Why does my car make a grinding noise when i start it. It will start most of the time but sometimes it doesnt. When i turn the key it makes a grinding noise like metal on metal.

my 2009 Hyundai Sonata was making a grinding noise like the starter was locking up i would move the key a little back and noise will go away everyone i brought the car to said it was the starter except one mechanic said its a starter relay switch on the ignition so i took his word on it and paid $100.00 the problem is fix so before you spend over 300.00 for a starter ask about this most mechanic will say if it not the problem he will credit the $100.00 towards the repair of the starter

Could be a worn out ignition switch & the
starter solenoid could be bad

Don't personally care how or what was tested,
based on what I see on this site, not much is done
correctly, when you pay someone

take a look at the front drive axle joints and also wheel bearings. this noise may be due to a bad ujoint and as you turn the joint binds up and makes noise, same as a bad wheel bearing. the wheel bearing would make more of a grinding noise as it doesnt hold the wheel and brake rotor in place and the rotor may be hitting the caliper bracket so i would start by checking this stuff first. good day.

if the starter is making a grinding noise when you turn the key, it's one of several possiblites. 1. Bad Starter. 2. Bad flywheel. 3. You need starter shims that fit between the starter and the motor. Most starters will bolt straight up but sometimes the gears get too close so you need to shim them apart.

Your post interested me, as I just purchased the same vehicle lasts month. The grinding noise while attempting to start the CRV sounds like like a problem with the starter 'clashing ' with the flywheel. When you turn the key to start there is , a small gear in the starter on a shaft that advances (moves down the shaft) and meshes with the flywheel (which is a large 'gear'). When they mesh together, the starter gear will spin, and turn the flywheel, which 'cranks' the engine over to start. When a car is old, you can experience a loud grinding noise, as the wear and tear can cause the gears to clash, not mesh smoothly. Since this is an '09, that of course isn't a wear and tear issue, something was not tightened during assembly, or is defective. You MUST bring it to the dealer, to establish that there is a problem, even if they deny it. To continue to drive it could cause damage to components (actually driving it is probably ok, it's the starting it that will cause damage). So, insist that they check it out, you may be surprised by their desire to fix it, and have a happy customer to advertise their cooperation and quick fix of the problem. Hondas are great cars, hopefully this is a rare minor assembly or defective part glitch that will be quickly fixed. Keep me posted as to your visit to the dealer. Remember that you can bring it to any Honda dealer, although I would start with the one where I purchased it. The car is under warranty, get them to fix it, and enjoy your new car.

Check your battery first. Cold weather does horrible things to car batteries... if it's more of a grinding sound I would say that your starter gear is bad. I believe they call it a ring gear? I had a similar problem with a kushman scooter that I use to deliver snowcones through the neighborhoods. It has teeth that need to engage and if those teeth have been grinded down it will have a hard time engaging....

no shims are required, check your electrical connections at the starter

starter needs replaced the noise you here is the teeth on the starter grinding on the flywheel

most likely your bendex wheel in the starter is not engaging the flywheel this could be due to a bad solenoid on the starter. chances are it's a bad starter, i would check to make sure all connections to starter are tight and you have atleast 11.5 -12.5 volts of current in the battery. low voltage can cause this problem as well

Depends on the sound that it makes when you turn the key over.

Clicking noise...usually the starter

If it sounds like its going to start, but doesnt, most likely the battery.

If you have replaced the battery recently, then its the alternator.

Sometimes there can be oil build up over the spark plugs so it doesnt get the spark to start.

Hope you get it fixed!!