2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Starter Intermittent??

[Diesel Man]

My neighbor has a 98 Diesel, 2wd, auto, longbed, quadcab he uses to tow his 5th wheel. Over the last 12 months or so, when he goes to start it, sometimes it will start right away and other times it will just 'click' but not turn over the engine. He replaced the battery but that didn't solve it. He has had it towed into the dealership 3 times so far and they can't find anything wrong. They checked the starter too and couldn't find any problem.

I really feel for the guy, now he's afraid to drive it anywhere for fear it won't start reliably. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Any ideas on what to look for?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Regards,

Diesel Man

 

[BrandonThompson]

Sounds like the starter contacts. I was having the same problem with my 95. Just replaced them last night with a set of Larry B's super contacts. Fixed mine and only cost $35. One of mine was nearly burned in half. Here is the website http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/. TDR told me about this fix so i'm just passin it on.



Brandon

 

[tbrudder]

Maybe check the battery terminals, make sure they're tight and clean. You said he replaced the battery--there's two, did he get them both? If not, I think a bad one can kill a new one pretty fast. Let's see, what else... Starter contacts--you said they'd checked the starter, but I believe that (depending on how they checked it) the internal contacts could be bad. edit Beat me to it--like he said, try LarryB's contacts. /edit



Finally, here's one last idea--happened to my old 1st-gen 4Runner. The wire from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid developed a high-impedance condition. It would still apply voltage to the solenoid every time, and you could hear it click, but there wasn't enough current in the coil to pull the plunger all the way in to engage the starter to the flywheel and energize the starter motor. Hotwiring the solenoid terminal to the battery (with the key on) always started it, so I knew that was the problem. Might've been the ignition switch or the wiring--I didn't want to replace either, and it always sent +12V, regardless of the current (sometimes enough, sometimes not), so I used it to trigger a relay that fed power straight from the battery to the starter solenoid.



Might be hard to get at the starter on the Ram to check this--I haven't really looked--but turning the key on and running a wire from the +12V battery terminal to the solenoid and getting it to turn over when the key won't work would verify this. There might be some dangers involved with that, though, so take it with a grain of salt, unless someone else can verify this won't hurt anything.



Good luck.



--Ty

 

[Diesel Man]

Thanks Brandon and Tbrudder. I passed along your info & suggestions. I'll post when I find out what the problem is. Dman

 

[David Wheeler]

Maybe this will work.....for a quick fix

Ok, here is a thread I started last year. Hope some other's replies help your friend. Bottom line, open either of the doors or turn on the interior dome light and the truck will start..... every time!



https://www.turbodieselregistry.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86268



David

 

[WatsonJ]

balky starter

suddenly have the same symtoms..... have to cycle the key 2-3 times to get

the starter to engage. truck has only 52k on it. bad contacts?



new optima red tops 3-4 weeks ago.



thanks in advance

 

[vssman]

It's not how many miles, but how many starts. Mine had less than 60K when they went.

 

[J Shocik]

The starter contact problem is fairly common, it's the first thing I'd try. I had to do mine and all the problems stopped. If you can remove the starter, you can replace the contacts. For about $40 it's a cheap fix, and if it's not the problem now, it will be later down the road.

 

[David Wheeler]

WatsonJ

If you open the door (either) does it start every time on the first try?

 

[SLangone]

I am starting to have to turn the key a few times before it starts. I replaced both batteries last year. Truck has 160k on her. Should I purchase new contacts or buy starter with a lifetime warranty? Thanks in advance

 

[GAmes]

Your choice. Buy the contacts, pull the starter and replace them and probably never have to pull it again ... ..... OR... ... . buy a lifetime and replace it about once a year, maybe more. With Larry B contacts my starter lasted almost 700k miles. The bearings finally wore out, but the contacts were still good.

 

[SLangone]

Alright I'll save the dough and purchase Larry's. Do I need to get the brushes also? Thanks for the reply

 

[GAmes]

Just the contaact and plunger kit should do it. Costs less than a rebuild also