Starter squeals briefly when starting.......?

[Randall]

My starter squeals briefly when I start car when it is cold. My understanding is that the bendix gear assembly needs to be lubricated. One mechanic told me that it is not a big issue and will not cause a problem. So I am wondering do I need to fix this or can I ignore it.

 

[ZeCorolla]

While it is true that the gear needs to be lubricated to get rid of the squeal, the starter is fine and it's pretty common for starters to make a squeal/grind sound in cold weather. It's mainly due to the lubrication being frozen due to the low temperatures so the squeal will mostly occur on the first cold startup of the day, then the lubrication will warm up and the sound will be gone by the next startup.

So, I'd say you can ignore it as long as it doesn't squeal in warmer temps.

 

[jeremyap1]

Yea, mine also makes a weird grinding noise the second it starts. Thought it was a problem until I heard it on my uncles 2010 Corolla.