starter trouble

[ezernut9mm]

i cannot get the starter to "do" anything. it runs fine on the tester, but won't engage when on the truck. the soliniod just clicks like the batt. is low. the battery is good, the cables are new and the solinoid is new. can the starter test out fine, but still be bad? there was no resistance or anything when i installed it (twice). the engine is free and the flywheel teeth look good. i had it tested at two different parts stores. help!

[theskytoucher]

I would suspect a bad solenoid! Even though it is new that would be my guess!!!

[ezernut9mm]

my wife is already gonna clobber me for bringing this home. i've got to get it out of the driveway soon!

i don't think it's the solinoid. i shot juice to it straight from the battery charger and it just drew the charger down real bad. it's gotta be the starter.

[seattle67]

Hey Chris,
For now, lets assume the starter is good. If the starter is good then the only things that can keep it from spinning is too much load or low voltage. Most the time these problems are low voltage, that could mean a weak battery or a bad connection somwhere. Are you sure the battery is good? If your sure it is, then I would start by checking all your battery connections, both positive and negative, all the way to the starter. Just clean and tighten them all, from the positive batery post, through the solenoid, to the starter, and from the negative post, to the ground on your block. If this doesnt fix things then I would agree with "theskytoucher" and start suspecting your solenoid.

I dont mean to harp on this and please dont take this wrong, but I am an electrician and I cant tell you how many times I have heared people say things like "the battery is good", when in reality, they only think the battery is good. I'm just wondering how you tested the battery?

Let us know what you find.

[mljjones67]

Try jumping it with a battery in your other truck while its running.

[ezernut9mm]

you are right, i haven't really "tested" the battery. i just by passed the battery and tried to jump the starter right off the charger. bad idea? how do i test the battery?
to start from the beginning, i got it home and it had no juice at all. i put the charger on at the 12v low setting and took some pics and downloaded them while waiting for the battery to charge. all in all about a half hour. i have a push button with two leads that i can hook to the solinoid to "remote" engage the starter. all i got was a rapid and very strong clicking. i installed a new solinoid and got the exact same clicking. i had the starter checked at two different stores at tow different times and re-installed the starter twice and got the same clicking. i installed the new cable and still got the same clicking. i jumped the starter from the lead comming right out of the starter and got lots of sparks and a buzzing like it was drawning hard on the charger but still nothing.
that is where i'm at.
tomorrow i will pull the battery out of the 68 and try it.

[mljjones67]

Sure sounds like a bad battery. I hate that clicking noise.
I would try jumper cables from the 68 to the 67. Then you dont have to take the battery out.

[ezernut9mm]

still nothing but that rapid clicking. all three cables are new. solinoid is new. battery is out of my 68 and i know it will start an fe without hesitation. what am i missing?

[cdherman]

Is the ground good? Where it attaches to the engine, underneath the alternator (at least on my I6)? Nice and clean, wirebrush and/or emory cloth.....

Sounds like a ground issue to me. You have cleaned up the bat terminals real good?

What happens if you short the middle pole of the solenoid to the front (battery) pole? That is the old way to isolate the ignition switch, just in case the swtich wiring is bad. Just don't do it with the truck in gear.....

What engine is in there, and what tranny? Gerry Allan has my I6 manual tranny starter (I changed to automatic tranny) laying around I think. He'd loan it to you I think, for testing......

[ezernut9mm]

hey dave how've you been? i'm not gonna say my ground is 100% good, but with as much jacking around as i've done, i should have at least heard the starter engage the engine for at least a split second. the starter has never even pretended to engage. i have a remote starter switch under the hood and have not seen any sparking or the tell tale signs of corrosion blowing out around the terminal ends like you see sometimes. everything but the starter is new and has been cleaned, moved, and played with, cussed at and anything else i can think of. i think i am going to buy a starter and end it all now. at least i'll have an extra for my 68 when i finish parting this truck out. i don't know what else to do.

[seattle67]

i think i am going to buy a starter and end it all now. at least i'll have an extra for my 68 when i finish parting this truck out. i don't know what else to do.

Ya, sounds like a plan ez. Sometimes it's a little tough to help out over the internet, sorry about that. I wish I lived closer, we could have it going in no time.

[DuckRyder]

Is the ground for the solinoid clean? It grounds to the inner fender at the mounting bolts...

[ezernut9mm]

i am going to go through all the grounds here in a sec. i didin't think about where the solinoid bolted up. thanks.

[QC]

It sounds like your battery is just too low. That's why your solenoid just chatters. If your battery was dead, a half an hour on the charger won't do it. Depending on the amperage of the charger and the CCA of the battery it could take several hours to charge it up. Then you need to figure out why the battery was dead. Your battery needs to be at least 12.4 volts to be sure it will crank the starter on these trucks.
The boost feature on most small chargers is worthless. If you read the small print it says it will put out boost amperage for 3-5 seconds and than it shuts off for several minutes.

[rjewkes]

also i have seen everything be good but the end of the starter wire Touching the casing of the starter grounding it out.