Some novice drivers often make the mistake of turning the key to start the car when it is already on fire, and hearing a clicking sound. Sometimes, due to stable vehicle operation, good sound insulation, or the vehicle being in a noisy environment, engine operation is not easy to attract the driver's attention. Or after parking, if you do something else but don't turn off the engine, and then forget to turn it on when driving again, then turn the key to turn it on. At this point, you will hear a loud clicking sound. Someone is asking if this operation will cause damage to the engine?

If the car is not turned off and ignited again, it is also called a second ignition. The clicking sound heard is caused by the collision between the engine flywheel and the starter gear. Under normal circumstances, when starting the engine, the flywheel is in a stationary state. When starting the ignition, the starter gear first moves outward, meshes with the flywheel gear, and then rotates, driving the flywheel to rotate and smoothly land the vehicle. After getting on the car, release the key and the starter gear retracts. Because the flywheel is stationary, the gears of the starter can easily mesh with it. If the engine is not turned off and ignited, it means that the flywheel is rotating. At this time, the starter gear moves outward to mesh with the flywheel gear, and it will definitely not mesh. The two gears will collide with each other, making a loud noise. At this point, quickly release the key, the starter gear will retract, and the noise will disappear.

The impact between gears may damage the flywheel and starter, without affecting other components of the engine. Whoever has hard teeth is less likely to be damaged. I once encountered a damaged tooth on the flywheel of a car, with one missing, but the owner is not sure about the cause of the damage, which may be related to secondary ignition. If a tooth falls off the flywheel, it will cause it to fail to start and require replacement, resulting in high labor costs. But generally speaking, even if there is a clicking sound, there will be no damage when starting again once or twice, or two or three times. Because the gears of the starter and flywheel are both very hard and strong, making them less prone to damage. There are many car owners who experience tooth chatter, but very few have damaged the flywheel or starter due to tooth chatter. So there's no need to worry too much about the chattering sound, it's not a big problem.

Although it is not easy to damage, it is also not advisable to make frequent tooth sounds, which will definitely have an impact on the lifespan of both. If coincidentally, multiple tooth strikes occur with the same tooth, the likelihood of damage is very high. Before starting the vehicle, check if it has been started. The most direct method is to check the engine speed displayed on the instrument panel. If there is a speed, it indicates that it has been started, and if the speed is zero, it indicates that it has not been started. Nowadays, many cars also have a function to prevent secondary starting. When turning the key to start the engine while it is already in the ignition state, the starter will not react, which can prevent damage caused by secondary starting. Cars with this function do not need to worry about secondary starting. Similar to this, there is a gear shifting sound in manual transmission vehicles. If the clutch is not fully pressed, a gear shifting sound will occur. Many beginners have also experienced this sound, and after listening to it, they feel sorry for the car. They even go to the repair shop to check if there are any problems. In fact, there is basically no problem with this. It does not require inspection and cannot be checked. If it occurs once or twice, it will not damage the gear. Try to avoid this situation as much as possible.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2024-5-14