Starter Drive

How hard is it to take a starter out? My father's truck wont start anymore. We replaced the battery and got nothing. When he turns the key the truck just sits there and doesn't really make a noise except for the fuel pump of'course. Sometimes he could get it to start if the truck is cold, but just barely, it had no starting power. This was when the problem first showed up. Now it's completely dead. The engine does not turn at all. Any ideas? Thanks again.

if i were you i would check and clean all connections to starter. then check the battery it should be running 12 volts... if not charge battery. if it still does not work then replace starter as far as i know

You don't even get the rapid "clicking" noise? Well, it is possibly the starter but it is possibly something else as well. The only thing I can logically make since of based on the limited info you have given is a loose/bad connetion between the battery to the starter. Reason I say that is because you mentioned it would randomly start when cold. Cold makes things contract, therefore possibly contracting the metal conductive connections enough to make a good enough connection. On the same note, a bad solenoid (part of starter) could be the bad link......................

No clicking noise. I checked all the connections and they are fine. What I meant by the cold start is he could turn it over when the engine sets for atleast an hour, if he shuts it off and tries instantly after, it won't turn over. Keep in mind it doesn't even do this anymore. It is now completely dead, regardless if the starter has had any "rest" or not. We were going to take the starter drive out yesterday but my father decided not to since he says it looked too hard. I think it doesn't look too bad actually. Thanks again.

man this one is going to be fun. It cost a budy of mine $500 bucks and a week in the shop. the mecs were stumped buy this one, or at least thay say so.

how is all your fluid levels. I cant rember what year but there is a auto shut off installed. if your trany and oil get to low it shuts off the truck. untill you find and fill it up it will not run.

My fathers truck actually does have a pretty bad coolant leak. I'll check it out in a bit. Thanks gremlin96, this helps. (Thanks to everyone else too, hopefully I can get this fixed).

to remove the starter, take off the two bolt that hold it to the block and unhook the wires on it. It's VERY simple and straightforward to do.

It could also be a fuseable link to the starter. Take a volt meter or a digital multi meter and start at the battery checking to see if you are getting power and work your way down to the starter. If he has had to keep cranking and cranking or trying to start it over and pover again , it could have blown that fuseable link. Just a thought.

I would be leaning towards the auto shut off. After reading the responses since my last post, I do remember that GMs have a saftey built into them that won't let your vehicle to restart if too hot. And since you mentioned the coolant leak, that might be it. However, I don't understand why your truck wont start up at all even if coolant is full and has had ample amount of time to be cooled off.

This auto shut off is new to me. Wouldn't the truck turn over at least and not start if this were the case?? You would think it would??
Normally a sign that your starter is failing is when it won't turn the engine over , or it turns slow, when the engine is hot. Then when it cools down , away it goes. I don't see any info in your post on age of the vehicle so maybe it's time for a starter.
To remove it you disconnect your battery cable , then disconnect the wiring connections at the starter. Take out the two bolts which fasten the starter to the engine . Some people say you have to remove the y pipe to get it out. I haven't had to yet on a chev truck. What you might have to do is invert the starter vertically once you disconnect it to squeeze it through the y pipe and block of engine.Very easily done.
Good luck.

Thats what I was thinking Kevcules. I too was thinking that the starter should atleast "try" to turn the motor but the shut off would prevent the motor from actually starting up. Maybe via the coil.
And hell no, there is absolutely no reason to remove the y pipe that I can think of. I haven't ever done it atleast. Maybe if it was wrecked in a manner that shoved the y-pipe in the way it would be necissary. Other wise its easy as 123

Really sounds like the starter solenoid--if you've already checked all connections then the next thing would be to replace the starter. Probably not a fusible link as it would not start cold or at all if a fusible link was bad.

No, if the starter is bad, it wont do anything. The solenoid completes the circuit through the starter if there is no connection in the starter, there is no solenoid action. Had this happen to me.

Here is what I would do, Take a hammer, and have someone hit the starter as someone else tries to crank the engine over. If it cranks after a couple hits, the starter is the problem! If not, test the voltage at the starter. Make sure someone is on the brakes, and the emergency brakes are applied, and the truck is in PARK.

Well guys, I really apreciate the help but the problem is solved. My father just had it towed to our dealer and it's the starter drive. Water pump is bad too, which is the leak I mentioned earlier. $860 fix....ouch.

ouch. $850 for less than $50 in parts....

Water pump takes about three hours to replace; If you're good a starter takes 15-20 minutes. So you paid about 225 bucks an hour for someone to do your repair work--double ouch.

Really sounds like the starter solenoid--if you've already checked all connections then the next thing would be to replace the starter. Probably not a fusible link as it would not start cold or at all if a fusible link was bad.


on the higher end modle trucks thay have three relays on the firewall. one of them controls the starter. we have tryed to get the info from the stealers as to witch one controls the starter soolenoid. its part of the antitheft and fluid system. if your low on aft it will not let you start the truck.

ware my friend works and lives he parks on a hill so the truck would run. when he would take the wife shoping and park on a flat parking lot the truck would not start. not to bad since it had a motor rebuild at the stealer for 2 grand then this problem started poping up. thay damaged a seal in the trany. thats how we fund out about the nice safty deal. the stealers would add trany oil and say thay could not find a problem and charge him for there service hoping his wornty would run out befor he noticed the leaking seal. now thay got to give him a rental truck and pull the motor to replace the seal.

you would think a dealer would notice that a truck that has a very clean under side and oil changed every 2500 miles the guy would find any leaks thay made. he steam cleans the trucks motor and underside every spring and fall.