Eco mode and starters

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greiswig

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Probably a dumb question, but then that is my specialty:

I've always assumed that the engine start/stop cycle used in vehicles like ours when using "eco mode" is probably pretty darn ******* the starter. I mean, there's no other magic way to spin up the engine, is there? And starters have a pretty finite life span to begin with given what they have to do.

Is eco mode also effectively reducing the life of the starter?
 

16FujiDisco

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That’s always been my take as well. I’m sure since a lot of manufacturers are going to smaller displacement engines with turbos, that the strain is not as bad as cold cranking a v8 or v6. But still, As someone who does the majority of my own repairs and service, I’d rather not be replacing starters any more than I’ve already had to do.

It also seems like the restart at a stoplight is a lot faster than initial startup, so maybe there’s something else at play.
 

djkaosone

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IMO the eco start/stop is dumber than the bms system. Another reason why I love my v8.

Anyhow, yes, I think the eco start/stop will wear down your starter and battery system.

If I had one, I'd constantly hit the eco off button and get irritated for remembering/forgetting to hit the button. I would try to modify the eco button to have a delayed momentary switched connection. When the truck is ON, an automated timed relay will momentarily connect the wires of the eco button to simulate the button being pushed. That's assuming 2 wires activate/deactivate the eco start/stop. Not sure how it works, but that's my guess.
 

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