got a transient starting problem 99 Tahoe

[strad]

5.7, 4x4, automatic, 4 door

Occasionally, the first time I hit the starter it will click (just the solenoid). I hit it again and it'll start just fine. Battery is fine, connections are clean and tight, etc. Wires on starter are tight.


I should mention that the starter is new. The reason for that is that this issue began about a month ago, and it nearly stranded the family at a rest stop in the middle of the Mojave desert (on that occasion it wouldn't even click -- hit it three times). The fourth time it started, but that was ten minutes later. So thinking it might be a bad solenoid, given the symptoms, I replaced the starter. Since then the issue has not occurred as often, but it is still occurring.

So, wth is going on here?! What should I check next? This is not a toy truck -- this is a truck we use every day and it absolutely must start every time lol.

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

Ignition switch going bad possibly? Or a sticky starter relay thats always a cheap fix

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SunlitComet]

if it is clicking then the ignition switch and relay is working. I would slightly re orientate the positive battery cable on battery and starter for a cleaner connection. it is your connection from the battery to the solenoid contacts to starter winding to ground.

 

[strad]

Okay. I do not know if I've solved the problem, but here is what I've done. I replaced the battery-starter cable (and battery-fuse link on fan shroud cable) with a cable that has one battery connection and splits into two -- one down to starter and one to fuse link. It's made by BWD and I got it at O-Reilly's. This eliminates that mess (imho) of two clamps on top of each other at the battery. I stripped down the insulation off the old cable where I felt a weak spot, and near there I found that a small amount of insulation had gotten hot enough to transfer to the copper wires. I stripped the rest of the cable down and found one other spot like that, but otherwise the wires looked ok and none were broken except where my utility knife nicked them while stripping the insulation. I did the same thing to the smaller cable that runs to the fan shroud connection. Didn't find anything odd looking on that one.

I did take it for a test drive that involved several engine stops and starts and it has not failed to start -- yet lol. We'll see. It could be the wrench effect but to me it seems like the starter sounds a bit more positive now.

 

[SunlitComet]

good to hear.

 

[_Dylan_]

I was just going to say, take a hard look at the battery to starter cable.

The starter shakes, the battery doesn't. Sometimes the cable gets weak.

 

[strad]

Well, apparently it wasn't the battery cable that caused the problem, even though the battery cable was definitely not 100%. Problem is still present.

So as of now, the truck has a new starter, new positive cable, new starter relay. And intermittently no start, sometimes with a click from the starter solenoid and sometimes maybe without (can't be positive b/c I have young children and it's been my luck that they are in the car making too much noise for me to hear whether or not there's a click or not. And of course the truck never fails to start when I'm actually capable of hearing the relays and solenoids (ie when the kids aren't in the car).

 

[xanatost]

I would go ahead and replaced to cable. If it was messed up in one place then chances are its messed up in another. Its over 10 years old and Im sure it wouldn't hurt and it would end one possible problem. If it dose it again then it's time to start looking at the switches and relays. Starters are a simple system to work on if you think about it. Just follow the power.

 

[strad]

I would go ahead and replaced to cable. If it was messed up in one place then chances are its messed up in another. Its over 10 years old and Im sure it wouldn't hurt and it would end one possible problem. If it dose it again then it's time to start looking at the switches and relays. Starters are a simple system to work on if you think about it. Just follow the power.

haha that's the unfortunate part. I just replaced the cable and it's still doing it! The most annoying part is it won't do it all the time -- if it did it'd be easier to trace. There have been a couple times when I haven't been able to hear whether the starter solenoid clicks or not, but every time when I've been sure I could hear it if it clicked, it has clicked. So I know it is being engergized, and it is new (although this doesn't mean it is working correctly lol). How much voltage should be on the small terminal when the starter is commanded to activate? I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible for the ignition switch to send enough power downstream to make the solenoid "click" but not enough to get the starter motor going? Or is it an all or nothing deal, in that, if it clicks it's good, and the problem lies elsewhere?

 

[strad]

Well in exasperation I took the battery and starter out and down to the parts store to test. Battery load tested good. Starter gear had a bunch of slop in it (when compared to a new/rebuilt unit) and it wasn't kicking out on the tester. So I now have another new starter. This is irritating.

One thing I did notice was that the starter that tested bad built up a lot more heat after a couple times starting the car than this new one does. This one is just barely warm and the other one was warm/hot.