ballencd
Active member
- 199
- 78
- 28
- Location
- Columbus, NC
Hi, I have a question as to what happened so I can figure out what I should do to have it not happen again.
I have had my 1986 M1009 for 15 years. It has about 250K miles on it and has been running great. It is a backup vehicle so it does not get driven every day but normally once or twice a week. The starter was rebuilt about 11-12 years ago and I have had no problem with it at all. I did replace the flex plate when I rebuilt the starter. Last week I was 22 miles from home and when I hit the starter to go home I got a quick click under the hood and then nothing. The under dash relay clicked but no other sounds. I found lots of pack rat junk (sticks/insulation/leaves/bed) under the hood so I suspected it was a chewed wiring issue but could not find any cut wires. My battery terminals all looked tight. The 24v gauge was a hair over the middle of the yellow which is normal for my vehicle and normally goes up to green when started and revved a bit to get the alternator exciter working. A friendly guy in a pickup stopped and offered help and we tried to jump each battery with his vehicle. We attempted one try on each battery but the gauge did not move up nor did it try to start on either attempt other then the under dash relay clicking. I then had the car towed home (tools and charger are home) and verified the batteries were fully charged....both about 12.6-12.8 volts. I pulled the under dash relay and verified 24v to battery side of relay and attempted to jump the 24v to throw the started solenoid on the starter. What I got was no noise at the starter solenoid but a huge flash and the jumper wire started heating up fast in my hand.....it was a 12ga wire. I then pulled the starter and tested it with 24v with jumper cables on the ground. It tested OK....also tested the starter solenoid and it too was good. Leaving the wires off the starter hanging in the clear (so as to not short anything) I jumped the under dash relay again and got nothing at all.....(i.e. no shorts in the wires to the starter).
What to do.....?? At this point all indications said the starter was good so I put it back in and attempted to start again....just a click as before from the under dash solenoid. I removed the under dash relay again and jumped the 24v wires and the starter worked as it should. Starter working but under dash relay dead at this time.
I am assuming that the starter was stuck in some not normal condition and the dropping it on the ground when removing it unstuck it but I am trying to figure out why the arc and heat when in the stuck position and attempting to jump the under dash relay. The relay obviously got toasted when I first attempted to start it. I assume the click I heard under the hood on that first start was the starter solenoid moving.....??? The arc/heat implies that the starter solenoid coil was not in the loop and I was shorted directly to ground which actually caused the arc and heat.
While out I did pull apart the starter solenoid and clean the contacts but they were not very badly pitted. I also turned the post on the bat+ to get a clean piece of copper for a contact but again it did not look bad enough to cause it to stick. And sticking (in my mind) would not have caused the arc and heat when trying to jump at the under dash solenoid......
I now have a momentary contact switch under the dash in place of the under dash relay (which did get toasted) and the starter is working fine at this point.
Should I go ahead and have the starter rebuilt again just for grins? What are your thoughts on what happened and if anything what should I do now.
Thanks
Charlie
I have had my 1986 M1009 for 15 years. It has about 250K miles on it and has been running great. It is a backup vehicle so it does not get driven every day but normally once or twice a week. The starter was rebuilt about 11-12 years ago and I have had no problem with it at all. I did replace the flex plate when I rebuilt the starter. Last week I was 22 miles from home and when I hit the starter to go home I got a quick click under the hood and then nothing. The under dash relay clicked but no other sounds. I found lots of pack rat junk (sticks/insulation/leaves/bed) under the hood so I suspected it was a chewed wiring issue but could not find any cut wires. My battery terminals all looked tight. The 24v gauge was a hair over the middle of the yellow which is normal for my vehicle and normally goes up to green when started and revved a bit to get the alternator exciter working. A friendly guy in a pickup stopped and offered help and we tried to jump each battery with his vehicle. We attempted one try on each battery but the gauge did not move up nor did it try to start on either attempt other then the under dash relay clicking. I then had the car towed home (tools and charger are home) and verified the batteries were fully charged....both about 12.6-12.8 volts. I pulled the under dash relay and verified 24v to battery side of relay and attempted to jump the 24v to throw the started solenoid on the starter. What I got was no noise at the starter solenoid but a huge flash and the jumper wire started heating up fast in my hand.....it was a 12ga wire. I then pulled the starter and tested it with 24v with jumper cables on the ground. It tested OK....also tested the starter solenoid and it too was good. Leaving the wires off the starter hanging in the clear (so as to not short anything) I jumped the under dash relay again and got nothing at all.....(i.e. no shorts in the wires to the starter).
What to do.....?? At this point all indications said the starter was good so I put it back in and attempted to start again....just a click as before from the under dash solenoid. I removed the under dash relay again and jumped the 24v wires and the starter worked as it should. Starter working but under dash relay dead at this time.
I am assuming that the starter was stuck in some not normal condition and the dropping it on the ground when removing it unstuck it but I am trying to figure out why the arc and heat when in the stuck position and attempting to jump the under dash relay. The relay obviously got toasted when I first attempted to start it. I assume the click I heard under the hood on that first start was the starter solenoid moving.....??? The arc/heat implies that the starter solenoid coil was not in the loop and I was shorted directly to ground which actually caused the arc and heat.
While out I did pull apart the starter solenoid and clean the contacts but they were not very badly pitted. I also turned the post on the bat+ to get a clean piece of copper for a contact but again it did not look bad enough to cause it to stick. And sticking (in my mind) would not have caused the arc and heat when trying to jump at the under dash solenoid......
I now have a momentary contact switch under the dash in place of the under dash relay (which did get toasted) and the starter is working fine at this point.
Should I go ahead and have the starter rebuilt again just for grins? What are your thoughts on what happened and if anything what should I do now.
Thanks
Charlie