Hello all, I have a Rover that has been not starting for over a week now and really hope someone may have some insights I haven't thought of yet.

Background
2008 LR3 SE 4.4L
About 10 days ago, when I started my truck, it sounded slow and bigged down when starting, but started fine. The next morning when I went to the gym, same sluggish sounding start. It had just started cooling off in the mornings and I know the last battery I replaced was in 2016 or early 2017. I figured hey, that's a good life on a battery so I went to Costco and bought a new Interstate battery.

Took the battery home, installed in the river and she started right up. However I did notice something sounded a little off when starting, no sluggish slow sound, but sort of a higher pitch noise,. something I might expect coming from a starter. About 4 hours later I came out,.started and drove about 5 miles for a quick errand, upon returning home, it would not restart, just single click. Well crap!

Troubleshooting and replacing parts
Since I wrench on this thing myself and have for the last 7 years, I started searching forums and online posts. I went to O'Reilly's and purchased a starter (reman) and alternator, I replaced the starter, and before installing new one, went ahead and had O'Reilly's test the old one, their test showed the plunger extend, but the starter did not spin. So I installed new one, but I get the same behavior.

• Removed old interstate AGM battery
• Installed new Interstate AGM battery
• tested old starter, O'Reilly's showed bad
• Installed new starter
• Pulled alternator and tested, O'Reilly's showed good
• Checked voltage on battery it's 12.6
• Charged battery overnight with trickle charger
• Double and triple check battery terminal connections
• Verified continuity from ground terminal to frame and block
• Verified continuity from positive terminal, before and after fuse link
• Disconnect all battery terminals and link positive/negative for 10± minutes with jumper
• Bluetooth OBD2 reader showed a couple U codes and initially a P0340 and P0345
• Cleared codes, repeat jump wire process
• Tested continuity from negative terminal to plug on small wire of starter, this is the only continuity test that wasn't consistent, but couldn't nail down exactly why. E.g. maybe the multimeter wasn't in the plug good, to big or something?
• Put a large breaker bar on bolt that is inside the harmonic balancer, I was able to spin and see all belts and pulleys turn. I read some engine seize posts, but I know pil levels are fine and I regularly maintain this truck.

when I attempt to start, I hear a loud click that makes me think the starter connection is fine and it sounds like the plunger is extending, but it never cranks. My current plan is to pull the fender well and verify grounds and ground cables, and probably pull new starter and get it tested.

Any ideas?

Code reader screen

 

I would jump the main fuse. Voltage tests mean nothing and can only help with an open circuit. But you can have a cracked/damaged fuse, for example, or loose battery terminal which will give you a perfectly fine reference voltage UNTIL you want to pull some serious average. Then you are SOL. I think you know, if you heard the loud click form the starter it is really just a large high amp solenoid contact you are engaging. So if power is there, it should crank. And I you hear the click consistently with turning of the key, the small wires (which engage the large starter solenoid) and likely fine - if an issue with those, you would have no loud click of the starter solenoid.

When you hear the click, does anything inside the truck power down (like when you have a bad battery)? Did you try running a operate ground from starter to battery to ensure it is not a ground issue? At face value it is still a starter issue or seemingly a large wire issue.

 

Yes! That did the trick for me! I temporarily routed past the fuse and she started right up! Thanks for the lead there, I may have gotten there eventually but always glad to have more heads than mine on a problem! I have a fuse on order, should be here tomorrow, now to get all the other stuff put back together.