I think my starter just went, but before I throw money at it, I want to verify my thought processes are right. Rig specs are in sig.

My truck has had intermittent hard cold starting issues for a very long time, like years. I've always chaulked it up to old-truck syndrom, and it was never so bad as to leave me stranded. I tried to start it today and it gave a weak crank and bogged down. Repeat cranks of the key produced the same result.

Since the starter's turning a little, it's getting power, so the solenoid contacts should still be good. Besides, I replaced them 3 years ago with 4Crawler parts. Battery was tested good before the snow flew, and I verified it today with a multimeter. It's sitting at 12.30v.

That leaves me with the starter. My question is: is there anything else I'm missing? I like to think of myself as a decent wrench, but I'm a lousy troubleshooter.

Thanks!

 

12.3V? That's not good. Sounds like a problem with the battery and/or the charging system to me. Not the starter...

 

State of Charge / Voltage is temperature dependent, so MudHippy's chart is only good at "room temperature." Which it hasn't been in Connecticut for a few months.

But 12.3 does sound pretty low, even for low temps. Try getting a jump (or putting the battery on a charger in a warm garage). Three-year-old solenoid contacts could be closing but have enough resistance to cause problems, so don't be too quick to rule them out. Still, start with the easy stuff.

 

Actually...it's good down to ~40°F.

 

Thanks guys, would never have suspected the battery. I always assumed ~12v on a static battery, and ~14v on a battery being charged. That, and all my accesories come on, even the high-powered stereo and fogs. Kinda dissapointed, though. Three years ago, I paid extra for a DieHard battery because I thought it would last longer. Will get on it tomorrow.

 

Don't jump to conclusions. For starters, your voltmeter isn't officially calibrated, so it could be off a little. And as MudHippy's chart shows, from 50% to 100% charge is less than 1/2 volt. Also, if you've been trying to start your truck, that could run the battery down (the starter chews up lots of amps). So both your battery and starter could be fine.

That's why I suggested ruling out a low battery by using a jump. If it won't turn over well with a jump, I'd suspect the starter or wiring. If it turns well with a jump, and the battery doesn't do well even after charging, I'd suspect the battery. And don't forget all sorts of other things like oil that just too thick and too cold.

Good luck!

 

look at your ground cables

i just spent $350.00 for a new battery and starter . So for $3.00 in terminals and a piece of scrap welding cable to short for anything.

problem fixed.

After getting the truck home and inside and not listening to my extra sense saying this is a ground issue.

Crawl under the truck and see that where the ground cable was attached to the block it looks to have cracked then started to arc.

To the point it was no longer able to carry enough of current to start on the morning one of the coldest this year

Now this could have been happening for quite some time.

Now my battery tested low after attempting to start a few times.

Since it could not start with jumper cables I thought well the starter went. go figure.:jessica:

 

Started right up with a jump. One new battery later, fixed! Ground wires look good, too. Thanks!