Starter dims lights but won't crank

[CornerHard]

Recently the starter stopped working on my 83 GL. The dash lights and headlights would still dim when turning the key, and I'd still hear the loud "click", but the engine wouldn't turn at all. The starter was getting old, so I ordered a new one and figured that would fix the problem. Well, I just swapped my new starter in, and it has the exact same issue! All my fuses are fine and my connections and battery look good, so I'm not sure what the issue is. If I roll start my car, it works fine, so it's just the starter that has the issue. Anyone have any ideas what to check next?

 

Thanks

[nvexplorer]

Your battery isn't holding enough of a charge to crank the engine is what it sounds like. The rest of the electrical system sounds like its okay if you can roll start it and it still runs fine. Your battery might be dead or is no longer able to hold a charge. Another possibility is that the wire going to the starter has a break in it somewhere so the solenoid will do its job, but then nothing gets to the starter. Good places to start anyway. Good luck!

[daeron]

chances are that your battery is not as good as you think it is. (Please don't take that in a condescending way; I say the same thing to myself when I find the same symptoms.) If you take your battery to a good parts store, they should be able to load test it for you.. if not a parts store, try a mechanic's shop.

 

If you KNOW that your battery has plenty of amps left in it still, another possibility is that the wiring through the car's circuitry, through the ignition switch, and out to the solenoid is no longer sufficient to fully engage the solenoid.. I had this problem on my 87 GL10, and installed a relay, which was activated by the original solenoid wire, to operate the starter. SUPER easy fix, covered in WAY TOO MUCH detail, here.

 

If you have any questions about the idea of the relay set up, feel free to contact me either in the thread, or via PM.

[Gloyale]

Recently the starter stopped working on my 83 GL. The dash lights and headlights would still dim when turning the key, and I'd still hear the loud "click", but the engine wouldn't turn at all. The starter was getting old, so I ordered a new one and figured that would fix the problem. Well, I just swapped my new starter in, and it has the exact same issue! All my fuses are fine and my connections and battery look good, so I'm not sure what the issue is. If I roll start my car, it works fine, so it's just the starter that has the issue. Anyone have any ideas what to check next?

 

Thanks

 

 

This is the classic ignition switch issue. I've seen it sooooo may times. Try this to test. Put it in nuetral(or P for auto) and turn the Key to *on*. Now go under the hood and use a wire to run 12v from the Battery, and touch that wire to the Starter solenoid tab. If it cranks over this way but not with the key, then it is poor contacts somewhere, probably in your ignition switch. But clean the solenoid connector and crimp it a bit(or just put a new connector on) I've seen poor contact there be the problem.

 

If cleaning the contact has no effect then you need to run a button to start. Run 12v with a inline fuse from the either the fuse box, the battery, or my favorite, the positive battery cable post of the starter. Run that line into the cab and to a pushbutton and mount it. then run the wire from the button back to the starter solenoid. If you use a Piggy back spade connector on the end then you can reattach the original wire too.

 

Others will say to install a relay, signaled by the original solenoid wire. This works too. My only issue with it is that it still relies on the ign. switch making contact, which eventually it won't.

 

I've seen this issue over and over. If you want to be really ambitiuos and spend a bit of money you could try to buy a new ignition switch, but they are tough to find. Button and wire are less than $10 and will ALWAYS work. Just be sure to put a fuse in. You don't want unfused 12v coming into the cab, if it shorted you're whole car could go up in smoke.

[daeron]

This is the classic ignition switch issue. I've seen it sooooo may times. Try this to test. Put it in nuetral(or P for auto) and turn the Key to *on*. Now go under the hood and use a wire to run 12v from the Battery, and touch that wire to the Starter solenoid tab. If it cranks over this way but not with the key, then it is poor contacts somewhere, probably in your ignition switch. But clean the solenoid connector and crimp it a bit(or just put a new connector on) I've seen poor contact there be the problem.

 

Good, easy test. BUT, as for this..

Others will say to install a relay, signaled by the original solenoid wire. This works too. My only issue with it is that it still relies on the ign. switch making contact, which eventually it won't.

The solenoid requires something on the order of 3-4 amps. Thats nothing to shake a stick at; the headlights, horn, and elecrtical fans (radiator and AC blower) are probably the only other accesories that draw anything like that much amperage. A RELAY only draws about 0.05 amps, and you could run that much current through telephone wire if you needed to. Besides, worst case scenario all you ever have to do is pop the hood and touch your relay wire to the battery cable with the key on, car in neutral/park and your engine is started. It ALSO doubles as a remote starting switch for checking spark, injector flow, compression, or timing.

 

BUT, Gloyale, you and I have been through this before, and likely will go through it again every time someone has the starter issue

[Gloyale]

 

BUT, Gloyale, you and I have been through this before, and likely will go through it again every time someone has the starter issue

 

Yeah, I just hate to wire an extra relay. Really the best, best solution would be to add a relay, that can be activated by a button if the switch fails

[daeron]

Yeah, I just hate to wire an extra relay. Really the best, best solution would be to add a relay, that can be activated by a button if the switch fails

 

See, I am the opposite. In all of my problems I was having recently, I had left the plastic trim piece over the driver's feet off, and the wire harness attached to the ignition switch kinda drooped down onto my leg occasionally. It was always hot if the car had been running for a little while; SO I am contemplating installing a high amperage relay for the "on" circuit of the ignition switch as well; along with a change in wire after the relay... Whatever, if I do that I will post about it. My point is, I would RATHER go and install another relay, now that I am thoroughly familiar with how they work and how to utilize them from a design standpoint.

[CornerHard]

Alright, I tested things out and none of the given explanations seem to fit.

 

1) Just to be safe I charged my battery til it was full and tried again, as well as hooking up my auxiliary jumper box to it. Charging the battery made no difference, and I should be able to start the car with the jumper box even if the battery was dead.

 

2) I tried running some beefy wire from the positive battery terminal to the metal tab on the starter, but it behaved in exactly the same way - a loud click like the starter motor was pushing on the gears, but the starter wasn't turning the engine over at all. I would almost think my engine was seized if I couldn't roll start the car just fine.

 

Any other ideas, hopefully that don't involve removing the transmission? :-p

[Gloyale]

 

2) I tried running some beefy wire from the positive battery terminal to the metal tab on the starter, but it behaved in exactly the same way - a loud click like the starter motor was pushing on the gears, but the starter wasn't turning the engine over at all. I would almost think my engine was seized if I couldn't roll start the car just fine.

 

Any other ideas, hopefully that don't involve removing the transmission? :-p

 

Sounds like you need to replace you're battery cables. That's about all it could be if the starter is new.

[daeron]

I would agree.. The stock battery cable terminals are a joke after 10 or 15 years, and ALL of these cars are older than that at this point. 10-15 bucks for two battery cables is a good investment for a fuel injected vehicle, just dont get cables any longer or thinner than what you have stock, and try to buy one positive cable with an extra lead on it for the wire going to the fusible link block.

 

It is ALSO possible that you got a poorly rebuilt starter...? I say this because if you hadn't already installed a "new" starter, the data would immediately point to a bad solenoid. Try removing the starter, holding it down solidly, connecting the booster pack to the battery cable terminals of the starter (negative to starter body ground) and run a jumper wire from the positive connector to the solenoid, and see if the starter functions outside of the vehicle. BE CAREFUL about this, but I have done it countless times with no problems. just be careful and you should be okay.

[cubastreet]

Check the earth connection between the battery and the motor.

[CornerHard]

Sounds like you need to replace you're battery cables. That's about all it could be if the starter is new.

 

GLoyale wins I was initially thinking the same thing after the solenoid test turned out fine, but touching a wire to the positive battery terminal and the power terminal on the starter didn't change anything, so I was dubious.

 

However, when I actually mounted a new wire in the brackets and made sure it had plenty of contact area, the starter worked fine! I cleaned off the ends of the original wire, and now the starter is working great. Next stop is figuring out why my car won't start when it's cold