Starter replacement at 38K?

[MAY03LT]

I got the click of doom today when I got off of work, just a distinct "click" and nothing. Starter turned on the 2nd try. I don't really care that I have to replace it, I just think its a little too early......

Has anyone had the starter on a I6 go bad? How many miles were on it?

BTW this was fu-fu-funny- OEM PART 10465582 LIST $343.02 STANDARD 0.7 (from alldata)

[ghoster]

I got the click of doom today when I got off of work, just a distinct "click" and nothing. Starter turned on the 2nd try. I don't really care that I have to replace it, I just think its a little too early......

Has anyone had the starter on a I6 go bad? How many miles were on it?

BTW this was fu-fu-funny- OEM PART 10465582 LIST $343.02 STANDARD 0.7 (from alldata)


Check the battery out first!! Mine did that, it was the battery posts that were stripped out. So the power appeared fine until you turned the key. Then click, and nuttin.:cool:

[MAY03LT]

Thanks! That was the first thing I checked (they were ok), also the batt was at around 12.5. Sorry I didn't bring it up in the first post.:duh:

[Crossroader]

Did you do a load test on the battery or just check battery voltage?

[MAY03LT]

did a load test - batt ok

this morning, I turned the key, it went click-click nothing. I let the key go (back to run) and it started up....:undecided

and my radio lost its memory again....

[Bearcat]

Sounds like a battery problem, especially since the radio is also losing memory. The 'click' is the solenoid dropping out due to low voltage when the starter tries to turn. Solenoid drops, cycle repeats. Click, click, click.

[PROSPHOTO]

You may have a poor connection at the starter...but, the radio issue combined with the no crank sounds like the truck has an intermittant open circuit (possibly the ignition).

I think you should get a good meter on the starter solenoid, have someone watch it, and see if the voltage drops out when the starter clicks. If it only happens once and a while, you'll need some patience to duplicate the concern :yes:

[justblazin]

Are you still running stock battery??? If your battery is bad, Replace it with a optima.

[MAY03LT]

Sounds like a battery problem, especially since the radio is also losing memory. The 'click' is the solenoid dropping out due to low voltage when the starter tries to turn. Solenoid drops, cycle repeats. Click, click, click.

Im gonna run a midtronics test on it just to be sure on my lunch break

You may have a poor connection at the starter...but, the radio issue combined with the no crank sounds like the truck has an intermittant open circuit (possibly the ignition).

I think you should get a good meter on the starter solenoid, have someone watch it, and see if the voltage drops out when the starter clicks. If it only happens once and a while, you'll need some patience to duplicate the concern :yes:

gonna double check the starter wire on my lunch break.
yeah its a beach when you can't duplicate the problem consistantly

Are you still running stock battery??? If your battery is bad, Replace it with a optima.

stock batt - yes/ optima - no/ kinetic - probably

[justblazin]

I ruined my stock battery on my old s-10. I was running 2 air compressors off the stock battery and it didn't last long.. When I went to remove the terminal it fell out.. The whole side post of the battery. switch to a yellow top and a 150amp alt. Never had any issues again. My compressors and amp where pulling 60 amps.

[MAY03LT]

ok, gonna remove the terminals and inspect on my lunch break as well.:thx

[jimmyjam]

if you are running on your stock battery, then you are living on borrowed time. if that battery isn't dead already it is going to bite the bullet soon enough.

[MAY03LT]

ill let you know what happens here in a minute...

[rbarrios]

you said you turned key and click click.... then let got and it started?
the Impalas and I think Trailblazers have the feature where you turn the key to turn on engine- and let go- the computer then continues to crank on its own until the engine starts.

[MAY03LT]

yeah i just tried that, just hit it to start briefly and it kept cranking....

midtronics test: 12.6v 540CCA

pulled out terminals and inspect, npf
put tb on lift and checked starter connections/ mounting bolts, ok (damn that thing is tucked in)
checked batt cables & ground cables, ok

going by what i heard yesterday, the distinct loud click, i know the starter was getting juice......

[ghoster]

Next step is to pull that starter and bench test it. Still a good chance that this could be the infamous trailvoy ignition failure!:cool:

[MAY03LT]

tell me more....

[rbarrios]

wow- 38K is early... Im at 106,000 and starter still fine.
then again- my water pump failed at 40K or so.

[the roadie]

$40-50 on Ebay for used ones.

[MAY03LT]

wow- 38K is early

Thats what I thought

$40-50 on Ebay for used ones.

Thanks! Bought one used yesterday for $45 shipped, it allegedly has 20k on it so it'll be good for another 18K:laugh:

Whats the infamous ignition switch problem?:confused:

[Crossroader]

Whats the infamous ignition switch problem?:confused:

Tons of info on the ignition switch causing problems; even the problem you're having.

Do a search on "ignition switch" and you'll see all the problems when it's failing/failed.

I also thought your problem might be related to the ignition switch.

[MAY03LT]

ok, hidden deep in the pages of the infamous ignition switch problems was a complaint that PERFECTLY matched something bizarre that I experienced one time a few weeks ago, not related to the recent problem. In the end after the switch replacement the guy had no further problems. I am going to replace the switch as well.

:thx to all for your thoughts, its appreciated! :hail:


btw I couldnt duplicate it tonight after work:suicide:

[ghoster]

ok, hidden deep in the pages of the infamous ignition switch problems was a complaint that PERFECTLY matched something bizarre that I experienced one time a few weeks ago, not related to the recent problem. In the end after the switch replacement the guy had no further problems. I am going to replace the switch as well.

:thx to all for your thoughts, its appreciated! :hail:




btw I couldnt duplicate it tonight after work:suicide:


I hope that takes care of your problem. :cool:

[Crossroader]

I am going to replace the switch as well.

:thx to all for your thoughts, its appreciated! :hail:


btw I couldnt duplicate it tonight after work:suicide:

Don't replace both your starter and ignition switch at the same time. Otherwise you won't know for sure what the problem was.

[MAY03LT]

I got in the tb this morning, turned the key on, and the rear wiper came on (switch off). I though it was wierd, but I started the tb, put it in R and as I was backing up I pushed both the auto down buttons for the front windows. The cluster and radio went out and then the truck stalled. Repeated cycling of the key did no good, I got nothing at all. So I popped the hood and wiggled the battery cables, when I wiggled the positive everything came back to life. I dont get it, I took out the terminal and there was no problem found! Its got to be a bad connection in the battery itself, I put a wrench on the terminal and it was tight! Got a batt coming this afternoon.

i should have listened to Bearcat:duh::duh::duh::duh::duh::duh::duh::duh:

[MAY03LT]

With the batt out of the vehicle, I screwed bolts in both terminals. I hooked up a dmm and low and behold when I pushed the positive bolt just right I lost continuity. I put the dmm to the positive bolt and the terminal and there was no problem. I think it was a loose connection behind the terminal inside the battery.

The problem is too intermittent to duplicate, so time will tell if it took care of anything or everything.

[ghoster]

Check the battery out first!! Mine did that, it was the battery posts that were stripped out. So the power appeared fine until you turned the key. Then click, and nuttin.:cool:

I think it was a loose connection behind the terminal inside the battery.

The problem is too intermittent to duplicate, so time will tell if it took care of anything or everything.


I seem to recall someone else telling you to check that battery out.:laugh::duh::duh::dielaugh:

[MAY03LT]

sorry I was too lazy to double check the replies in both pages:duh::duh::hail::hail::thumbsup:

[MAY03LT]

I left today to get some supplies. As I was driving, I rolled both the front windows up at the same time, and the radio shut off and the cluster went dead. The truck kept running and would accelerate and I had turn signals. I pulled over and shut the truck off, when I turned the key off it wouldn't come out. I turned it back to on and went out and checked the terminals. They were ok. I cycled the key a few times and everything came back to life.

Ok, ignition switch could be part of the problem, but Im looking at it as how the problem started, both front windows were rolled up at the same time.....whats the connection? And how would the switch being bad lock out the key from being removed?

[justblazin]

Did you replace the Battery yet???

This sounds just like my old s-10.. You are lucky.. My battery terminal broke off the battery when I tried to remove it. It sounds like it is a current issue, cause your window motors take some power to roll the windows up and down.

[MAY03LT]

I put the new batt in last week, but it wouldnt be the first time something was broke out of the box:undecided

The weird part was, I was bumpin, and my amps draw waaaaaaay more then my window motors, and didn't have any trouble till I rolled them up:undecided

Im looking over the wiring diagrams the cluster and the head unit share a common ground, G102.

[justblazin]

It does sound like you have a ground issue. Good luck finding it.

When I bagged my old S-10. I couldn't get the rear brake lights to work and my Fuel pump wouldn't kick on.. Later I realized that I forgot to connect the ground back that I removed to remove the bed... :duh::duh::duh::duh:

So grounds can be the death of you.. Get it fixed... Carlisle is soon. If you still have the issues by that time You will have 20 of us to help look at the truck.. LOL

[MAY03LT]

Of course it wont do it when Im trying to make it do it!:laugh:

Oh, the curse of the intermittent problem....:crazy:

Thanks man gonna look at it today!

[MAY03LT]

I printed up all the ground locations and went outside. I turned the key to on and rolled the windows down. I checked every ground accessible from up top. Im reading the schematic for the radio (because it losing its memory was a known symptom) and I said to myself "its either losing ground (G102) or memory (circuit 340)....I checked the grounds and they are ok....."

I wiggled the positive cable and I heard the cluster wake up/ chime. Wanna see why?

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s98/MAY03LT/DSCN1407.jpg

Yup, my aftermarket GM batt post did not make contact with the battery itself. Im thinking the red rubber thing was concealing the arching going on between the positive cable eyelet and post.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s98/MAY03LT/DSCN1412.jpg

Here you can see the physical differences in the the problem post (left), the factory post (center), and the new aftermarket post (right).

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s98/MAY03LT/DSCN1414.jpg

The new post is the one closest. I installed it by itself first to make sure it would fully connect to the battery.


I really thought about letting this thread die to save myself some humiliation for my installation error. But, if I did I would be pretending to be perfect, which I am not.

So to all thanks for your time and advice!

Now I can focus on Carlisle:woot:

[the roadie]

I really thought about letting this thread die to save myself some humiliation for my installation error. But, if I did I would be pretending to be perfect, which I am not.Even better, you're passing on some hard-bought knowledge to the rest of us, demonstrating the TRUE POWER of trailvoy.com and its community of sharing. Good karma to you!

[rouxzy]

:thxBravo! As a new member and owner I have been going back through all the posts here. One thing that has bothered me the most is someone comes on with a problem and many posters give direction as to where to go to fix. Only to never hear again as to what fixed the problem. So again, Bravo!
Tom