My 19995 12 valve has the fuel shutoff solenoid replaced with a push-pull cable (I'll spare y'all the long story) and the wires to that solenoid pulled from the connector under the windshield. The solenoid is off the truck so I don't think it is part of this problem.

Had to replace starter (tried new contacts in the solenoid, did not help, the auto parts store tested it, failed, they replaced on "lifetime warranty") and it worked fine - once. Next time I started the truck the starter would not stop running, had to pull the battery cables.

Assumed the contacts in the new starter were stuck. Pulled the wire that energizes the starter solenoid and found that was hot (with the batteries re-connected). That wire was hot even with the key out and the clutch pedal not pushed. I think this shows that the solenoid contacts are not stuck, the problem is upstream from there.

I had to get to work so I spliced in some wire put a switch in that wire to the starter solenoid. For a while, turning that switch "on" started the truck (as long as the fuel push-pull was "on"). Now, it seems to operate normally - turn that switch "on" and use the key to start.

The wiring diagram seems to indicate that the problem was the starter motor relay sticking and sending power to the starter solenoid - ignoring whatever the key and clutch pedal switch said about it.

If that is correct, I think that the offending relay is the one in the fuse box under the hood, marked "starter". There are several apparently identical relays there and I thought about switching it out with another one, but don't want to screw up some other system.

So - look, I'm really bad with electricity, can I ask you (someone who actually understands this stuff) to confirm or refute the notion that the relay in the box, sticking, was what made the wire that activates the starter solenoid "hot" with the key off and the clutch pedal not pushed?

If it is that, I know what to do. But if there is some other relay somewhere else, sticking; or if the problem really is in the solenoid contacts somehow, then I don't know.

Thanks in advance and my apologies for writing a novel when a short question might have been sufficient.

Truck has 533,000 miles on it now. Can't believe it but real happy with it.

Regards,
Andrew

 

That is the correct relay in the PDC under the hood. It is interchangeable with the other similar looking relays there.

 

Thanks Busboy!

I'm going to replace that relay - I'm cheap but not so cheap as to try to fix it - but I will see if I can get the old one open and see if the points are burned/welded or what.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Andrew

 

Make sure you mark that relay before you swap it with others. Chances are, as soon as you pull it out of its socket, the contacts will unweld themselves and it will go back to normal operation for a while. I know if it was me, I'd forget which hole I just swapped it into and I wouldn't know which component I'd just set up to fail in the near future.

 

Agreed Torquefan. That's one reason I was reluctant to experiment around. They all look the same and telling the bad one from the good ones would be hard if the hangup is intermittent instead of "it's just broke" permanently.

 

Just to close the loop, the new relay fixed the problem so I took the old one apart. The little contact button had come out of the reed and was floating around, making / breaking contact regardless of what the coil told the reed to do. So it is fixed.

Thank you again. Sometimes I feel like a parasite here, always asking and not giving back - but y'all know more than I do. Maybe someone will have this same problem, find this thread, and benefit from it.

 

That's what it's all about here. Your time will come.