Care to guess on a truck problem?

[PSEbowhunter]

no codes at all, before or after this. I talked to several, one a working mechanic and he claims those auto parts test are not good at all because they are not tested under load.

PSE he said he watched the auto parts test and the bendix came out, gear spun and retracted when the juice was cut. I heard the sound its making and its just a loud clunk when he turns they key and the lights dim. Now some might say the engine is locked up but Ive never seen nor heard of one lock up and unlock for a 30 mile drive.

Yea, i get that he watched it spin at the store test, but if he does it on vehicle like i described it would test the vehicle wiring and starter as well if he's thinking of replacing it anyhow. Having it attached to the truck wiring will draw a load to make sure there are no poor connections or corroded main leads.
I have worked on them where the harness will light a test light at the starter but still not provide voltage/amperage needed for a real load. And yea, the engine isn't seized.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Gotcha PSE, will pass that along before he drops big money on a wrecker and a dealership

The "load" i was talking about is the effort it takes to spin the flywheel

 

[3930dave]

Any chance that intake manifold is plastic ?

Neighbour had a Pontiac V6 that appeared to be a locked engine, turned out something fell apart inside the manifold and stopped the valve train.

If you can get in there easily enough, try turning the crank pulley by hand, to make sure the engine itself is spinning freely. On that Pontiac, you could get about 3/4 of a turn out of the crank, then a hard stop.

Rgds, D.

 

[Loadstar]

Find the clunk! Put your hand on the starter and have him hit the key. If the clunk comes from under your hand get a new starter. If it was me I would also be laying under it with a VOLTMETER verifying that it is getting total voltage at the starter and not a bad connection losing the load.
(on edit: and I don't really think it's a starter but what I'm getting at is get some hands on that clunk)

 

[PSEbowhunter]

Gotcha PSE, will pass that along before he drops big money on a wrecker and a dealership

The "load" i was talking about is the effort it takes to spin the flywheel

Yup, I'm with ya on that load as well. And i have seen that too. That's why if he has it out and it spins up, then he knows it is too weak and needs replaced. The electrical draw even with it not spinning the flywheel should still be enough to check the wiring side.
If it doesn't spin using the tuck harness then he knows there's something going on in the wiring.
It's all easier to say and do than to type. Dang internet anyhow.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Appreciate all of the comments.

This ol' boy is a good guy with 4 kids and I was just trying to save him some torture of going to a dealership. He sent me a mail earlier that he called the auto parts store and asked their return policy on a starter and they said long as he had his receipt just bring it back no questions asked so knowing that I think he should just fork out the $95 and install it and see what happens, it dont work take her back for that cheerful no questions asked refund. Would be something after all hes been thru with it if it turns out to just be a defective starter!

 

[Xfaxman]

The way to find the problem is not replacing parts, it is by troubleshooting, with a digital voltmeter.
It is most likely a bad cable or bad ground connection.

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhRPLgH6uZg

 

[hunter townsen]

bad connections , solenoid, or brushes in the starter can all cause this, and the starter will still function fine for a bench test. the clunk is most likely the bendix engaging the flywheel, but the starter motor, which is a separate electrical part of the system is not able to draw enough amps to rotate the engine. Just like if you are checking continuity with a electrical meter, it may test good, but it wont handle a load. for example if u have a multi stranded wire, and 95% of the strands are disconnected, it will test good, but it wont be able to draw enough amps to function properly. I have found this issue many times from starters to alternators and many other electrical items. My weirdest one was a water heater element, just recently. I have repaired many water heaters , tbh there is not much to them. I knew by the symptoms the the lower element wasn't working , I also knew the thermostats were good. I tested for continuity, it tested fine , I pulled it and it was almost new. very little corrosion, but under a load it wouldn't heat up. You must have good electrical connections for items to work properly. sometimes they are external, sometimes internal. Out of curiosity does he off road much, if so it could just be crap in the starter motor, but in any case a trip to the dealer should not be necessary. Hope this makes sense another late night post lol
rob

 

[ultrarunner]

Neighbor had a dodge that gave him no end of fits when it wouldn't start... several replaced starters, battery, battery cables and tow charges...

Turned out to be a poor ground connection from the car body to the engine block that yours truly diagnosed... I actually got lucky when I used jumpers cables for both negative and positive to go from the battery direct to the starter and then it worked flawlessly!

Bad grounds are a very common problem with restored cars and this is what got me thinking... often everything on a restored car is painted up so nice it gets in the way of making good electrical connections...

I put a meter on the battery when my brother was having trouble with his Mustang starter... turned out a bushing in the starter motor had slipped out and the draw with something like 800 amps so it acted like a weak battery...

 

[Maxify55]

I'm betting on a bad ground but without a voltmeter to test for power to starter from ignition, we won't know.