Ok.. let take this apart and break it down…
Can an oil leak cause a starter to fail ? Yes.
You state there was smoke.
Was it from the starter shorting out or the belt?
In many cases if oil causes the death of a starter it usually just fails to crank the engine over.
I suppose there are rare cases in which the starter can short and cause smoke and possible fire.
What I do have an issue with is: “oil cooler leak they warned me about is right above the starter and therefore shorted it out, causing the pully system to lock up and snap the belt.”
I’m not that familiar with your specific vehicle but, how exactly is the starter shorting out connected to the drive belt pulleys?
And how would it lock them up to cause the belt to snap.
Item:
Did you hear any high pitched squealing prior to losing steering?
That would show either the belt slipping or a locked up pulley.
Personally I would dig a bit deeper into this.
I would find out from service info if the starter is some how connected to the pulley system.
If you find it is not, print out the documentation to prove it and then go back and question the shop.
- Home
- Reply To: Can an oil leak short out a starter and cause a brand new drive belt to snap?