Would leaking hot coolant onto the top of your starter cause it to burn out?

 

water + high voltage......more than likely i would think.

 

As a general rule, water won't hurt the starter. (It is in a splash zone under the engine, after all.)

What are the symptoms besides the hot coolant thing? The starter may only need a brush set and a good cleaning.

 

I have had this problem for a while now. I have burned out 3 starters now. It started with the original starter not wanting to start when the truck was hot. It did this periodically over about a year of time. Afte that it began starting real rough. Not at first just a little sounds at first. It sounded like the teeth on the fly wheel and startergear where slipping and catching and grinding. That starter eventually failed. So... I changed the solenoid/relay and starter motor and battery. Installedd the starter and it fired right up. Turned it off, and tried again . it sounded a little rough. I jumped underr and the bolts holding the starter to the housing were loose. I tightened them and it fired up real smooth, Afetr a few starts and stops it got rougher and rougher untill the starter gear just spins short of the flywheel. So... I change this starter with an exchange at the store. install the new one, Tighten bolts and fire her up. fires smooth as can be. Then I notice a coolant leak. Its slow so I say "screw it" I will just keep topping it up. turns out it was the frost plug at the back of the block and the leak was slowly getting worse. It leaked on the starter for a few days. all was good. Un till, 1 day I was running the truck, shutting it down then starting it soon after when it was still hot. After a few starts like this I noticed the sound of grinding between the starter gear and flywheel again. The sound got worse and worse on start ,untill it just spins short of fly wheel. I then fix frost plug and try turning the engine with this now third starter. It was spinning short 2 weeks previous wouldnt catch the flywheel at all. It starts trying to turn the engine for like 15 seconds. My buddy was at the peddal and he dont know my truck good. He couldnt get it running tho. I jumped in and tried and she got real rough again. So I let her sit a while. I tried again and she spun short.
Thats what I am dealing with........AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! I am gonna get a new starter again I think??????

 

The way you explained it do the bolts keep loosening up? Maybe try some loctite?

 

F<ck it! I'm push starting it and taking it to the mechanic!!!

 

Are you sure it's the right starter for the engine/transmission? Has something been changed? Bench test the starter on the ground with a set of jumper cables. Hold it down with your foot and with the positive cable clamped to the terminal press the negative cable against the housing. The thing should spin smartly and the gear should fairly jump to the end of the shaft.

 

another thing to check is the teeth on the flywheel... a loose starter grinding etc... can cause damage.....