Bad Starter??

[wtucker]

I think my starter may have gone bad, but wanted another opinion. it just clicks when trying to start it. battery is about a year old, reads 12 +V across the terminals, alternator is about 3 weeks old, putting out ok, all electical components work. seems to put a big draw on my electical system when trying to start, and just clicks. Any other ideas?

 

[Lube]

The fact that the alternator is new means nothing. Unless you made the store you bought it at prove that it worked on their testing machine before you brought in home....
I can't count the number of times I've had brand new (not reman) alternators be DOA. And don't even ask about remans.
As for the battery, put your meter on it after it's disconnected and see if the voltage drops with just the meter on it. If the voltage goes down AT ALL (even 1/10th of a volt) with just the meter on it, the battery is suspect.
Your starter may be bad, but I wouldn't condemn it without a couple basic tests first.

 

[wtucker]

Thanks for the ideas. I actually did have the store put the new alternator on the machine and test it before I bought it to make sure it worked. The alternator was orginal to the explorer as is the starter. I guess after 15 years things are getting a little tired.

 

[yavapaires]

Sounds more like starter solenoid to me.

 

[Lube]

OK, alternator is probably ok then. I'd bet the bushings in the starter are gone then, and the armature is dragging on the field coils. Time for a new one.

 

[wtucker]

I hit it with a hammer and it turned over and started. But it turned over like the battery was low, but it read 12.8 V. Does that still sound like a bad solenoid?

 

[Lube]

No, your solenoid is fine. This is definitely a bad starter.
All a solenoid is is a relay so you aren't switching starter current (very high) with the key. If the solenoid clicks, it's good.

 

[Red Delta]

When my starter went, it was this big (exposed wire) that ran from the solenoid to the starter body.

 

[Lube]

If that was his problem, it wouldn't have worked when he rapped it with a hammer.

 

[dimension12]

You need a starter. Tapping on it with a hammer jars the brushes enough to create current flow allowing the armature to rotate. If I remember correctly your brushes are worn down.

 

[TomCat_Ford]

This might be a long-shot, but I would also check the wire to the negative battery lead.

I had a 1996 (since new) that had starter issues around the 110k mile mark. The solenoid would click just one time, but the engine wouldn't turn over. I replaced the starter, and all was fine. A year or so later, I had the same issue...replaced the starter again, and all was fine. A year later...you get the picture. This continued to happen over the course of 4-5 years.

The 3rd time the starter went out, I was in a parking lot miles from home. Thankfully, I was able to tap it with a wrench to get it going again. When I got it home, I removed the starter and took it to the auto parts store for yet another warranty exchange. They tested the starter and told me that it was perfectly fine, but I assured them that it was not functioning when I used it. They then gave me a new starter, I installed it, and all was good again.

The 4th time, I wasn't so lucky. This time, I had no other choice but to change the starter out in the parking lot where my Explorer had left me stranded. New starter installed, went to start it up, and...click. She didn't start (and it was getting dark on that cold fall evening).

I had some electrical cables that I used to connect my winch (when mounted on the 2" receiver hitch) to the battery. Just to try it, I connected one of those wires between the starter and the battery's negative cable...it fired right up.

My negative starter wire didn't look that bad on the outside, but upon further inspection, it was heavily oxidized. It's worth looking into, though...unhook the leads and check the contacts for corrosion and such. Check the wire itself as best you can. If anything, at least you'll be able to rule it out and be more sure that your starter is actually the issue. I thought the same thing as someone else who posted...it can't be the wire if I could tap it to get it working...but it was the wire after all. Not sure if this was the "proper" way to fix it, but I got it to work...that's all I was concerned with at the time. As always, though...your mileage may vary.

 

[wtucker]

Well, I replaced the starter, but I dont think that was actually the problem even though the thing rattled inside like crazy, and probably didnt have much longer. I went to start it this morning and it dragged like a low battery, but turned over. I drove 20 miles to work alowing it to charge, turned it off, restarted it, and it started like new. Could a battery read 12V and be bad? I'm thinking my battery may have a cell going bad allowing a very slow discharge over night. I did notice on the way to work my volt meter/ammeter dipped low twice, but came right back up to normal. So something is going on in the charging system.

 

[Lube]

Absolutely it can be bad and still show 12v, which is why I said what I did in post #2. Your alternator can be bad and still show normal voltage as well if it has a rectifier problem.

 

[dimension12]

Ok. Now that it is running, clean your battery connections and check the connections at the alternater. You will need to actually unplug the valtage regulater connecter and look at it. If all is good hook up your volt meter and start the truck. You should have about 1 volt over static voltage. Example: 12.5 volts not running and around13.5 volts with engine running. Also you could have a bad battery. It could show 12 volts and have a cell that is week.