Starter Issue? (1 Viewer)

[Nathan Kuwitzky]

I have a 1985 FJ60. Replaced the starter about 2 years ago. So The other day I was out and about and accidentally stalled it. I started it right back up and drove about 40 ft and the engine just stalled. Rolled to a stop and it wouldn’t restart. Starter would try but wouldn’t turn the engine over like the battery was dead. A buddy of mine came to my rescue with a fresh battery and it fired right up and I drove it home. Figured the alternator went out (it looks old as dirt). Luckily about a year ago I bought an upgraded alternator and just hadn’t installed it yet. I installed it and put the battery back in (without charging it and it started right up strong as ever. I let it run for a while and revved the engine a few times and it stalled. It started right back up and then died about 30 seconds later and now it’s doing the same thing. I can hear the starter solenoid engaging but it will not turn over. The battery is showing almost 13 volts. I’m thinking it’s a bad starter but I’m kind of confused as to why it’ll start up in the first place if the starter is bad. I’m also not sure why it died both times. I’m guessing it’s a separate issue from the “no start.” I suspect I may have a small vacuum leak somewhere. Any thoughts or suggestions before I go buy another starter? Thanks for the help?

 

[pithicus]

Brushes might be worn out. Battery cable connections could be dodgy on battery or starter. Check the shaft cap on the end of the starter. If it's loose it interrupts the connection to the starter. It connects the 2 negative brushes to the starter casing for earth.[that happened to me and took me about a week to figure it out] Displayed symptoms identical to yours.
also the large copper internal solenoid connections could be dirty

 

[Nathan Kuwitzky]

Brushes might be worn out. Battery cable connections could be dodgy on battery or starter. Check the shaft cap on the end of the starter. If it's loose it interrupts the connection to the starter.[that happened to me and took me about a week to figure it out] Displayed symptoms identical to yours.
also the large copper solenoid connections could be dirty

That’s pretty much what I was thinking too. Thanks.

 

[pithicus]

Re the stalling, that could be electrical. Check the condition of the fusible link and ignition wiring.
good luck.

 

[OSS]

A ruined old dead battery can read 13 volts when it's all charged up - but not be able to provide much current

 

[Seth S]

It sounds less like a starter issue to me and more like either a Battery or or starter cable issue. When starters go bad they don't typically work better when you jump start them. I'd seriously consider replacing the battery to starter cable with some new marine heavy gage battery cable, clean all your terminals, and replace the cable that runs from the starter bolt to the chassis. Be sure to clean any any all contact surfaces for both power and ground cables.

I would also clean your battery terminals and inspect the connections. You might just want to replace the fusible link as well. How old is your battery? As @OSS noted a battery can read a surface charge of 13 volts but drop well below once loaded. You should set the parking brake, put the truck in neutral and have some one try cranking while you stand off to the side and measure bat voltage. Healthy battery shouldn't drop below 12.6v....battery on its way out might be down in the 10's or 11's.

Other common issue is in the trigger circuit wiring being aged and not flowing enough current to properly trigger the starter solenoid. Lots of threads on ways to fix this.

 

[Seth S]

On the stalling issue....if your battery is good the truck will run fine without the alternator or any charging for quite a long time. If the battery is not good then you are relying on the alternator...a lot of cars will run just fine on the alternator alone even if the battery is dead. However if the battery has a dead cell or some internal problem its possible that you are not getting a stable alternator charge and could be a cause to the stalling.

I'd have my battery tested.

 

[Nathan Kuwitzky]

It sounds less like a starter issue to me and more like either a Battery or or starter cable issue. When starters go bad they don't typically work better when you jump start them. I'd seriously consider replacing the battery to starter cable with some new marine heavy gage battery cable, clean all your terminals, and replace the cable that runs from the starter bolt to the chassis. Be sure to clean any any all contact surfaces for both power and ground cables.

I would also clean your battery terminals and inspect the connections. You might just want to replace the fusible link as well. How old is your battery? As @OSS noted a battery can read a surface charge of 13 volts but drop well below once loaded. You should set the parking brake, put the truck in neutral and have some one try cranking while you stand off to the side and measure bat voltage. Healthy battery shouldn't drop below 12.6v....battery on its way out might be down in the 10's or 11's.

Other common issue is in the trigger circuit wiring being aged and not flowing enough current to properly trigger the starter solenoid. Lots of threads on ways to fix this.

Battery is an Optima reading 12.5V with the vehicle off. I just swapped the starter and it’s doing the same thing. I cleaned all contacts/mounting points and replaced all cable with heavy marine grade cable from my new alternator all the way to the starter, battery ground and starter ground. I’m also reading 12.5V at the starter. I decided to jump it and see what would happen. I let it charge for about 10 mins and it turned the engine over slowly and the started. It ran for about 20 seconds and does. It did it one more time with the same result. I’m guessing it’s not the alternator or starter. Should I have my battery tested? Thoughts?

 

[Seth S]

12.5V with truck off is low. You need to measure the voltage across the battery while you are cranking to get a real idea of the battery health. If starter works everytime you jump start it then its not a starter or alternator issue but a battery problem or a connector/wire problem.

 

[Nathan Kuwitzky]

12.5V with truck off is low. You need to measure the voltage across the battery while you are cranking to get a real idea of the battery health. If starter works everytime you jump start it then its not a starter or alternator issue but a battery problem or a connector/wire problem.

I just took the batt in to have it tested and it’s good. Now back to the drawing board. When I jump it it sounds like a weak battery and improves the longer I let it charge. Then I disconnect the other car and let the Cruiser idle for a while. Shut it off and starts strong. Then 10 mins later it’ll die and sounds like the battery is dead again but it’s not.

 

[Saucerman]

Don't trust the auto parts store when it comes to battery strength. The test is only as good as the person behind the counter doing the test. Get or borrow a cheap volt meter. Let someone else crank the truck while you measure the voltage of the battery during the crank. I bet the voltage starts fairly weak and gets even weaker as it is cranked over.

 

[John McVicker]

^^^
This.