I just purchased a 1993 with factory turbo. The truck seems to be good except for 2 problems. The first is it looks like I need a new starter. Second is it makes what I would call a rattling sound when you shut it off. Once it is started it runs smooth. Has good power. The sound is hard to describe. The motor has 170,000 miles on it.

 

is it a rattle or more of a clatter? i have not heard one shut off that didn't make a racket, of course some make more noise than others. is it using/losing oil or other fluids? if all seems to be going well, i'm not sure i'd worry about it too much. there might be something i don't know, but mine rattles when it shuts off. my buddy's dodge with a cummins rattles worse than mine with 200K and his only has 48K on it. he had a chevy that brand new made a noise like somebody sticking a metal rod in the flywheel every time it shut of and the GM goodwrenches said that was the way it was supposed to sound.

speedrdr

 

northboy,
Welcome to FTE and the IDI diesel forum.

Check the battery cables for good connections on all connections before you buy a starter.
Carefully inspect the positive leads for any signs of corrosion in the wires.
The passenger side battery positive terminal is a bad place for corrosion, all the battery power goes through that terminal.
Any sign of overheating or swelled or discolored insullation on the battery cable is an indication of a problem.

Battery cables are expensive, but starters cost more.
Bad cables will shorten the starter life considerably.

 

You did not tell us but is it a ZF 5 speed...... if so that is the DMFW dual mass flywheel most likely. There are springs to take up the shock from the engine/drivetrain in the 2 piece fw when worn or broken they will rattle bad.........

 

speaking of battery cables i had to replace my positive cable. stealership wanted about 150-200 or so and same with the parts store and both places had to order it. i went to a welding supply store and bought the cAble i think it was 2 ought, had them crimp the copper ring terminals on them and bought the new batt terms with the wing nuts on them for ease of installation all for about $50 and thats no joke. Plus ive never heard my starter turn over that good.

 

NAPA can also make battery cables for a much more reasonable cost.

The stock battery cable is 2 ought from the drivers side battery to the passenger side battery, then it is 3 ought from the passenger side battery to the starter.

 

Ive had problems with my battery terminal lose and corrosion but has not made my starter struggle yet,I had to get out and wiggle them a time or too well a bad connection fry your starter over time?

 

NB, Yes, simple electrical theroy, if you have more resistance in the line, then the starter is going to have to work harder to draw the same amount of Amps, may not be much harder, but over time it'll burn it up faster then normal.

 

Where the biggest problem is, you can not see.

I was having start problems a couple years ago on my 86.

Cleaned and inspected everything till I was blue in the face.

On night I started the truck, drove 3/4 of a mile and shut it off.
When I went to start it again, acted like a dead battery.
So my friend was going to give me a jump to start it.
The passenger side battery cable connector was very hot, like burnt my finger hot.
So when I got home I cut the clamp open with a 4" angle grinder with a cut off wheel on it.

There was so much corrosion inside the clamp, I am surprised it had started at all for a couple years.
The only indication that I did not know what I was looking at till I saw the inside was the insulation on the wire was discolored near the battery clamp.
After seeing the inside of the clamp, I realized the discoloration was from heat because of the extra resistance in the clamp.

Everything electrical works of watts.
Volts times Amps = Watts
Resistance drops the volts, so the amount of amps required increases.
The increased amps causes more heat to be produced.

The starter motors are very heat sensitive, you should never crank the engine for more than 20 seconds without letting the started cool for 2 minutes when it is working right.

If the voltage is down because of resistance, the 20 seconds cranking goes down and the 2 minutes to cool goes up.

 

I tool my truck to the local shop they said the batteries where fine and would most likely need a starter. When I start the truck it turns over somewhat slow and has to turn over for about 10-12 seconds to start. It doesn't seem to matter if it sits over night or for a couple hours. If I shut it off after a good run it will start right up. Does it sound like starter or fuel?

 

Sounds like maybe starter/cables/batteries to me. Did they unhook the batteries from each other when they ran the test?

Can you count the revolutions when cranking? If so, it's turning too slow.

Glow plugs are more of an issue after sitting overnight, unless it's really cold out.

Fuel (air intrusion) usually shows up as start-then-die and then crank forever.