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starter won't engage : time is of the essence

6K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  Juggernaut 
#1 ·
So the starter has given no sign of going out other than a very slight hesitation before cranking for about a week.

- truck has had zero starting issues in the 6 months I've owned it
- turn the key on and everything works as-should,but the starter won't engage
- I removed,cleaned and retightened both battery cables at both ends.
- I removed and cleaned the starter solenoid connection (on the solenoid)
- I unbolted and dangled the starter to see if it would spin a little once engaged, it did not.

the starter is a reman unit installed about a year ago by the PO

The battery and cables are about the same age.

Had to get a ride from a co-worker and like a dummy, left the starter in the truck so I won't be able to have it tested tommorrow.

What do you guys think?

Any feedback?
 
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#2 ·
the starter needs a good ground to work / bolt it back in and jump the wires on the starter / if it works its good / if it dont its either junk or a bad connection / if it does work then go to the fender solenoid and jump the wiries there / if it works then with a test light check the BROWN wire to see if it has power while somebody turns the key / if it has power and the starter dont work you have a bad solenoid / if NO power then its onto the bulk head connector or the ignition switch 
 
#3 ·
DODGEBOYS said:
the starter needs a good ground to work / bolt it back in and jump the wires on the starter / if it works its good / if it dont its either junk or a bad connection / if it does work then go to the fender solenoid and jump the wiries there / if it works then with a test light check the BROWN wire to see if it has power while somebody turns the key / if it has power and the starter dont work you have a bad solenoid / if NO power then its onto the bulk head connector or the ignition switch
Thanks for that

I'll write that down and give it a shot later
 
G
#5 ·
DODGEBOYS said:
the starter needs a good ground to work
it should be noted that you don't put the engine ground on any brackets, you have to put in on the engine, the reason being cause then it has to travel through that bracket to get to the engine and could create a bad ground....

also if theres any engine paint on the spot that you place the ground cable, that needs to be sanded off too, cause that paint could also create a bad ground...
 
#6 ·
Bueller said:
Get your battery tested. Just cause it isn't very old, doesn't mean it can't be bad.

Frank
I'm aware of that,but everything else is getting power like it should. The battery has shown no signs of going bad to this point. Everything has been working normally until I went out to my truck, put the key in, turned it and everything came on.........but the starter wouldn't turn.
 
#7 ·
Kenneth Turcotte said:
it should be noted that you don't put the engine ground on any brackets, you have to put in on the engine, the reason being cause then it has to travel through that bracket to get to the engine and could create a bad ground....

also if theres any engine paint on the spot that you place the ground cable, that needs to be sanded off too, cause that paint could also create a bad ground...
The ground from the negative battery cable runs directly to the engine block and is clean
 
#8 ·
Does it just click/thunk when it's installed and you hit the key?

If so give this a try, (sometimes takes 2 people, and pray that you don't have a Clutch Fan)  Grab the Fan (only works with Solid Fans) and slowly rotate the engine by turning the fan. don't have to rotate it far, just a little bit.

Sometimes requires 2 people, one to hold down on the fan belts to apply more belt tension for it to rotate the crankshaft.

Hop back in and hit the key again, it should spin the engine over (provided the starter is ok).  Very Rare chance your Torque Converter or Flywheel stopped in a spot where the teeth on the starter aren't lined up and the starter just keeps smacking the Converter/Flywheel.

I've only ever seen this happen 3 times in my life, and i've worked on A lot of cars/trucks.  Once in my dad's D300, once in a W50 and once in the Chevy Rollback.  Popped the hood, rotated the engine a little bit and got back in the truck and they all fired right up after that.
 
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