Starter failure: what are the signs? (4 Viewers)

[tbisaacs]

It's worth it

 

[supercarrera]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input.

I'm taking it in tomorrow to my indie to get it done. I'll have them test the battery, etc. as well.

But regardless, I will have them replace the starter since we take the truck to remote destinations (camping in the desert; skiing in the mountains). Reliability is important to us.

The all-in price is higher than I was hoping ($860), but I like the shop and they've treated me well in the past. I'm in the Bay Area so prices are high. The other quotes I got from local indie shops were even higher ($1,200 - $1,400!).

Having them do the drive belt as well (due at 150k).

Here's to another 150k miles

P.S. @supercarrera - thanks again for the tip on the shop .. you know where I'm heading

Yeah good idea to get it done. I did mine as preventative maintenance at around 100k miles and I'm glad I did it. Ordinarily I would encourage a DIY, but this starter is a real PITA to R&R so taking it in should be money well spent.

 

[linuxgod]

My gut says it's a bad battery and you don't need to replace the starter. The electronics in the truck might work if the battery is low but the ECU won't even try to spin the starter when the battery is too low. I've had my battery go twice in the last 7 years and both times my symptoms were very similar to yours. Last time it happened I now have a lithium jump pack and when I hooked it up the truck fired right up. BTW you can't just test the voltage on a battery - a multimeter will generally show OK voltage but if you use a load tester it will clearly show when you place a heavy load on the batter that the voltage does not stay flat but will slowly drop off.

Last battery btw was maybe 3 years old but I think had a cell that died because when I put a load on it the voltage quickly dropped to 10V

 

[TeCKis300]

My gut says it's a bad battery and you don't need to replace the starter. The electronics in the truck might work if the battery is low but the ECU won't even try to spin the starter when the battery is too low. I've had my battery go twice in the last 7 years and both times my symptoms were very similar to yours. Last time it happened I now have a lithium jump pack and when I hooked it up the truck fired right up. BTW you can't just test the voltage on a battery - a multimeter will generally show OK voltage but if you use a load tester it will clearly show when you place a heavy load on the batter that the voltage does not stay flat but will slowly drop off.

Last battery btw was maybe 3 years old but I think had a cell that died because when I put a load on it the voltage quickly dropped to 10V

Probably worth asking but @Grumvee didn't comment on whether the starter cranked any slower once it was cranking? That would be a major distinguisher of whether it's the battery or starter/relay/circuit. Either way, given the known starter failures around this mileage, it's probably a good thing to address.