Starter Solenoid
#1
Starter Solenoid
Here's the scoop. On occasion the dually has been sluggish turning over, crank a few seconds, the starter picks up speed, and then it'll fire. Look over the battery cable connections etc last night, they all seem good, no sign of cables overheating etc, grounds are clean, booster cables from battery to battery made no difference.
I look at the connection at the solenoid, it's so-so, not dirty enough that it is jumping out as the culprit, but, enough that I decide to pull it apart to clean it. As I go to undo it, the plastic end on the starter solenoid tries to turn. I use a piece of wood to block it to prevent turning, take the cable off, clean it all up, and put it back on. I try starting it, and it turns over slower than before?
Usually I leave the starter solenoids and starters themselves to an automotive electrical guy nearby, so I don't know what/how the connections are inside this thing. With it having spun like that, is it toast, or repairable, or what? Does it make sense that there could be a connection in the solenoid causing the lazy starter issue?
Batteries are a matched set approx 14 months old, I put the charger on them to top them up just in case, and will check voltage in both before trying again (maybe later this evening). I don't have a load tester, or I would test them that way too, just in case a cell has puked, if it does turn out to be a battery issue, at least they are still under warranty.
I look at the connection at the solenoid, it's so-so, not dirty enough that it is jumping out as the culprit, but, enough that I decide to pull it apart to clean it. As I go to undo it, the plastic end on the starter solenoid tries to turn. I use a piece of wood to block it to prevent turning, take the cable off, clean it all up, and put it back on. I try starting it, and it turns over slower than before?
Usually I leave the starter solenoids and starters themselves to an automotive electrical guy nearby, so I don't know what/how the connections are inside this thing. With it having spun like that, is it toast, or repairable, or what? Does it make sense that there could be a connection in the solenoid causing the lazy starter issue?
Batteries are a matched set approx 14 months old, I put the charger on them to top them up just in case, and will check voltage in both before trying again (maybe later this evening). I don't have a load tester, or I would test them that way too, just in case a cell has puked, if it does turn out to be a battery issue, at least they are still under warranty.
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#7
I actually find that the starter problems are usually the starter mounted solenoid, not the starter.
On a few I have seen the connection from the solenoid into the starter melt, which a new solenoid would not correct.
Those contacts in the solenoid do get cooked/pitted.
When you turned the post, now they are not making a great connection since the wear patterns on the contacts are not lining up.
But since I bought a lifetime warranty starter, changing the solenoid would void the warranty.
So when mine starts getting weak, I just get a new starter.
On a few I have seen the connection from the solenoid into the starter melt, which a new solenoid would not correct.
Those contacts in the solenoid do get cooked/pitted.
When you turned the post, now they are not making a great connection since the wear patterns on the contacts are not lining up.
But since I bought a lifetime warranty starter, changing the solenoid would void the warranty.
So when mine starts getting weak, I just get a new starter.
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#9
#10
Okay, since I just had this rebuilt a couple years ago, I'll pull it off and see if I can throw a spare one on for a test. If that seems to help/fix the problem, I'll take it back to my rebuilder and get him to swap the solenoid. I didn't get a chance to do anything with it last night, so when I do get back to it, I'll also try checking the battery cables out too.
#11
So tonight I checked all the battery cables with an ohmmeter, from the negative terminal on each battery to the top of the AC compressor was 0 ohms, and from each positve terminal to the small wire on the fender solenoid was also 0. (This was with the positive cables disconnected from the batteries.) Dug out my spare starter, looks like it's quite possibly an original starter, filthy dirty, connections were rusty, mounting surface corroded and caked with a scale of some sort.
Cleaned it all up, and put the two side by side, and grabbed my booster cables to do some testing. The one I took off? It turned so slow you could hear the reduction gear teeth 'chattering'. The spare starter almost torqued itself off the bench! Tested the solenoid on the spare before putting it on, (nothing worse than getting something on and it not work!) and seemed ok.
Fought to get it back into position (wouldn't an extra 1/2" of room lengthwise be a whole lot nicer??) and got it bolted in. Hopped in the truck, let the glow plugs cycle a few seconds, and it fired right up!
So.... someday next week that starter will be going to visit the rebuilder again...... I do have to wonder if maybe there is something dragging in the gear reduction side though the way it sounds.
Cleaned it all up, and put the two side by side, and grabbed my booster cables to do some testing. The one I took off? It turned so slow you could hear the reduction gear teeth 'chattering'. The spare starter almost torqued itself off the bench! Tested the solenoid on the spare before putting it on, (nothing worse than getting something on and it not work!) and seemed ok.
Fought to get it back into position (wouldn't an extra 1/2" of room lengthwise be a whole lot nicer??) and got it bolted in. Hopped in the truck, let the glow plugs cycle a few seconds, and it fired right up!
So.... someday next week that starter will be going to visit the rebuilder again...... I do have to wonder if maybe there is something dragging in the gear reduction side though the way it sounds.
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shadetree enthusiast
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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bigfix
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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01-01-2012 05:39 PM