94 S-10 Starter Problems?

[Phenom2955]

Alright, I am back again.

Last week sometime I went to pick somebody up from work. When I tried to restart the truck after I picked them up it wouldn't start(sounded like the battery was dead or the battery clamps were lose). After popping the hood and having them attempt to start again I noticed the Positive terminal started to smoke. The positive terminal was getting so hot that it began to melt the casing on the battery cable. It actually burned my finger to the touch when I tried to take it off.

I went ahead and pulled the clamp off all the way and buffed it off a bit and re-tightened it into place. At this point the truck fired up just fine without a hiccup. It ran fine after that for a couple days and did the same thing again. Now it just sits there and clicks as if the battery is completely dead, however the gauge in the truck reads that it is still full charged and the radio and such are working fine. The battery seems to be fully charged, but I just can't get any life out of the thing.

I am not sure if I could just replace the clamps/battery cables at this point and resolve the problem or if the starter is done for.

Any thoughts here?

[gmtech1]

Sounds to me like a starter problem. Inspect wires to the starter for damage/melted. You could pull the starter and have it tested at autozone to be sure.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Phenom2955

Alright, I am back again.

Last week sometime I went to pick somebody up from work. When I tried to restart the truck after I picked them up it wouldn't start(sounded like the battery was dead or the battery clamps were lose). After popping the hood and having them attempt to start again I noticed the Positive terminal started to smoke. The positive terminal was getting so hot that it began to melt the casing on the battery cable. It actually burned my finger to the touch when I tried to take it off.

I went ahead and pulled the clamp off all the way and buffed it off a bit and re-tightened it into place. At this point the truck fired up just fine without a hiccup. It ran fine after that for a couple days and did the same thing again. Now it just sits there and clicks as if the battery is completely dead, however the gauge in the truck reads that it is still full charged and the radio and such are working fine. The battery seems to be fully charged, but I just can't get any life out of the thing.

I am not sure if I could just replace the clamps/battery cables at this point and resolve the problem or if the starter is done for.

Any thoughts here?

I have a 1994 S10 PU 4X4 4.3L vin z.

your problem could just be the battery . have the battery load tested. also place a known good battery in and see if it cranks over fast.

check all wiring and the non wire at the starter . sometimes the connection from the starter motor to solenoid gets loose. found this even on new starters.

battery connections on your vehicle should be the side mounting type. if corroded you must get a new terminal connection. you must solder in place the new wire/terminal to the clean non corroded on vehicle wire. also make sure the ground is also good.

checking for bad connections is for me simple . the joint heats up its bad.

if this bad connection has been around for a while causing the starter to get a lower voltage/slow crank this will damage the starter.

voltage on the battery does not mean it is fully charged or has the ability to produce a couple hunderd amps to drive the starter. load testing is the only way to be sure its good. call auto parts supplier for their ability to test.

[Phenom2955]

Thanks for the replies. It turned out the battery had gone dead witch surprised me because its a brand new battery. I had no idea that it would be the problem. I took the clamps off of the cables and polished them off with a file and sandpaper for now until I can buy some new ones and it seems ok for now.

Thanks for all the tips again.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Phenom2955

Thanks for the replies. It turned out the battery had gone dead witch surprised me because its a brand new battery. I had no idea that it would be the problem. I took the clamps off of the cables and polished them off with a file and sandpaper for now until I can buy some new ones and it seems ok for now.

Thanks for all the tips again.

any battery even new will get damaged if not properly installed. that means locked securely into position. the cables must be free of corrosion and securely attached. any shock from improper mounting along will bad connections will do it.

with a meter check that the voltage charging the battery is correct 13.75-14.25 VDC engine hot.