One thing I would highly recommend = swap out the 8MM/5/16 Allen Head Bolts for normal bolts. Makes any future messing with the starter a breeze vs dealing with those Allen Bolts that love to round the heads off. I normally get my starters online from a company called Parts Player (usually 56-75.00 online) however I've had good luck with the refurb units from Auto Zone or Oreilly's. I tried the refurb starter from Advance because I had a 30.00 off coupon. Installed it, and all I got was click.... Turned the key a second time and it was click and then start. Repeat the cycle and it was click no start, turn the key again and click then start. DID NOT trust that for the life of me so I took it back ASAP. They didn't even open the box (like they were very used to DOA parts) and I quickly got my $$$ back. I dug around my shop and found a used one from an 04 D2 and it works just fine.

If I was close to ya I'd have installed that starter for you no question. Thank you for your service and God Bless.

 

I was “lucky” today found a refurb “new” at Autozone; had it tested before I left their property....clicked over and spun up just fine. Get it to the garage and installed; hit the ignition and “click”....wtf is wrong with this thing?

i pulled and tested relays and fuses; they all test OK.

i am at a ****ing loss at this point.... I just have no other idea about what to look for or test.

 

Check the small lead on the starter, some starters have 2 places to put them. Then see if you have 12v going down to the starter on the main lead. You can check the smaller one for 12v if you have someone turn the key while u have a meter attached to it. Make sure the engine ground is clean (passenger side on the side just below the alternator.

 

OK; to be clear...Just because the solenoid engages...doesn’t mean it is carrying the known 12v from the battery? You are saying that it “could be” receiving reduced voltage, even though I know the battery is good, and has a full charge?

speaking of “two leads” the OLD dead starter, the original that I took off had two leads; neither of the new ones do, they both only have 1 lead....

would a dead short somewhere else, say the alternator kill power to the lead on the starter without causing a blown fuse?

also; as a master electrician for 20 years after I left the military I have worked on every kind of electrical there is, including DC power in automotive and marine areas...so I am with you on the testing. I’ll put a fluke meter on it tomorrow.

one other issue along that path; I can put power to, and test the continuity of relay contacts all day long; but there is no way to know if a relay is actually performing the “job” it is supposed to do....I have a diagram of the fuse box in my owners manual; I have painstakingly labeled all the fuses and relays and their position numbers....but I pulled that information from a second hand source. I was trying to cross reference that with the RAVE; but as good as the RAVE seems to be....I couldn’t find any section of it that actually held the fuse block diagrams for in the cabin or under the hood.

...as I went back and looked the 2nd hand source material I noticed it mentioned “glow plugs” and I knew that had to be for a TDversion.

....so I said I checked the fuses and relays....but maybe I didn’t test the correct relays.

and again I am wondering whether I would actually get power to the solenoid to engage....but not the actual 12v to the starter motor with a relay malfunctioning?

I am also concerned that the newest starter that I installed tested good on the bench at AZ, but would not spin once it was installed.

P.S.

I pulled the alternator and had it tested and it tested good in all phases especially in high output over 14.2v continual output of 13.9v and recharging output of 13.3v continuous.

....so I am just baffled.

P.S.S.

I was “scared” somehow because of having just rebuilt the top end of the motor, that the motor might have locked up; and that was preventing the starter from engaging (I know it’s a long shot....but hey everything else on this damned thing has gone wrong)..but I turned the crank pulley and that is not the case.

 

Do you have the RAVE Electrical Library PDF or just the Workshop Manual? The Electrical Library has more complete info about the engine compartment and passenger compartment fuse boxes that might be what you're looking for.

There's also the RAVE Electrical Circuit Diagrams PDF. Both it and the Electrical Library PDF is linked below.

 

i do not have those additional resources...I will be reading them thoroughly tonight!

tyvm

 

Starters are typically pretty easy to troubleshoot. Not that it means they're not a PITA from time to time. Yours is sounding like a bad connection.

1. Double check battery connections, make sure they're clean and tight..
2. Put a test light or a meter on the small wire that leads to the starter. When the key is turned it should see 12v. This will test the ignition itself. In this case it sounds like that is already verified since you are getting the click.
3. Place a jumper cable on the one of the starter mounting bolts, you can clamp it over the whole ear of the bellhousing if you want, it doesn't have to touch "only" the bolt. Connect the other end to the negative post on the battery and then see if the key will crank it. This will test the ground connection at the battery as well as from the battery to the engine, it attaches right below the alternator. This last connection would be my guess as to your problem. You may want to remove that one and clean it first just to see if that does the trick.
4. Place a jumper cable on the large post of the starter that doesn't have the battery feed on it and then connect the other side to the positive post on battery. The starter should spin, with key on it should start, with key off it should just crank. It may spark pretty good right away so be prepared for that. This will test the main connection from the battery to the starter. I'm not sure how easy it is to get at that post, but if you can safely clamp to it this would replace the connection from the battery to the starter.

If it's not any of those, you are in a world of pain and those manuals mln01 referred you to will be the only way out of it.

 

Well.....

took my fluke meter out to the garage; prepared to trace and ohm every connection until I found the culprit if I found no voltage.

first I reinstalled the alternator I tested yesterday; then I started tracing out main ground as per the electronics diagram posted earlier.

from battery to body/ frame block to......wtf; the ground from the body block to the alternator bracket was just fkin’ hanging loose!

Connected.....fkin’ truck fired right up.

i hate my life....

 

That's where my money was. Glad you got her fixed!

 

I feel this, I know this. I always tell my students ALWAYS start troubleshooting by checking the simplest things first. Then I ignore my own advice when I need to fix something and it bites me in the butt. At least I’m getting better...