Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) click, click, vroom!

[GaryMoore]

Sitting at the grocery store parking lot yesterday, turned the key... CLICK!

Pull on the column stick to make sure I am in park, turned the key... CLICK!

UhOh. Turned the key... VROOM!

So I take the vehicle home, clean the battery terminals... . turned the key... CLICK!

I was planning to buy new Red Tops anyway, so I install 2 new Red Tops ($253 total at Advance Auto parts), turn the key... . CLICK!

So I give up. I have to be in Detroit 5 pm sunday night. I have a shade tree mechanic locally that is good and cheap.

The worst part?

I will be driving the wifes MaryKay car while she is on vacation.



Any tips or hints for me?



Thanks... gary

 

[DjFire07]

I just had the same thing happen. I replaced my stock batteries 2 days ago after it left me sitting. One of the batteries "eye" wasn't green anymore. I also found a fuse in the box under the hood blown. It was not marked and had a paint pen showing what size fuse was supposed to be in it. It had to come from the factory that way. It was one of the small square ones with the element visible without removing it. Try that. Good luck.

 

[MNiebel]

This happened to me a few times and I was able to change fuse to start truck but it sounds like your contacts inside starter are worn out. Pete Gould at www.fixinrams.com has a rebuild kit with 2 contactors and studs for about $40. 00 instead of buying all new starter. It is an easy fix, the hardest part is removing the starter.



Mike

 

[AUrban]

I agree with Mike... it's likely your starter. I ignored the click, click until I started to get engine run-on after I shut the key off. I replaced the contacts/plunger in mine and it starts like new.

 

[Nate]

$253 for 2 Red Tops! Holy Cow!!!

 

[surfbeetle]

This is what you want, Larry B's Starter fix Had the same problem a couple of months ago. It was only $35. 00 for parts, I then had to do 2nd day air to get them faster and grand total was around $50 for parts and shipping. Installed them in less then an hour. Just make sure that you have a set of 12 point sockets, the starter uses a 13mm (if memory serves me well) 12point socket for the bolts on the bell housing.

 

[GaryMoore]

expensive truck

Yes, $253 for Red Tops from the only store in town which had them.



At this time I am totally dependent on this truck. I am driving 350 miles twice a week from Indy to Detroit with only one day in between. So if the truck goes down, I have to make a snap decision on where to have it fixed. The wife picked up the truck yesterday and although I do not know the actual cost of the repair, I know that the starter was $207 for lifetime replace. I also had him replace the rear brakes while it was in and do not know the cost of labor on this deal. I figure about $150 for that. I will not talk about the $473 front brake job last month from Dealer when I was in Chicago, or the $475 100,000 mile valve adjust/oil change from the Cummins Dealer 6 weeks ago.

If you are counting (i know I am) that is over $1650 in parts/repairs in the 8 weeks that I have owned the truck.

I hope that this will be all for a while.

The way things are going, I had better get the fuel pressure gage installed huh?

Gary