starting twice?

[Phantom01Pathfinder]

Ok, so this is a stupid question, but here i go. How bad is it to crank your car while its already running? I happened to crank my '01 Pathfinder today while it was already running and i heard a buzzing type noise. Is there some kind of safety mechanism that prevents the starter from trying to engage the flywheel or??? I am not too concerned about this since its the first time ive ever done it, i just wondered what exactly happens...

 

All input would be great

 

Thanks,

Phantom

[csutke]

its not good for it as it can grind the teeth off the starter, so try not to do it too often

[NismoSkyZ]

oooh the restart grind...makes you feel kind of awkward doesn't it? I am almost positive there is no 'safety' built in, as the start cranks the engine a lot slower than it idles, so it just grinds some gears.

[XPLORx4]

Yep, it grinds the flywheel and starter pinion gear, which isn't really a good thing. It could also damage the flywheel or flex-plate.

 

Don't make a habit of it. It can help to look at the RPM gauge before turning the key.

[IncidentalOffroader]

Ok, so this is a stupid question, but here i go. How bad is it to crank your car while its already running? I happened to crank my '01 Pathfinder today while it was already running and i heard a buzzing type noise. Is there some kind of safety mechanism that prevents the starter from trying to engage the flywheel or??? I am not too concerned about this since its the first time ive ever done it, i just wondered what exactly happens...

 

OK, it's embarrassing to admit my experience in the matter, but here is my story.

 

I too have cranked my 01 SE while it was already running. My excuse is that the engine is so quiet and smooth at idle (those liquid-filled engine mounts), that I couldn't hear it above the ambient noise and forgot it was still running.

 

Worse yet, I clicked the starter multiple times before I finally realized what I was doing! The reason I didn't immediately know was because it didn't make that unmistakable grinding noise: just that buzzing noise you described. It didn't sound destructive at all, or I would have known right away.

 

I also wonder if the starter mechanics on the 01's is tolerant of this abuse, (either by chance or by design), but of course I'm not about to experiment!

[laxman0324]

OK, it's embarrassing to admit my experience in the matter, but here is my story.

 

I too have cranked my 01 SE while it was already running. My excuse is that the engine is so quiet and smooth at idle (those liquid-filled engine mounts), that I couldn't hear it above the ambient noise and forgot it was still running.

 

Worse yet, I clicked the starter multiple times before I finally realized what I was doing! The reason I didn't immediately know was because it didn't make that unmistakable grinding noise: just that buzzing noise you described. It didn't sound destructive at all, or I would have known right away.

 

I also wonder if the starter mechanics on the 01's is tolerant of this abuse, (either by chance or by design), but of course I'm not about to experiment!

my 99 Mercedes ML 320 did nothing if you tried to restart it. It was all computerized and recognized the engine is already running so it does nothing. It also had a neat feature I wish the pathy has where all you had to do was turn it to start and let go and it would crank it until it started...