Starter won't engage. Just one click.

[z987k]

Started off doing thing a number of months ago. Just tapped the starter with something solid and everything was fine. About a week ago, it decided it was through with that and quit starting after the love taps. So I figure it's the starter itself since banging on it made it work. Replaced that, and still the same problem, taps do nothing. So now I'm thinking solenoid, so I get the voltmeter out.
When I engage the starter with the key I get the loud click, presumably the solenoid engaging, but it goes from 12v across the two posts and rapidly drops to roughly 0. After letting off the key, it comes back to 12v. I did this a few times and in the process the small red wire that I think goes to the starter as well got hot enough to melt some of the insulation.

Seems like a solenoid problem, or do I have a bad ground? Maybe the small red wire is grounding out? (not 100% on what that wire does) Where do the three wires that are attached to the fender mounted solenoid go? The bigger one from the battery, the other's I'm not 100% on. It looks like the small one that got hot goes to the starter, but that seems way too small of a wire to be using to crank the starter. (I think it's the one that has the spade connector)? What about the other wire off the solenoid? Ground?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Mark_88]

Probably a bad ground somewhere or your battery is toast.

Replacing the starter may or may not have been necessary but it's done. In doing that you should have reconnected the ground wire that runs from the starter to the solenoid as well as the positive wire. You can pretty much see the connectors and whether they are dirty or not and cleaning sometimes helps.

If the battery cables are corroded inside, as can sometimes be the case, then you will not get a good connection and the starter simply won't engage.

Check the battery voltage and also try simply jumping the solenoid with a screw driver.

If jumping the solenoid gets no result and the battery is fully charged then there is a good chance that one or both of the battery cables need replacing.

 

[z987k]

Probably a bad ground somewhere or your battery is toast.

Replacing the starter may or may not have been necessary but it's done. In doing that you should have reconnected the ground wire that runs from the starter to the solenoid as well as the positive wire. You can pretty much see the connectors and whether they are dirty or not and cleaning sometimes helps.

If the battery cables are corroded inside, as can sometimes be the case, then you will not get a good connection and the starter simply won't engage.

Check the battery voltage and also try simply jumping the solenoid with a screw driver.

If jumping the solenoid gets no result and the battery is fully charged then there is a good chance that one or both of the battery cables need replacing.

Battery has 12.5 volts, so I think it's good. I assume you mean taking a screwdriver and jumping the two posts on the solenoid together?

 

[adsm08]

Yes, the screw driver is what Mark is talking about.

 

[Mark_88]

Yes, that is jumping the solenoid.

If you've never done it you can mess things up pretty good including frying the solenoid. What I've found is placing the tip of the screw driver on the lower post and then bringing the screw driver down to the upper post works best. If you do it fairly quickly you get very little spark and the starter should turn.

You don't want the shaft of the screw driver to touch anything else so use a 6" shaft if you have one...and make sure the vehicle is in neutral if standard...the truck will jump forward.

The arching spark can actually weld the screw driver to the post so be careful.

 

[z987k]

Yes, that is jumping the solenoid.

If you've never done it you can mess things up pretty good including frying the solenoid. What I've found is placing the tip of the screw driver on the lower post and then bringing the screw driver down to the upper post works best. If you do it fairly quickly you get very little spark and the starter should turn.

You don't want the shaft of the screw driver to touch anything else so use a 6" shaft if you have one...and make sure the vehicle is in neutral if standard...the truck will jump forward.

The arching spark can actually weld the screw driver to the post so be careful.

That did nothing, aside form spark. I took the old starter and wired it up on top of the truck, gave it a ground straight to the negative post and then used a wire to touch the spade connector and it spun right up. So at this point it has to be the solenoid or the wire... I think. Or a bad ground, but I just put that ground on the starter when I put the new one in there, so it should have a good ground.

 

[adsm08]

Install starter, leave the big cable off and run a jumper cable in it's place. Then try to start it.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

Sounds like the cable coming from the solenoid to the starter is grounding out. Check the cable for missing or melted insulation. I've seen this happen before.

Hope that helps

 

[z987k]

Installed the starter again, ran all new cables from the battery to the starter, battery to the solenoid, solenoid to the starter. Got a new solenoid while I was at it and put that on to.
Now I have no power at the ignition. I turn the key and get nothing. WTF is happening here? I have 12.4V at the battery. 12.4 at the battery side of the solenoid. 12.4 Between the battery and starter side of the solenoid. 0V off the third post, whatever it is.

 

[Mark_88]

The third post is usually connected to the ignition. There should be a 14 or even a 12 gauge wire connected to it and that is necessary for the ignition key to activate the starter through the solenoid. If you don't have a wire on that post then you won't get anything at the key other than the usual internal lights.

Does the starter turn over with jumping the solenoid now?

 

[z987k]

The third post is usually connected to the ignition. There should be a 14 or even a 12 gauge wire connected to it and that is necessary for the ignition key to activate the starter through the solenoid. If you don't have a wire on that post then you won't get anything at the key other than the usual internal lights.

Does the starter turn over with jumping the solenoid now?

If I take the wire that is supposed to go from the solenoid to the starter and just do battery to starter, the starter runs. So, I think before it was the solenoid.. or the wires, I replaced them both at the same time. That part of the problem seems solved.

Now, with the new issue of no power at the ignition, yes I do have the small wire on the 3rd post of the solenoid. I have no power at the ignition, nor are the dome lights coming on when I open the door. Actually, nothing electrical is powered. Battery is connected, ground from the negative is connected at all it's points. Non of the fuses in the big fuse box next to the solenoid are blown.

 

[Mark_88]

How many wires are connected to the positive terminal of the solenoid? Should be three...one of them is the power feed back to the ignition...easy enough to leave one off...I've done it myself as early as two days ago...lol

EDIT: The 95s may be a bit different from my 88, but the idea is similar...

 

[z987k]

How many wires are connected to the positive terminal of the solenoid? Should be three...one of them is the power feed back to the ignition...easy enough to leave one off...I've done it myself as early as two days ago...lol

EDIT: The 95s may be a bit different from my 88, but the idea is similar...

Truck is actually a 93. I hadn't updated the information under my name in a while.

There are 3 wires to the battery side. 1 is the battery cable, another is black, about 16 gauge or so, runs towards the firewall and lost in the wiring harness somewhere. Another is black, 8-10 gauge, and runs over to the fuse box next to the solenoid. The other side of the solenoid has 2 wires. One going to the starter and a grey one 8-10 gauge that goes towards the motor and gets lost in a wiring harness from there.

 

[Mark_88]

Truck is actually a 93. I hadn't updated the information under my name in a while.

There are 3 wires to the battery side. 1 is the battery cable, another is black, about 16 gauge or so, runs towards the firewall and lost in the wiring harness somewhere. Another is black, 8-10 gauge, and runs over to the fuse box next to the solenoid. The other side of the solenoid has 2 wires. One going to the starter and a grey one 8-10 gauge that goes towards the motor and gets lost in a wiring harness from there.

OK...did you by chance mix up the wires connecting to the solenoid? If not, the only other thing could be a fusible link has blown out...should be one fusible link on one that (on my truck) comes from around the front of the truck and connects to the positive side of the solenoid...that is your ignition and main power to the inside of the cab...

This could be very different on a 93 from what I remember...never really looked at the wires on that generation too much but it should be similar.

Maybe post a picture of the solenoid connections and someone with familiarity could elaborate on it a bit more.

But it's either one of the wires isn't connected properly or you've blown a fusible link...in my mind anyway...you can probably test the fusible link by connecting a voltmeter set to ohms and if you have unlimited resistance then the link is blown...if not you should get a readable resistance...could be in the hundreds or even thousands of ohms though...

 

[z987k]

OK...did you by chance mix up the wires connecting to the solenoid? If not, the only other thing could be a fusible link has blown out...should be one fusible link on one that (on my truck) comes from around the front of the truck and connects to the positive side of the solenoid...that is your ignition and main power to the inside of the cab...

This could be very different on a 93 from what I remember...never really looked at the wires on that generation too much but it should be similar.

Maybe post a picture of the solenoid connections and someone with familiarity could elaborate on it a bit more.

But it's either one of the wires isn't connected properly or you've blown a fusible link...in my mind anyway...you can probably test the fusible link by connecting a voltmeter set to ohms and if you have unlimited resistance then the link is blown...if not you should get a readable resistance...could be in the hundreds or even thousands of ohms though...

It appears I had them mixed up. That's why nothing had power.

Everything works now. New cables, solenoid and starter. It was maybe a little too much throwing parts at it, but I was getting pissed, so with everything in the system replaced, I guess it has to work right? It wasn't the starter, and I suspect it was the power cables to the starter and not the solenoid.