12 Valve 2nd Gen Dodge Cummins 94-98 Discussion of 12 Valve 5.9 Liter Dodge Cummins Diesels with P7100 Injection Pumps

bad starter?

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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 09:43 AM
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Default bad starter?

i turn the key over at it just clicks real fast. just got a new one at car quest about 4 months back
 
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 09:46 AM
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gotta check the battery voltage. anything under 11.5 may not work... need to isolate the batteries when you check voltage, disconnect each one and check it individually. That will narrow it down a little bit.

Good Luck

 
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 11:31 AM
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new starter contacts, mine used to do the same thing
 
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 12:11 PM
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the batterys are new from 08 so 2 years old
 
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Old Nov 20, 2010 | 11:19 AM
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theres nothing wrong with the starter itself. the clicking noise comes from the starter solenoid, what your hearing is the contacts on the secondary side of the solenoid slamming shut. if the solenoid is getting low voltage on the primary side it will have trouble closing the contacts on the secondary side, the clicking is the solenoid struggling to stay shut, its clicking on and off. it could be a bad solenoid but more then likely low battery voltage. if the voltage on the battery is fine check the wires going to the solenoid, check the grounds, check your fusible link, corrosion at the terminals, loose terminals, ect. dont ever just throw parts at things.

you could jump the solenoid with screwdriver by touching the 2 terminals together which bypasses the solenoid, if it cranks then your solenoid is bad, if it does the same thing then you have a low voltage problem.
 

Last edited by Chevy355mark; Nov 20, 2010 at 11:26 AM.
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Old Nov 20, 2010 | 11:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Chevy355mark
theres nothing wrong with the starter itself. the clicking noise comes from the starter solenoid, what your hearing is the contacts on the secondary side of the solenoid slamming shut. if the solenoid is getting low voltage on the primary side it will have trouble closing the contacts on the secondary side, the clicking is the solenoid struggling to stay shut, its clicking on and off. it could be a bad solenoid but more then likely low battery voltage. if the voltage on the battery is fine check the wires going to the solenoid, check the grounds, check your fusible link, corrosion at the terminals, loose terminals, ect. dont ever just throw parts at things.

you could jump the solenoid with screwdriver by touching the 2 terminals together which bypasses the solenoid, if it cranks then your solenoid is bad, if it does the same thing then you have a low voltage problem.

what are the two terminals?
 
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Old Nov 21, 2010 | 07:50 AM
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Look on the solenoid there should be one post that has the cable coming from the battery, then there will be another one about the same size that I believe should run to ground. Connect those two terminals. Just do it quick cuz if ya pussyfoot it you're gonna get some arcing and sparking, and do it with a screwdriver with a good insulator for a handle.
 
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Old Nov 21, 2010 | 11:05 AM
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yea it will spark a little, dont be afraid of it. actually the 2 terminals are the b+ battery terminal and the other one goes from the solenoid to the starter motor itself, when the 2 contacts are together the power goes from the battery to the starter.
 
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Old Nov 21, 2010 | 12:02 PM
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one is the ground on the starter? what is the b+ battery terminal?
 
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Old Nov 22, 2010 | 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by bowtech
one is the ground on the starter? what is the b+ battery terminal?
theres 4 terminals on the solenoid. theres 2 terminals on the primary side of the solenoid and 2 on the secondary side. when you energize the primary side it clicks the contatcs shut on the secondary circuit. the secondary circuit it what your jumping with a screwdriver because if the solenoid was bad it wont be able to shut the contacts on the secondary circuit. the 2 terminals your looking for are the 2 larger diameter wires, one coming from the battery directly to the solenoid (your b+ terminal on the solenoid) and then the output from the solenoid to the starter itself, it is also a large diameter wire.

sorry to make it confusing... im no good at explaining things .

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

today my solenoid clicked a bit before engaging the starter, yesterday it wouldnt crank at all, both times required me to move my clutch pedal a bit to fix the issue. i think the clutch safety switch could be a problem worth looking into. my trucks a bad example tho because my battery's are on the ragged edge, they test about 73%, below 75% is considered a bad battery.
 

Last edited by Chevy355mark; Nov 22, 2010 at 06:52 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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