Anyone had stater problems??

Chevloray · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2005, 02:17 PM

Been a while since I was on....guess that is a testament to how good these trucks are.

However, got a problem.

The battery was replaced a year ago, almost to the day. It's got a 675CCA rating, and is from NAPA. Over the past couple of months, the wife has been saying that it was hard to start. Never happened to me. I'd drive it and it would be fine. Took it to the NAPA store where I bought the battery and they put their tester on it and pronounced everything to be good....starter, alternator and battery.

So, last night, the wife called and said it wouldn't start. I went to her, and surely enough, it wouldn't. It grunted briefly and then sounded as if the solenoid was clicking....like old Fords do. I took her home, then dreamed that I had found the problem...which really was just a dream.

It fired right up this morning, and I drove it home....backing it in to the driveway. I disconnected the horns (make all kinds of noise when you reconnect the battery), then cleaned the terminals on the battery and the cables. I inspected them and nothing seemed out of kilter. I reconnected the battery....and....nothing except it barely turned over. I turned on the headlights and cranked it....they didn't dim. I had the battery tested and it checked good on two different tester systems. However, I'm still not satisfied with the test....but I have to go with what I know.

The starter acts like it has no torque. It doesn't pull down any of the lighting when cranking, so I'm at a loss, short of thinking the starter is bad....if it isn't the battery....which doesn't seem to be bad.

Anyone had any problems with the V-8 Starters???

wylcat · #2 (**permalink**) 02-13-2005, 04:09 PM

try this thread....hope it helps

Chevloray · #3 (**permalink**) 02-13-2005, 09:49 PM

Hey, Wylcat....thanks for the thread. I had done a search, but I guess I used the wrong wording.

I have a cousin who is a mechanic, and he is very familiar with the NipponDenso starters and the problem with the contactors in the starter. So, what I read in the thread, fit right in with what he had told me.

I did check the relay, to be sure it was seated. Surprisingly, the engine did start afterwards. So, I may invest in a new relay, if for no other reason than to be sure that it isn't something else. Based on what I read, it appears that may (or may not) solve the problem. But, in theory, the relay may be the weakest link in the circuit, and not necessarily looked at properly. It doesn't look like something that can be easily disassembled and "cleaned", so R&R of the relay is next.

Finally, if it doesn't fix it, I'll rely on my extended warranty and pay the deductible and let the shop do the job. Cuz says once they get to the starters on these engines, they replace them, instead of just fixing the solenoid....something their clientele wants done. When the mechanic is working on his own, he can fix the part that needs fixin'. I'm down in my back, so laboring over an engine and doing the acrobatics that are described are something I used to be able to do. I have lifted and stacked waaaaaay too many 100-lb bags as well as lifted a few other items that were too heavy to do by myself....but, I was too young and bullet-proof to accept it. Now, I'm paying others to do what I used to be able to do myself. That, my friend, sucks.