When I first bought my 82, it did a thing where it just clicked, and wouldn't crank. It didn't do it again until today, almost 6 mos later. This morning, it took two turns to get it to crank, then it started up two more times on my way home fine. When I went to take off the next time it wouldn't crank. I hit the starter with a hammer and it cranked and I took off for town. It wouldn't start at the hardware store after shutting it off. After hitting on it for 15 minutes it started and I went straight home. Once home, it would just click. I cleaned off the main contact (the big one), then it clicked once, then started. I went out and started it 4 more times since then and it always started.

BUT- I am not going to ignore it like i did last time. What do I need to do to fix it?

Thanks All

 

Don't mean to hijack my own subject- but If i do need a rebuilt starter, would this one work?

http://www.autozone.com/R,APP71181/v...ductDetail.htm

 

clean your battery terminals real well and youll probably want a new starter

 

Thanks- I just cleaned them all. Will that starter I listed work?

 

most likely the starter contacts ... there in the selenoid ..

parts are about 1$ apiece .. you need 2 of them .

 

Thanks Slacker- How big of a job is it to replace?

 

I was just searching for a pic for ya ... but no luck .

There located in the starter selenoid , so obviously you have to remove the starter .

on the back of the starter , there are 3 screws that hold on the selenoid end cap .. you'll be wanting to remove those .. located under the cap is a spring , detent ball .. and plunger . you'll want to inspect the plungers underside and clean it up using some emery cloth .

inside the selenoid housing , you'll see the contacts .. 1 will be warn a WEE bit , and 1 will be warn more .. that usually is the reason for the "click" "click" noise .. th plunger is contacting 1 contact and not the other .

replace BOTH contacts , and should be good .

Hope that helps .

 

Sweet! Any Idea on where I can get new contacts?

 

I believe NAPA carries them in the USA .. If not I carry them at my shop ..

 

If you can't find them locally, here is a source:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...OnlineOrdering

Repair and troubleshooting information on the web page above, as well.

 

Clean (or replace) the plunger before you put it back together, It's not going to do much good to have nice clean contacts and a dirty plunger trying to make the conection.

 

Well the guys at the store I was going to get the contacts from today went hunting (hey, if my starter always worked, I'd prolly be there too). But I thought of something else. Could having a high-power battery potentially cause this? I have a 860CA battery in there because I often go camping, so I run the lights w/o the engine on to illuminate the campsite, and don't want the battery running down. Anyway, I always thought the starter would only draw as much power as it needed, so I never worried about it. Could this be wearing down the contacts?

Thanks for all your help

 

In the mean time, have someone hold the key in the "on" position when ya tap the starter. It works for mine from time to time. If manual, make sure its in neutral. good luck

 

No, a high powered battery will burn out the alternator usually.

 

Battery capacity will not hurt anything, as long as it has enough cracking amps to supply the starter motor. More is usually better. I run a pair of 925 cranking amp batteries in parallel on my truck (1850 total CA) and everything works fine. The starter will only pull the current it needs.

To test the starter and igintion switch wiring, follow the instructions on the web page below:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

If you measure within 0.5 volts of the battery at the starter when trying to start (and get a click) then the issue is likely the copper contacts inside the starter solenoid. If the voltage is not with 0.5 volts of the batter, then the issue is likely in the wiring or ignition switch or any other factory components.

 

Exactly .. I concure .

 

Thanks 4Crawler- I got within .5v, so I guess thats good. Getting the contacts tomorrow.

 

Well I'd like to announce that the problem is fixed. $3 dollars for two contacts, and the truck turns over like new. My old ones were really wore down. Only took me about 1.5hrs, most of it spent removing and reinstalling the starter

Thanks for your help

 

your welcome !