Let your connections at the batteries get all gunked up, slowly losing full current to the starter, notice the slower starts but put off the easy fix until a few starts are lugging the starter motor pretty good- only then clean things up.
Starts ALMOST as good as before but ignore what that means and when the slower and slower starts return ignore that as well until the motor won't hardly turn the big six over at all and then just "click".

I basically melted down the starter the first go round by asking it to turn over the Cummins with low juice- about the hardest and most damaging thing you can ask any electric motor to do. Do it enough and the lifespan on the starter is going to be brief. I should have pulled it right then and re-built it. Then I would have only bought a few parts, rather than a whole unit (and a tow)
Well, I should have cleaned up my post connections and just skipped all the rest of it but I did not do that...

Anyway, a reminder to us all that being very busy is not always a good reason to put off maintainance. Putting it off cost me a lot more.

Jimmy

 

I know what you mean. I let my battery connections get really bad, then I changed something on the fuel system (don't remember) and it lost it's prime, so there was extended cranking on low power to the starter... she got REALLY warm, and eventually tried locking up on me. Live and learn...

 

I am going to print this thread out and give it to my wife. She questioned why I spent the money for 2 Optima batteries when the leaking ones in the truck were only a year old. I got tired of seeing corrosion from outgassing of the NAPA wet cells and fixed it permanently. Got the dual connection version for the right side so I have a very good side post hookup for my winch cable that had been corroded by the previous batteries. Also gives me easier connections for extra power taps.

A little prevention goes a long way sometimes.