How To Start a Car With a Bad Starter With a Screwdriver? | DIY Car Hacks

Hotwiring occurs when a vehicle’s engine is started without a key. We’ve all seen movies in which a car thief crawls beneath the steering wheel and connects two wires to start the vehicle.

Hotwiring was that simple before computers, and electronic locking mechanisms were incorporated into vehicles. However, it’s a little more difficult now that you have to deal with central computer systems that handle the locking mechanisms.

If your vehicle was built in the mid-1990s or earlier, you could hotwire it by following a few simple procedures.

Important: Obviously, we’re not advocating for auto theft or recommending that you go out and hotwire someone else’s vehicle. Only use this in an emergency or on your vehicle (if you feel you need to try).

Note: Hotwiring a vehicle may endanger your safety and the vehicle’s health. There is always the risk of an electrical shock if necessary safeguards are not taken. When hotwiring is attempted, the vehicle’s wiring may also be damaged. Before attempting, ensure the car is neutral and the emergency brake is applied.

In 6 Easy Steps | Learn How to Hotwire a Car.

When you insert a key into your vehicle’s ignition and spin it, an electrical circuit runs from the battery to the ignition and then to the starter motor. When the starter motor is turned on, it turns the engine over and starts the car. As a result, when you hotwire a vehicle, you are generating this electrical circuit without the need for a key.

Here’s how you can do it

Step#1

Insert a screwdriver into the keyhole of the ignition system (which is called the ignition tumbler). To see if the screwdriver will start the car, turn it. In a small number of cars, this is all you’ll need to do to start the engine. Most autos, however, will require you to go to the following level.

Step #2

Remove the screws on the steering column cover using the screwdriver. These screws should be visible on both sides of the steering column. You’ll see access panels once they’ve been removed. Pull off the access panels to remove them. The ignition system’s cables will now be exposed.

Step#3

There should be three bundles of wires, each with its distinct color. All included a package for the car lights, a bundle for the wipers and warmers, and a bundle for the batteries and ignition. You’ll be concentrating on the latter.

Wires from the battery, starter motor, and ignition system will be connected to this bundle. Determine which wires are connected to the ignition system and the battery. The battery cables are normally red, but there is no common color system for the ignition wires, so check your owner’s manual or look up your make and model online.

Step#4

Cut a portion of the insulation off each end of the two wires with a wire stripper.

Step# 5

Next, locate the wire that connects to the starter motor and cut a piece of insulation off that end. Take the wire’s end and place it between the ends of the other two. (This is a live wire, so don’t try to twist the wires together!) The engine should start as a result of this.

Step# 6

Cover the live starting wire’s end with electrical tape. You don’t want it to come into contact with you or something else and cause an electric shock or a fire.

Other Suggestions

To avoid a restart, rev the engine a few times to ensure the car does not stall.
If the preceding method fails and you’re in a pinch, use a cordless drill to drill into the keyhole about the same length as your key would normally go. You may need to remove the drill from the drill a few times while drilling to help remove the locking pins. Remove the drill and insert the screwdriver before turning it. Your engine should now begin to run.

Untwist the ignition and battery wires you connected in step 3 above to turn the car off.
Even if you manage to hotwire the car, many cars include a steering wheel lock device that prevents it from being driven (unless just going straight).

How To Start A Car If The Starter Is Faulty

When your starter motor fails, you have two options for starting your engine:

Restart your vehicle.

Start your car with a push.

However, it would be best to have the following tools in place before you begin working on a beginning problem.

Jumper cords
Gloves for a hammer
A screwdriver is required.

If you don’t have these, it’s recommended to contact a mechanic to investigate the problem. If you have the necessary tools, you can try one of the following two methods to start your car:

Get a Jump-Start for Your Vehicle

A drained or weak battery is the most common reason your car does not start. Providing enough amps to the starter will allow it to work normally, which will allow the engine to start. You can jumpstart a car by using the battery and jumper wires from another vehicle or a portable jump starter.

The following is what you must do next:

Locate the car battery under the hood of your car. If you can’t find it, see the owner’s manual. Don’t work on your car battery if it appears to be bloated or leaking. Instead, call a professional because the battery may need to be replaced.
If the car battery appears to be in good condition, connect your weak battery’s positive terminal to the spare battery’s positive terminal or jump starter using the positive wire (red jumper cable).
Connect the negative terminal of the charged battery to any bare metal on the car using the black-colored jumper cable.

Depending on the battery health, depth of depletion (DOD), and engine type, recharging a dead battery might take 5 to 20 minutes.

Detach the jumper cables once you’ve managed to jumpstart your car. The (-ve) clamp comes first, followed by the (+ve) clamp. Also, make certain that these cables do not contact one another. However, there is a simpler method you may use as well:

Start your engine with a push

Push-starting, also known as bump-starting, is a tried-and-true method of starting a car with a defective starter. It only works if you have a vehicle with a manual transmission.

Here’s how it’s done:

Keep the ignition turned on and your car’s manual transmission in first or second gear. It’s best to keep your car in second gear to push start it smoothly. It also helps to keep your car’s system in good shape. However, when you have a much shorter distance to push-start, use the first gear.
To reach a speed of 5-10 miles per hour, find someone strong enough to push your car from behind.

Let off of the clutch once you’ve reached this speed. The achieved speed will be sufficient to start the vehicle.

If the earlier methods for starting a car with a bad starter motor failed, you should inspect the rest of your car components.