starting troubles

[decavo]

Well I went and got a little wet and muddy .. Drove for a while then shut down the truck while waiting for road crews to clear the debri off the pavement .every thing should have been dry by then lots of time and travel in between also mulilple stops and starts .Well the truck would not restart so I tried a few times the lights all went dim like they are supposed to do .... I got out wacked the started a few timeas tried again nothing a few more turns she started .. Started every time with out fail for the rest of the day and today also .. Is there a relay bettween the starter and the ignition .beside the sol on top of it ... Also some times I have to jam it into park to get the key out .. Any suggestions before i shot gun the reapir { cant have it going out when I am in the desert miles away from anything ... {Shot gun repair is to replace the ignition and the starter } this is a 91

thanks for any input

 

[firetruck41]

When you say it did not start, did it turn over or not? If it wasn't turning over, it could be the starter contacts. The contacts and plunger are ~$37 from cruiserdan, and take about an hour to remove/replace. Look in the 80 series faq for a writeup. Replace them before the starter "sticks" in the "on" position, like mine did last week. I was able to disconnect the battery before I burned down my 80 or did any permanent damage, whew!

 

[decavo]

it did nothing no click no spinning starter nothing .. Just the light go dim to tell me power was being transfered to the starter

 

[firetruck41]

it did nothing no click no spinning starter nothing .. Just the light go dim to tell me power was being transfered to the starter

I would think, starter contacts. They are guaranteed to go bad, and they are relatively cheap, so it's worth a shot anyway.

 

[decavo]

when i get back from wheeling i guess i will remove the starter and rip it apart then a calll to cruiser dan is in store ..

 

[alia176]

I'm experiencing the same issue: turn key to IGN, light dims but no turn over. Do it a few times and she starts right up. Only one caveat: my contacts are new (10 months old). What gives?

 

[locrwln1]

I'm experiencing the same issue: turn key to IGN, light dims but no turn over. Do it a few times and she starts right up. Only one caveat: my contacts are new (10 months old). What gives?

Start checking the grounds(-) and looking for shorts. If you can, hook up a set of cables, like you were going to jump start it. If it fires up, start checking for bad grounds and shorts. If that doesn't work, I got nothing

Jack

 

[alia176]

Start checking the grounds(-) and looking for shorts. If you can, hook up a set of cables, like you were going to jump start it. If it fires up, start checking for bad grounds and shorts. If that doesn't work, I got nothing

Jack

I have used the dual battery in "jump start" mode to see if extra juice would do anything but I got NADA! Keep 'em coming!

 

[locrwln1]

I have used the dual battery in "jump start" mode to see if extra juice would do anything but I got NADA! Keep 'em coming!

Well the juice has to be going somewhere. Is it all the time or is it an intermittent problem? How are the cables going to the starter? How are the cables period?

Jack

 

[Erratic]

Well, the key/park thing may be a clue. Obviously we all know that if it's not in park it wont start. Maybe the switch needs adjustment. But you say the lights dim. Which lights? Because when the key is in the crank position it turns off some circuits of the car and maybe that's what you notice? A voltmeter would give you a better idea of what's actually going on, but I guess you would have to get it to happen again to really troubleshoot it.

 

[alia176]

Well the juice has to be going somewhere. Is it all the time or is it an intermittent problem? How are the cables going to the starter? How are the cables period?

Jack

This is an intermittent event as of late. However, I was able to get it repeat itself about three times on Sunday. I'll check the voltage when this hapens to see what's going on. If voltage is getting to the solenoid, I may just drop the starter and open her up to see if the contacts got twisted or something.

I did use a press and a block of wood per FSM when installing the contacts but something may have rotated in there.

I'll be home next Sunday from Chicago and investigate.

Ali