YAY! Another starter problems thread

[Filthy Luker]

Good god what a major pain changing the starter is on my truck. The autotragic transmission coolant lines are in the way, the centerlink is in the way... the skidplates are in the way. Everything is in the way and making my life miserable! :cry:

 

I've been having major issues starting in the cold. Few weeks ago we ran some crazy trails with deep water so the starter filled up with grimey sludge. So far my regular procedure to start the truck in the morning when the temperature was below freezing was to go outside... see if it cranks, if didn't crank (obviously), go back home, get the propane torch, crawl underneath... warm up the goddamn thing by applying flame to the starter for 30-60 seconds or so then get in the truck and start the thing normally trying to look cool in front of confused neighbours.

 

Obviously questions were raised why I was bringing the propane torch with me to work... friends... bars... stores... parties... funerals... so I tried in the most natural manner explain how leaving the propane bottle in the truck in subfreezing weather would cause the damn thing to lose all pressure... With no preasure there would be no flame.. with no flame there is no worky trucky... so there would come my least favourite part of the ordeal... stuffing the propane bottle under the shirt for 20 minutes to warm it up while I try to look coy, which is not bloody likely with a freezing hunk of steel touching my nipples.

 

Enough I said. I'll try to fix my starter.

 

Which brings me to this moment. As soon as I pulled the original starter (an ordeal in itself) i noticed that my new one doesn't match the original in any shape or form. No problem I said.. I'll just take apart the original starter and clean out the mud, grime and whatever else has decided to call it home and return it to a working (at subzero temperatures) condition. Yay me! Taking the starter was fun.... little bolts and screws flying everywhere... Spring jumped out and nearly took my eye out. There is two pounds of grime on the workbench...Stage three weight reduction! Ok.. putting it back together was an exercise in mental agility I'd compare only to playing Jenga while on speed. So all was well, except that I didn't bench test the starter to see if it works. I believed in myself enough to put the starter back in as is. Guess what. NOTHING! That's exactly what I got when I turned the ignition. It was worse than before. I've created a perfect dud. :oops:

 

Greeaaaat! So i take out the starter AGAIN... take it apart.. put it back together making some key changes in the way things work... Then I ran jumper cables to the bench and the vice that the starter is in and tested it. EUREKA! She purred back to life, whirring away in a shower of sparks (no comment)! Now it's time to put her back in and reassemble the front end of my poor truck. :Magic:

 

[Casey.T]

Then I ran jumper cables to the bench and the vice that the starter is in and tested it. EUREKA! She purred back to life, whirring away in a shower of sparks (no comment)!

 

Interesting way to bench test.....

 

With all these Starter Issues they may need to have thier own Catagory???? :confused:

[Precise1]

Funny, I would have just cleaned it out with minimal to no disassembly, but then I wouldn't have an automagic or live in sub zero climes...

I do feel for you nipples though. Um, let me re-phrase that...

Good job on getting it rolling again...

 

B

[Slick]

Git-R-Done

[Pezzy]

Hope you get the white beast rolling again. What you need Luke, is a nice carry case for your propane torch... a nice neutral colour that wont clash, no matter what you wear! Perfect for all occasions~!

[Filthy Luker]

LFMAO.... Pezzy I always try to wear the monkey suit while working on the truck.

 

OK.. i have actually gotten the starter swap to take approximately 1 hour, here are the steps I take.

 

1. Jack up the truck and put the front passenger side on a stand so you can remove that tire/wheel.

 

2. Disconnect the negative battery cable and place it safely away from the terminal. Starter is always live so make sure the battery is disconnected!

 

3. Remove the front skidplate and any skidplate that you may have under the engine (most likely only 10mm wrench required). Also remove the front passenger gap guards.

 

4. Remove the three bolts holding the idler arm bracket to the frame (two 19mm sockets or wrenches required). That way you can move the centerlink out of the way.

 

5. Unbolt the starter from the bottom of the truck (14mm socket wrenches) I find that for the top bolt a short socket with a 6" extension works best while for the bottom bolt a single deep socket works best. I find that you can also hold the starter from within the wheel well while undoing the bolts from underneath with the other hand.

 

6. Remove the starter by sliding it forward under the engine mount and under the centerlink. You'll need a 12mm socket wrench to remove the constant 12v lead, and perhaps needle nose pliers to undo the ignition signal.

 

Obviously do everything else in reverse for installation. Duh...

[Precise1]

Why do you remove the wheel ?? Is that to remove/reinstall the idler arm ? With a M/T I didn't find that necessary. I do remove the wheel, and splash guard and access the bolts/wires from the side though... Just curious.

 

B

[Filthy Luker]

Yes it allows me to unbolt the idler arm and just gives me more room in general. The truck is already lifted on jackstands so it takes 30 seconds to remove and reattach the wheel (god bless cordless impact guns!).... why not, only makes things easier.

 

I am usually like that, usually I remove a lot of the easy bits from the work area and it allows me nice open access.

[Dowser]

Man I hear that Luker. My Boy's not liking this cold we've been hit with the last few days either. When I had some trouble the other day I tried a slightly different method myself though. I cranked it, heard nothing, Asked outloud "Well now what the F@*K is wrong with this Piece of Sh!t?", Popped the hood, Looked at the engine and waited approximately 3 minutes for the Vehicle to produce a pop up window that would clearly point out the problem, After recieving no such information I proceeded to spit on the engine, Call it every Obscenity I could think of, Slammed the hood shut , and kicked the wheel in frustration. I then went back in to the Cab and Threatened the rig that it's very existance was at stake if it did not start. Sure enough,

 

VROOOOOOM!!!

Sooooo In final, you could do what Luker did and spend an hour or whatever, or take the 6 minutes it took me.

 

Oh and if that technique does not seem to work for you then your not doing a good enough job convincing your Vehicle that your serious. If that happens, then proceed with Luker's step by step approach.

 

Dowser

[Dowser]

Man I hear that Luker. My Boy's not liking this cold we've been hit with the last few days either. When I had some trouble the other day I tried a slightly different method myself though. I cranked it, heard nothing, Asked outloud "Well now what the F@*K is wrong with this Piece of Sh!t?", Popped the hood, Looked at the engine and waited approximately 3 minutes for the Vehicle to produce a pop up window that would clearly point out the problem, After recieving no such information I proceeded to spit on the engine, Call it every Obscenity I could think of, Slammed the hood shut , and kicked the wheel in frustration. I then went back in to the Cab and Threatened the rig that it's very existance was at stake if it did not start. Sure enough,

 

VROOOOOOM!!!

Sooooo In final, you could do what Luker did and spend an hour or whatever, or take the 6 minutes it took me.

 

Oh and if that technique does not seem to work for you then your not doing a good enough job convincing your Vehicle that your serious. If that happens, then proceed with Luker's step by step approach.

 

Dowser

[RedPath88]

Dowser... both methods work at times :::Speaks from experience::: :furious:

 

Good job FL