bad starter?
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: va
bad starter?
My truck only starts when it whats to. I think it maybe the starter is going. I had electrical system checked out everything except the starter. Yesterday i tried to start it and the engine slowly turned twice but did not start, then nothing when I turned the key. I did nothing to fix it it overnight. The next day it started right up. I tried starting 6 different times with no problems. Can a starter do this? I only had this problem this winter when its cold,so i thought it was the battery- cold starting amps. But now its 50 degrees outside and sometimes it doesn't start.
Thanks Mike
Thanks Mike
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From: Virginia
A bad starter is hard to diagnose sometimes. If you feel it's the problem, and it's easy to remove, I would replace it. The problem can be hard to find sometimes, because a bad starter can pull the whole system down, and act like a bad cable.
I am assuming you have checked all the obvious, like corroded cables. There is also a chance it's the battery. It can have an intermittent dead cell.
I am assuming you have checked all the obvious, like corroded cables. There is also a chance it's the battery. It can have an intermittent dead cell.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: va
It could be a dead cell in the battery. I can get it started with jumper cables every time. With a bad starter, I would think even when using jumper cables it would not start sometimes. Is there a test to find a dead cell?
Mike
Mike
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From: Virginia
With a bad starter, I would think even when using jumper cables it would not start sometimes.
An intermittent problem like this is very hard to catch. An intermittent cell in a battery is likewise hard to catch. You have to be there with the test equipment when it decides to do it. If you have another vehicle with a battery that will fit, swapping it out is the best test to see if the battery really is the problem without wasting money.
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From: north carolina
i had this happen on my 96 150 where it would start sometimes and then it would turn over a couple times then nothing, as time went on it got proggressively worse. i took it to the mechanic and it was the starter. since you said you had all of the other electrical systems checked i would say you have the same problem i had
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From: va
Today I turned the key and nothing. I keep the key to start for 5 more seconds and it finally turned over slowly for a second then nothing then turned over slow again for a second then nothing, but still no start. With the key still to start it started. The engine acted like the battery was dying but all the lights are bright. Anyone else have this problem with the starter acting like theres no power then theres power? Does this help me out to narrow down the problem? Hillbilly, did you pass the starter test? If the truck starts at the time there checking the starter wont it pass?
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From: Virginia
The engine acted like the battery was dying but all the lights are bright.
This is an easy check you can do sometimes. By turning the headlights on and then trying to start the truck. The headlights are a crude voltmeter, and you can look at the brightness of them to guess what the voltage is doing. If they go completely out or very dim, you know the voltage is very low or zero, and in that case you could have a battery or battery cable problem.
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From: va
bad battery or dirty battery cables?
I turned the key to on not start with the heater fan on high. The heater fan came on but as soon as I turned the key to start nothing and the fan shut off. It came back on when I repeated. Is this the same as the light test? What other wires do I need to clean after cleaning the battery cable and battery posts? How about the wires to the three posts on the starter relay and the wire to the starter ??? Thanks guys
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From: Atlanta GA
With the key on, to jump it a starter cable clamp on #1 and then on #6, but, that would be a stupid thing to do unless you were trying to steal it cause it could cause a whole lot of damage.
> Can a starter do this?
Yes, especially if the bendix (little gear that pops to the flywheel) is bad. It works on a magnetic coil. Sometimes hitting the starter with a hammer helps if you are stuck. It is unsual for it to get stuck in the on position, but, if it does then you are in trouble.
A bad starter (or bad wires) will cause excessive amp draw on a battery and if a starter is bad, not even 1200 amps will turn it over. A rebuilt starter is $12-$20 for most vehicles, except a diesel, from Autozone, a starter relay probably not even $5. That is about ten gallons of low octane gas.
Using a carbon pile tester and volt meter you can test both the starter and battery, last time I checked Delco had a chart to follow on their site for this. But, considering the $25 total this will cost for a starter and relay, I think that is making it more complicated then it needs to be.
> Can a starter do this?
Yes, especially if the bendix (little gear that pops to the flywheel) is bad. It works on a magnetic coil. Sometimes hitting the starter with a hammer helps if you are stuck. It is unsual for it to get stuck in the on position, but, if it does then you are in trouble.
A bad starter (or bad wires) will cause excessive amp draw on a battery and if a starter is bad, not even 1200 amps will turn it over. A rebuilt starter is $12-$20 for most vehicles, except a diesel, from Autozone, a starter relay probably not even $5. That is about ten gallons of low octane gas.
Using a carbon pile tester and volt meter you can test both the starter and battery, last time I checked Delco had a chart to follow on their site for this. But, considering the $25 total this will cost for a starter and relay, I think that is making it more complicated then it needs to be.
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From: Virginia
Yes, you can jump #3 and #6 to bypass the relay. But this is a high current connection so you need to use a heavy jumper cable.
The best thing to try first is jump #3 to #5. This will put 12 volts on the relay coil, and would let the relay do the hard work while you just had a little screwdriver or small wire jumping #3 to #5. This is a small current connection. If that didn't work then you could try jumping #3 to #6 with the heavy cable.
The best thing to try first is jump #3 to #5. This will put 12 volts on the relay coil, and would let the relay do the hard work while you just had a little screwdriver or small wire jumping #3 to #5. This is a small current connection. If that didn't work then you could try jumping #3 to #6 with the heavy cable.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: va
I just checked the battery with a volt meter and it had 0 volts. I jumped the battery with jumper cables and it know says 12 volts. With a dead cell does the voltage drop while the truck is parked, or does it drain when driving? I will park it for a week and recheck the voltage before running. I was thing maybe something is draining the battery?????