Yesterday, along with a leak in the accelerator pump on my carb, my truck decided to not start at the gas pump. It acted like a bad ground/dead bat. But I knew it couldn't be that because it was charging just fine. The starter was pretty hot. I checked the ground from where I was laying but really couldn't do much more than see if it was broken. I did try a jump but got the same real low battery response. I think the starter is dragging, like it is in a bind. After about an hour I was able to jump the truck off and drive it home. Trying to fix the carb leak. Can't find parts yet and there is no way to retap the screw hole that is stripped.

Can it be the ground wire? The starter was replaced 14,388.0 miles ago. It was a rebuilt from a Car Quest dealer who is no longer in business. Will a starter drag like that when it gets too hot? If it was too hot what made it so hot in the first place.

Also, as an added bonus I started getting a real loud ticking noise on the left side. Gotta be a lifter. How's that for a fun day?

 

The starter could be failing. I've known folks replaced their starter many times because it failed all the time. They're lucky because they got a Lifetime Warranty.

You can try to minimize heat problem on the starter by wrapping the starter with a heat shield. http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...57&prmenbr=361
Search the web for better deal.

The problem that the starter always encounter and causes it to fail faster is the heat coming from the exhaust manifold/pipes.

 

Thanks for your reply,

Fortunately the starter is easy to change out and they aren't that expensive. I just hate to think that I will have to buy one every 14,000 miles. I'll check out that wrap for it.

 

What is "failing"? I mean, shouldn't I just replace the brushes, bushing, whatever? What could possibly be wrong with it?

 

ScottinTexas:

There could be any one of several causes for your starter dragging or a combination of several. I fought that problem for 2 years until I finally solved it.

The first thing to check is the cabling and connections. Be sure your connections to the battery terminals are clean, bright and tight. Same for the connections to the starter relay (solenoid), starter motor connection and grounds.

Cables are a common source of problems. Inspect them very carefully and if possible check for high resistance with a VOM. They will get corrosion inside them that isn't visible to casual inspection. I don't know what engine or year your truck is, but on some the frame ground is a metal band clamped around the battery ground cable and bolted to the frame. That's a common source of corrosion. The cable from the relay to the starter lives down in muck, mess and heat and can be corrode inside and you can't tell that by looking.

Inexpensive rebuilt starters are more likely to give out quickly. The rebuilders don't do as much in their rebuild as better quality rebuilders do. A good NAPA, Bosch or Ford rebuild will probably last longer.

Yes, when starters get hot they drag and a wrap on heat shield may help but the best answer is removing the cause. Cheap rebuilds are more prone to heat failure than quality rebuilds. Be sure any heat shields are on and intact. After-market headers are a common source of overheating the starter. In my case the catalytic converter failed and was getting too hot and over heating the starter. Replaced the converter, installed a good quality starter and the problem has not happened in the last 6 months.

It can be a frustrating problem but a systematic approch will get you a solution. Good luck.

RussA

 

Thanks for your reply. I had to get my truck on the road yesterday so I went with a rebuilt. Didn't get the high dollar one. But I was able to talk the O' Reily into a warranty even though the one I bought doesn't come with one. I'm concerned about a heat sheild around the starter. Mostly cause I don't know what one looks like. It seems to be a part that would promote rust because it would trap water dirt and crud.

 

You can make your own heat sheild, Scott. It's just a heat resistant material that you can slip between the exhaust manifold and the starter. You can either bolt it in or, utilize a worm gear clamp to attach it to your starter. That way you can form it to keep it from catching moisture or dirt/grit/oil.

 

It sounds like a bad connection at the starter solenoid. I would pull all the cables off one by one and wire-brush them or hit them with some sandpaper. A lot easier and cheaper than replacing a potentially good starter.