PowerTurbonanda

tried to start my 97' Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel 2500 early morning, the outside temp gauge read 10 degrees, I was parked on the street and didn't have the block heater plugged in. I tried 3 times to start it and it didn't start. The 4th time I gave it some gas and it started, but sounded usually loud and rough and was making a high pitched whining sound. I turned the engine off right away and took out the key, but it keep running. I smelled burning wires so I opened the hood and white smoke was coming out near the starter. I moved the truck off the street into my driveway and finally after 20 min it shut down. When I went to start it again I only heard the click of the solinod. I tried jumping it and charging the battery and tested the battery with a volt meter which read 12.26 and went down to 11.91 with the head lights on. I removed the starter and it smelled burnt and I took it to the shop and they said it was fried. They also said that the reason was probably battery problems and that the connectors in the starter welded shut because of low voltage. and they said that whenever a starter goes on a diesel you have to replace the batteries as well or else you'll just fry the new starter. This low voltage thing sounded kinda funny to me so I asked around and noone seemed to have heard about it, so what I want to know is if this guy is just blowing smoke up my a and trying to sell his batteries for $90 a piece and what do you think is the actual cause of the fried starter? Also I tried push starting it in 3rd and 4th with no luck, heard the engine turning but nothing else. Was wondering if the diesel could have gelled and does it reliqiufy after warming up? Also the outside temp readout in the cab no longer works since the incident, but all other electrics work. Thank you so much for all your help.

berner

The reason why it wouldn't start when trying to push start it is that the fuel shutdown solenoid was closed. It has to be open for the engine to get fuel. Turning the key to the Start position energizes it. Hopefully it didn't burn out when the starter stuck on as they cost $150 (from Piers). He also has starters for $278. The starter contacts burning out is a very common problem. They either cause the starter to stick on or not work at all. Since you have the starter out, pull it apart and you'll probably find one contact paper thin or gone completely. There are heavy duty (24V) contacts available (from Fosters) that most guys replace them with. It might be a good idea to install them in your new starter so you don't have to worry about it again.
Sorry, I can't help you out with the battery question. My guess is that low voltage didn't cause your start to stick on though. Just a guess.
Welcome to DTR. This is the best free Dodge forum site you'll find. You can edit your profile and put your truck in your signature so people will be able to help you better. You can find Piers and Fosters in the links section. Good Luck with the starter.

Barney

Some common starter problems' background here:
http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/default.htm

The engine should have started even with a gelled up fuel filter. It would have only run for a very short time before fuel starvation shut it down though.

The engine has to spin fast enough when its cold to build up enough heat to support combustion. If you had 15W-40 oil in there, then it probably just rolled over at a low enough speed that it wouldn't build up enough heat. The starter contacts were probably getting pretty thin also.


Edit: berner was just too fast for me, with the contacts info. He has a good point with installing the HD contacts in the new starter.

spots

Concerning the batteries:
Charge them properly, have them load tested and go from there. If they pass load testing (and temp testing) then they will be fine. If one is weak I would suggest installing 2. Batteries are one of the most neglected items in a vehicle. Until they let you down. Your starter running for 20 mins would be a good load test for your batteries. Again charge them and see. DON'T LET THEM FREEZE. Check your fuses and fuse links for your electrical faults that you have since cooking your starter. Good luck.

MnTom

Yes, low voltage will contribute to the starter failure. The lower the voltage available the higher the amperage draw. Look at it this way: on the tag on a dual voltage motor there are amperage ratings. On our example let us say the voltage ratings are 115 vac and 230 vac. The motor will have a full load rating of 14.2 amperes at 115 vac. It would hava a rating of 7.1 a 230 vac. So you can see as the voltage in the batteries drop the amperage needed to do the same amount of work goes up. As the amperage goes up the "force" of the electricity goes up causing the arcing of the contacts. I would definately get the batteries checked out.
Tom

infidel

LarryB at http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/default.htm has about the best price on new starters, problem is when you need a starter you usually need it right now.

Definitly have the batteries load tested before replacing. The cold weather may have drug them down, their time could be almost up.