This happened in my usual way, It’s Friday about 10:00 A.M. and I am already 2 hours behind for a job when I had a couple of incidents of the starter not wanting to turn over the engine but luckily I was not in a drive through but in a Target parking lot, so after awhile I finally got it to work so I took it home and started doing some diagnostics, I found the start circuit was drawing about 15 amps all while the solenoid hardly made a sound.

Connecting the start terminal directly to the battery gave the same results so out came the starter.

So even after I had hit the starter with almost 3500 amperes it sat there and did nothing.

So I pulled the starter out of the truck and after a little thinking of how I had no time to waste I called the electric shop where I had rebuild my starter back in 2003 and he told me he could have it repaired for me in a couple of hours if I got it before 2:00 P.M. so off I went and dropped it off, I told him to save me the parts so I could see why it had failed.

Now it is 4:00 P.M. and I get to the counter and it is sitting there waiting for me with a new coat of paint and a box of parts next to it.

A ask him what was wrong as he dumped out the parts and he said, “how many times did you start your truck? Man,this was all worn out”??

Anyhow the one of the contacts was worn worse than the other, the brushes were about ˝ gone and the solenoid coil was burned out, burned out so much that the coil was charred and the bobbin had melted. So he went through it and rebuild the entire starter for me.

I ask him how much and he said what did I charge you last time and I said $125.00.

I ask can you let me have it a bit cheaper because I think it should have lasted a bit more than 5 years so we agreed on $110.00 for the rebuild and a 1-year warranty.

Sad I had to pay the money but glad I got it so cheap.

Got it home and installed it back on the truck and after laying under the truck getting ideas of the next project I finished up and connected all of the batteries up and I was done.

I finally got to the job I was supposed to be at when all of this had started.

Jim

 

Yup, been there, done that.

 

Yep, now is the best time to drop your starter and rebuild it before it's dead of winter and you have to drop it out in the cold. Even a low mileage starter (100k) should have a quick rebuild to it, contacts, plunger and new brushes.

 

changed my starter yesterday in gmc parking lot in the rain and it rained hard i was wet head to toe lol but got it done. edit after market starter died put in new denzo one wont be a prob ever agin

 

Look at the bright side Jim, Now you've got a purty, clean starter to sit alongside that purty, clean engine

 

Did mine last year when I had the transmission out and it was on the ground anyway. Put in the Larry B supersize contacts, new brushes, and plunger and hope to be good for another 100K or more.