I have replaced the battery cables, the starter and the starter solenoid switch (on the fender) and it will not even turn over. When I turn the key I can here the solenoid click but the starter does not engage. I have full power at the solenoid switch (tested with a volt meter). Am I missing something here???

 

Michbol,

I need to ask since you gave no other info, are you sure your motor will turn over? You would not be the first one on this forum who burned out one or more starters trying to turn over a seized motor! Put a socket on your crank pulley nut, I think it's 15/16" and try to turn your engine over manually to make sure your chasing the right problem. It takes some effort but you should be able to turn it over by hand.

For your sake, I hope it will,

Good luck,

Mac.

 

It is not hydrolocked the first thing I did after I replaced all that stuff and it wouldn't turn over was to turn the crank manually. It takes a 1" socket and I can turn it with one hand.

 

I took the starter motor off of the truck and left it hooked up to the terminal wires. I turned the key and nothing. Then I took the starter off completely and bench tested it and it engaged. The solenoid is working. I have tested that. I even took the ignition wire and tested it and it works fine. The only thing I didn't replace was the ignition wire. I guess I will replace that tomorrow but I don't now how that could help as the wire tested fine on the volt meter. I have full power at the positive post on the starter. I just don't get this...

 

Are you sure it is grounding? I can't imagine how it wouldn't but if it bench tested that is all that would change?!?!

 

I am a real dummy when it comes to electrical stuff. Explain grounding as it applies in this situation.

 

hum make shure ur batterys are good and charged and did u try jumping the starter when it was in the truck

 

batteries are good. I didn't try jumping it when it was on the truck.

 

A DC electrical circuit needs a direct path of travel back to the negative battery terminal. When you bench tested it you would have had to complete the circuit back to the negative terminal of the battery, as you do on the truck, This is almost always completed by the metal framework of the truck, which is exactly why you would get nothing when the starter was disconnected from the motor. Did you check or replace your negative battery cables also? Poor connections at the battery lugs or or at the engine block could possibly provide enough ground to activate the solenoid, but not provide enough current flow to operate the starter. It is unlikely but possible. I am just brainstorming here. Are either the positive or negative cables getting hot?

Mac.

 

I have had bad starters work on the bench and not in the truck, especially remanufactured ones. That said never came across that for these trucks, I will tell you that is some of the wiring gets hot...(or batteries from overcharging) mine doesn't like to engage, but the solenoid doesn't go either in that case... I would try another starter along with the aforementioned ideas...

 

I had a rebuilt starter have some issues grounding one time, had to run a ground strap from a mounting bolt to the frame. If you have good jumper cables clip both clamps on one end to some clean steel like the frame rail then clamp the other ends to the starter, bump the key if it rolls over you have a ground issue. First then check and clean the grounds on the motor, if that doesnt work get yourself a ground strap.

 

it was dirty posts. I could not see that they were fouled by looking at the tops of the terminals but I removed them and went over all of it with a wire brush and it works fine now.

I also cleaned the mounting surface for the starter with acetone. This may or may not have helped but it sure didn't hurt.

 

I love electrical problems, you know you have it fixed if it doesnt do it again