Vehicle: 2005 Ford Taurus SE, 3.0L
Complaint: The customer says smoke comes from vehicle when starting.
Cause: Confirmed the customer’s complaint and found smoke coming from the vehicle when the engine was started. Inspected the vehicle and found an unusual smell coming from the starter motor.
With the ignition in the start position, used a multimeter to check for the presence of voltage and ground at the starter motor and found both were present. Used a set of fused jumper wires to apply voltage and ground to the starter motor and found the motor was intermittently inoperative and emitting visible smoke. The results of these tests verified the starter motor was faulty.
Correction: Replaced the starter motor and verified the vehicle operated properly. The customer’s concern did not return.
Courtesy of Mitchell 1’s SureTrack Real Fixes.
