues that will let you know when a starter is about to fail — here's what you need to listen for to ...

You’ll learn about the key parts of the starter motor, including the armature, solenoid, and pinion gear, and how these work together to engage the engine’s flywheel.

The starter motor can draw several hundred amps of electrical current during this operation, and it relies on the integrity of the solenoid contacts to deliver that heavy current flow.

The aluminum-encased solenoid and starter motor allow heat to easily dissipate from the solenoid contacts and armature. Where the two starters differ is in the gear-reduction ratio.

The solenoid sits atop the starter motor and is responsible for connecting and disconnecting the starter from the system. The solenoid’s plunger is attached to the motor drive shaft via a lever.