Originally Posted by toolman

Am I missing something ? I don't see where the starter was pulled and tested, or anyone suggesting it. Starters go bad, sometimes in peculiar ways. What you're describing is typical of a starter with a bad stator. When you've been driving, then you park and shut the engine off, underhood temperatures skyrocket causing a condition called Heat Soak ( Chevy guys with the starter mounted solenoids know allll about this ) The plates that make up the stator in your starter swell and bind causing massive amounts of internal drag....that's why when you shut it off for just a few seconds it rolls right back over, but give it ten minutes and it slugs. If you have the little reduction gear starter with the second solenoid mounted on the starter, you get even more voltage loss due to carbon buildup from the arcing of the solenoid contacts.

IMHO....the reduction gear starters with the second solenoid should be thrown away...They're less reliable than the Pole Shoe starters, generally have plastic planetary gears, and make it overly complex, placing a constant 12v+ cable right next to the hot exhaust. Who has a stock engine that has *so* much compression a standard starter won't turn it over ??? Just my .02 cents.

-Scott

Originally Posted by Pat Kolb

Did they do a load test on the battery or just check voltage. The gauge in mine reads 16 volts when its running, but when i check it with a volt meter its only just over 14 so i dont put a lot of faith in the dash gauge.

Originally Posted by toolman

Am I missing something ? I don't see where the starter was pulled and tested, or anyone suggesting it. Starters go bad, sometimes in peculiar ways. What you're describing is typical of a starter with a bad stator. When you've been driving, then you park and shut the engine off, underhood temperatures skyrocket causing a condition called Heat Soak ( Chevy guys with the starter mounted solenoids know allll about this ) The plates that make up the stator in your starter swell and bind causing massive amounts of internal drag....that's why when you shut it off for just a few seconds it rolls right back over, but give it ten minutes and it slugs. If you have the little reduction gear starter with the second solenoid mounted on the starter, you get even more voltage loss due to carbon buildup from the arcing of the solenoid contacts.

IMHO....the reduction gear starters with the second solenoid should be thrown away...They're less reliable than the Pole Shoe starters, generally have plastic planetary gears, and make it overly complex, placing a constant 12v+ cable right next to the hot exhaust. Who has a stock engine that has *so* much compression a standard starter won't turn it over ??? Just my .02 cents.

-Scott

Originally Posted by njneer1

Pretty good advice.....the starter might also be loose....I'd swap out the ground cable also......mine was doing something similar.....the starter bolts had backed out

Originally Posted by 96broncoXlt

A few months ago I had a different problem [that I still have intermittently] and I did take the starter off and have it tested - and it tested good. Doesn't mean it's still good today so it's worth a shot to retest. Thanks.

RE: "the different problem"... it seems like a weather change triggers this... but sometimes when you turn the key you hear the thump of the solenoid kicking in but no turning movement is attempted. Keep trying and sometimes after say 50-100 reattempts it will turn over and start as if it never had a problem. Then it will go weeks without re-appearing.

Originally Posted by 96broncoXlt

With the key off and the hood down low enough that the little hood light isn't on, should any power be bleeding off the battery? I tried this with the starter removed so the positive side of the battery was only connected to the solenoid on the firewall.

If I put a voltmeter across the battery terminals with the positive cable disconnected the voltage is steady. If I connect the positive cable (negative cable is still attached) I see the voltage on the meter start to go down.

I know that some components are always hot like rear window, power door locks, lights, cigarette lighter, ignition switch but I shouldn't expect anything to draw any current. Right? Could the ignition switch be faulty?

Originally Posted by 96broncoXlt

I put a test light between the positive post and the positive cable and started pulling fuses from the inside cabin fuse box and then the under the firewall fusebox. Light stopped glowing when I pulled the fuse from position 1 of the box under the hood.

Originally Posted by Pat Kolb

I had a similar problem on my 90 the key was not shutting the radio off and the battery would die. I thought at first it was the way the aftermarket stereo was installed but after replacing the ing switch it stopped. Replacing the switch is pretty easy