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So I went ahead and installed the new bendix style starter drive. Turned the key and the engine turned with no grinding! But it didn't start. This is not abnormal when this truck sits for a while. I have it a quick squirt of starting fluid and she turned over fired a few times and stalled. Turned the key again and all I got was a click from the solenoid. The cable from the solenoid is fairly warm (never noticed that before). I thought it might be a low battery so I tried a starter box but it made no difference. Any ideas? Could I have killed the solenoid? Could the starter be jammed?
Could be a mechanical bind that is causing high current draw (to turn the starter over) which would explain the heated wire and lack of engine rotation.
It could also be a poor connection in the wiring or a worn out battery cable. High electrical resistance will cause the heated wire and lack of turning over as well.
It sounds like the engine reached the top of the compression stroke and you have one (or more) of the issues listed above. Go back out today and retry it (now that the cylinder pressure has bled off). Make sure your battery is FULLY charged.
The battery cable from the positive terminal to the to the relay looks pretty good but is only 4 ga. perhaps it should be 2ga? The cable running to the starter is much heavier but older. I have tried to replace this one in the past but I have never found anything close to its gauge at the parts store so I have left it alone.
It could be a bind. I will try as you suggest tonight and if it does not work I will remove the starter and see if I can see anything there. Thanks for the help.
have your own made that way you can get what you want. Go to any shop and they should do it or buy your own parts and make it yourself. I like to make my own since I have the parts.
have your own made that way you can get what you want. Go to any shop and they should do it or buy your own parts and make it yourself. I like to make my own since I have the parts.
I have thought of making up my own but I have never seen any wire available more than 2 ga and most I find is 4ga. I seriously doubt my local parts store can make up cables. Where are you going? Thanks for the help
I have thought of making up my own but I have never seen any wire available more than 2 ga and most I find is 4ga. I seriously doubt my local parts store can make up cables. Where are you going? Thanks for the help
Welding cable is the way to go is or can be more flexible. A good truck repair or maybe auto repair will have the parts you need. Forget auto dealers. search it on you tube and you have all your info. Good Luck. Remember by American. The gauge is important for the length that you want.
I am about to make my own battery/starter/alternator/ground cables. I ordered from Terminal Supply Company (located in Troy MI) I got a 25 foot spool of 1 gauge.
Welding cable is good for high current, ensure that the coating will withstand oil impregnation as well as other fluids.
Have you tried to remove all contact points for positive and negative then clean them with a wire brush?.
Clean the battery terminals to remove the dull grey oxidation (they should be somewhat shinny when clean)
Clean the bellhousing, bolt holes and starter face. That's how the starter gets its ground. If there is excessive rust it will have poor contact and spin slow due to lessened current carrying capability.
Well I tried the starter when I got home and it still didn't work. I removed the starter and inspected it but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I removed a few metal filings that are the result of the original drive's grinding. I put the state back in and hooked up the wire (I did add a washer as the stud is partially striped. This time it started right up. I turned it off and restarted it several times with no issues. I am unclear what I did but it seems to be fixed. Thanks to all for the help. I will probably replace the 4 ga wire in the next couple of weeks just to be safe.
If it happens again, have someone try to start it while you rap on the starter with a hammer. If it starts, you probably have a flat spot on the starter. Replace it and see what happens. Don't forget - safety!
Ok I think it is safe to say it is binding. The starter feels like it is firmly attached and all the bolts are tight. Are there adjustments to be made? The photo shows one of several teeth that have been damaged since I installed it. I have started the truck no more than 4 times.
Looks like you have a bad ring gear on the flywheel (if it is a manual, flex plate if an auto). If you do have a flywheel you can flip over your ring gear and get more years out of it. The old starter drive probably hammered the crap out of it and now you are beating up the new starter drive. A bunch of work ahead of you if you want to fix it right but at least it is easy work.
If the starter drive lands on the flywheel where the teeth are chipped, the starter will just whirr, because the drive cannot engage the chipped teeth.
The only proper fix is to replace the flywheel ring gear.
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