02-14-2019, 10:19 PM
About 3 weeks ago I burned up a starter. As I was driving from a spot in Ehrenberg to the Laundromat Mall .... there was a nasty sound. That drive is about 3 miles. When I parked ... you could hear the starter still going...keys in my hand, and it was grinding. Put the keys back in the ignition and instantly the rig started...without my having to turn the key all the way to the start position...but..pulling the keys out, the engine stopped but not the starter. Very hot, lots of smoke. Finally quit with a sigh. Wow does that stink.
A mobile mechanic came out...GoodSams sent him from Blythe. New starter. He didn’t see any reason for the starter to burn like that. That starter was installed in January 2018. All is well...except I was $250 lighter. Got to talking with people. Best idea was the solenoid might be the fault, so I brought the rig to the shop the next week asking to have a new solenoid put in. Kept thinking there must be a reason for such a spectacular failure mode.
Yesterday I went back to the mall to get the last of my mail....totally burned out another starter! Exact same thing. Every thing I described in the first burn out was repeated exactly. Another new starter was put in by a different guy. This time the battery was shorted out too. So a new battery. When the battery was put in...as soon as it was connected the new starter started to run! No keys in the ignition. Disconnected the battery. The solenoid was stu.ck in the open position. Fixed that. The rig started, but I was not feeling confident that we had found the source of the problem, So I drove over to the mechanic shop in bLythe to stay the night and be able to hook up to diagnostic equipment in the morning
This morning the rig started with no problems...several times. No problem. Nothing to see. So, I decided to run a couple errands in Blythe and then come back. The last 2 starters were ok for 8-10 starts before any issue. So..drove over to DC auto electric to pick up a couple cables I ordered. When I went to start the rig after stopping there...same problem. Totally burned up another starter!!!!
What the heck
So, the guys at DC (their motto is “ we fix shorts”) put in the new starter (3rd one this month and it is only the 14th). They said that 1) one of the bolts holding the starter on was very loose...this is the bolt that also is necessary for the ground wire. 2) the wire from the battery to the solenoid was loose. Either of these could cause this problem.
Ok...I will believe that there was maybe some sloppy work...but..this does nit explain the previous starter burning out.
Checked the ignition switch...ok. Checked the ground to the engine housing...ok.
So...I don’t dare to go anywhere. The last time I was lucky to be at a mechanic shop. Tow companies want $400 just to take me 1 mile. On top of everything else...my budget is drained for repairs,
So..I am sitting in the mechanics yard for the night. Test everything in the morning again.
Anyone have any idea?
Nothing I heard today explains all these failures. Could it really be that both of the previous installs were sloppy? But, then, it also begs the question,,,then what explains the first burn out? That starter was a motor craft installed last January (13 months). Should last lots longer than that.
A mobile mechanic came out...GoodSams sent him from Blythe. New starter. He didn’t see any reason for the starter to burn like that. That starter was installed in January 2018. All is well...except I was $250 lighter. Got to talking with people. Best idea was the solenoid might be the fault, so I brought the rig to the shop the next week asking to have a new solenoid put in. Kept thinking there must be a reason for such a spectacular failure mode.
Yesterday I went back to the mall to get the last of my mail....totally burned out another starter! Exact same thing. Every thing I described in the first burn out was repeated exactly. Another new starter was put in by a different guy. This time the battery was shorted out too. So a new battery. When the battery was put in...as soon as it was connected the new starter started to run! No keys in the ignition. Disconnected the battery. The solenoid was stu.ck in the open position. Fixed that. The rig started, but I was not feeling confident that we had found the source of the problem, So I drove over to the mechanic shop in bLythe to stay the night and be able to hook up to diagnostic equipment in the morning
This morning the rig started with no problems...several times. No problem. Nothing to see. So, I decided to run a couple errands in Blythe and then come back. The last 2 starters were ok for 8-10 starts before any issue. So..drove over to DC auto electric to pick up a couple cables I ordered. When I went to start the rig after stopping there...same problem. Totally burned up another starter!!!!
What the heck
So, the guys at DC (their motto is “ we fix shorts”) put in the new starter (3rd one this month and it is only the 14th). They said that 1) one of the bolts holding the starter on was very loose...this is the bolt that also is necessary for the ground wire. 2) the wire from the battery to the solenoid was loose. Either of these could cause this problem.
Ok...I will believe that there was maybe some sloppy work...but..this does nit explain the previous starter burning out.
Checked the ignition switch...ok. Checked the ground to the engine housing...ok.
So...I don’t dare to go anywhere. The last time I was lucky to be at a mechanic shop. Tow companies want $400 just to take me 1 mile. On top of everything else...my budget is drained for repairs,
So..I am sitting in the mechanics yard for the night. Test everything in the morning again.
Anyone have any idea?
Nothing I heard today explains all these failures. Could it really be that both of the previous installs were sloppy? But, then, it also begs the question,,,then what explains the first burn out? That starter was a motor craft installed last January (13 months). Should last lots longer than that.