Did this starter just die on me?!

[Isaiah Estrada]

Welp, this is not a new issue. Ever since we wired up the car, this starter has been real funny! Even on a fully charged battery - it does this. It’ll spin normally, at good speed and spin the engine over effortlessly. Then, sometimes it just sounds like the starter is spinning and not engaging with my torque converter.

Most times, it just does this though. Is this a solenoid issue? Really stumped. Now it may just be that this starter was a rebuilt unit on eBay, so I might’ve just answered my own question. Im just curious to know if this is what a dying starter sounds like???



Whatever the case may be - I plan to replace it soon. In fact, I ordered a new starter from Rock Auto today for a ‘97 Ram 1500 with a 5.9 V8. It’s a new Remy unit. I also ordered the terminal relocation kit. Hoping this solves any starting issues I’ve been experiencing.

 

[volksworld]

that just sounded like a dead battery...have you checked the battery with a load tester? cause a 'fully charged' battery with a couple dead cells will show fully charged but fail under a load...or combo of too much initial timing , low battery or starter with bad bushings that is taking too many amps to turn..inductive ammeter would show how many amps its drawing...solenoid issue it wouldnt turn at all or would spin the gear without engaging the flywheel

 

[Isaiah Estrada]

that just sounded like a dead battery...or combo of too much initial timing , low battery or starter with bad bushings that is taking too many amps to turn

Not sure, the battery was fully charged (just pulled it off the battery charger.) Either the battery is junk, or I’ve got too much timing.

I plan to reset my initial timing Next time I’m with the car. Aiming for -10

 

[413]

dead battery
dead cell in the battery
bad cable, both are just as important
bad starter

what is the voltage sitting there?
And voltage right after you try to crank it over?

 

[thethee]

Too much timing would give "slow" cranking but not "slowing down" cranking like this right?

How old is your battery?

 

[Mr C]

I went through this on my son's truck. Sporadic starter behaviour emulating a low battery condition. Verified good battery, went in and cleaned all connections verified connectivity across all wires. Still did it.

Swapped starter- fixed.

Truck starts single bump of the starter every time now.

 

[RWCearley]

Had a quite a few starter problems, with both my 1971 chrysler and 1986 ram charger. Always turned out to be the bendix. With the truck it got to the point where I carried a spare starter and replace the bendix on the bad starter and then kept it as a spare.

The bendix has two nylon ears that engage the track. After time these years break off causing the problem.

Ultimate fix is to purchase a 1989 and later gear reduction starter.

 

[Gerald Morris]

These Denso starters leave plenty to be desired bro. Do yourself a real favor, find an original MOPAR starter, rebuild it competently or hire a GOOD shop to do that job, and you should be able to roll for decades. The "Tuff Stuff" piece de merde I bought which bellied up less than 2 weeks after the 1 year warranty ran out and this new PowerMaster, which superficially APPEARS to be an Old Mopar starter, but IS STILL A DENSO MOTOR, doesn't give the SLOW spin I prefer when starting my 383. With a proper, permanent magnet Mopar starter, I can just bump my motor and fire it up normally, but these Denso rigs ALL spin too fast for such sensible, minimalist starting, so I must CRANK that motor more than I like for a proper start.

Good Fortune to you in this.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Had a quite a few starter problems, with both my 1971 chrysler and 1986 ram charger. Always turned out to be the bendix. With the truck it got to the point where I carried a spare starter and replace the bendix on the bad starter and then kept it as a spare.

The bendix has two nylon ears that engage the track. After time these years break off causing the problem.

Ultimate fix is to purchase a 1989 and later gear reduction starter.

The bendix was the failure point on that Tuff Stuff rig. IFF I could get a proper set of reduction gears to slow one of these Denso spinners down, that might make them attractive enough to me, and such would be easier on them starter for sure, giving it more torque to apply to the starting ring/flywheel. Still, I prescribe Old Mopar perm magnet as my preferred fix. I'm looking for a core with the really long, big magnets for a build....

 

[RWCearley]

The gear reduction starter never gave me a problem. The bendix on the original mopar starter was nothing but a problem for both the 1971 chrysler and 1986 dodge truck. I rebuilt the original mopar starter many times. For the most part it was solid. The bendix was junk.

 

[Isaiah Estrada]

dead battery
dead cell in the battery
bad cable, both are just as important
bad starter

what is the voltage sitting there?
And voltage right after you try to crank it over?

Too much timing would give "slow" cranking but not "slowing down" cranking like this right?

How old is your battery?

Unsure of the battery being complete junk. It’s only 2 years old and as mentioned - was fully charged! I’m puzzled as to why it’s cranking as if it’s got no juice at all.

Perhaps i did have too much timing. I don’t live where the car stays so I can only get to it once in a while. I’m just trying to gather what this problem might be. All the cables are brand new and the starter is very clean. We tried with 2 batteries also, one was a known good battery. Same results.

 

[Isaiah Estrada]

I went through this on my son's truck. Sporadic starter behaviour emulating a low battery condition. Verified good battery, went in and cleaned all connections verified connectivity across all wires. Still did it.

Swapped starter- fixed.

Truck starts single bump of the starter every time now.

Had a quite a few starter problems, with both my 1971 chrysler and 1986 ram charger. Always turned out to be the bendix. With the truck it got to the point where I carried a spare starter and replace the bendix on the bad starter and then kept it as a spare.

The bendix has two nylon ears that engage the track. After time these years break off causing the problem.

Ultimate fix is to purchase a 1989 and later gear reduction starter.

This sounds much like what I’m experiencing here! This is the older “slow” spinning gear reduction starter. Given that it was acting like the battery was dead, it took a while for us to get the engine started. After trying it with 2 batteries, I think I’m just going to remove the old hummingbird starter and replace it with the new unit I purchased off RockAuto for a ‘97 Ram 1500 w/ a 5.9 Magnum. It’s a Remy unit. Hoping this solves my issues and helps me get this engine started quickly!

 

[Mr C]

We just grabbed a spare we had under the bench, so old weak hummingbird to a healthy one. Don't feel you need to get a modern one. Old ones will work fine...in case you have one lying around.

 

[TylerW]

Not sure what the issue is with the OP's starter but it sounds like a weak battery or the engine is tight. I could write a book regarding the blame laid on "slow-spinning" Chrysler starters and all their alleged problems. The main problem is using a reman. I've taken several of those apart and they are basically junk. The armatures are worn out, the pinion shaft is usually rough-sanded to get rid of the grooves, they are missing shims and brake washers, etc etc. I rebuild good core starters for my own usage and I've never had a failure. Most people don't realize that before late 1973 all Mopar starters were shunt wound. It means that the shunt acts like a rev limiter to keep the starter from overspeeding. The large-frame starters are not, and they are a good alternative if you need or want a faster starter without having to hear one of those late-model starters.

 

[Isaiah Estrada]

Not sure what the issue is with the OP's starter but it sounds like a weak battery or the engine is tight. I could write a book regarding the blame laid on "slow-spinning" Chrysler starters and all their alleged problems. The main problem is using a reman. I've taken several of those apart and they are basically junk. The armatures are worn out, the pinion shaft is usually rough-sanded to get rid of the grooves, they are missing shims and brake washers, etc etc. I rebuild good core starters for my own usage and I've never had a failure. Most people don't realize that before late 1973 all Mopar starters were shunt wound. It means that the shunt acts like a rev limiter to keep the starter from overspeeding. The large-frame starters are not, and they are a good alternative if you need or want a faster starter without having to hear one of those late-model starters.

Definitely not a weak battery, the battery was fully charged. It’s weird, it’ll crank FAST (normal) for a few “tries.” Then, afterwards- it gets reallly slow.

 

[thethee]

How long are your cranks and how much time is there between cranks? Sounds a little like you're just overheating your starter.

 

[USSMOPAR]

This is a:
Please get a digital volt meter, place it on dc volts and read the standing voltage of the battery - It must be 12.8vdc or higher, if not charge the battery and recheck the voltage
Crank the motor - Does the voltage drop below 10.5vdc? Yes new battery time
Stop using those caveman old school starters
Check the voltage drop at the starter lug when cranking as if there is a problem with the + cable there will voltage drop between the battery post and the starter post
The new style starter works great - More tales than facts it seems as usual
Please this is not rocket science but auto 101

 

[Unix]

Most of the starters, alternators, and similar reman products from Rockauto are junk. You can buy 10, and 9 of them will be useless (1 time only). Best to have a stock, original, rebuilt by a trusted shop. They last forever.

I have the stock one, it gets a real beating in everyday use, especially on those really hot summer days.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Definitely not a weak battery, the battery was fully charged. It’s weird, it’ll crank FAST (normal) for a few “tries.” Then, afterwards- it gets reallly slow.

You may be heating up a coil, or contact if not temporarily draining your battery. What's the CCA capacity of that battery? Even if good, if marginally charged, or getting a little long in tooth, then it might be dropping in charge after a couple big discharges. If that's so, a new one would be best, BUT, the starter is as likely as not the problem.

My wonderful modern Tuff **** starter acted a lot like what you just described the last couple days before it totally croaked. We'll see how long this PowerMaster lasts, but I plan to have the original one made in 1968 rebuilt and ready for when it dies. I suspect it will serve well far longer than one year, as it still works decent now, aged 54 years. I just removed it for a little servicing BEFORE ruining any single component of it.

 

[LocuMob]

I know you charged the battery, but using a different, known good battery is worth the few minutes to see if it's bad, if you haven't already done the voltage testing as described above. I buy Interstate batteries and they last through the 7 year warranty with no issues. I stopped buying WalShart batteries many years ago, and went with a proven brand.