6.5 TD about to give heart attack
 

Last week I washed my 95 6.5 TD. After washing, I started the truck, turned it around and parked it in the driveway. THe next day I wanted to put it in the garage while I went up north for the weekend. It would not start. Glow plugs light came on like normal and went out when it was ready to crank and heard the glow plugs click off like normal. Upon turning the key it sounded like the solenoid was firing and then there was a brrrr sound that deminished over a few seconds time frame. I have tried everything from checking fuses to cables. I bridged the starter from the ignition pole to the power pole and got the same sound. I checked the power in both batteries and they are around 12.8 volts as well as checked continuity from each battery lead through to the starter and to the engine as ground. I cleaned the terminals and corrosion at the cable ends. I replaced the starter even though I found later that the origonal was good so I have to rule out that either starter is the culprit. I rotated the engine at the crank pulley so I know that the engine hasn't ceased. I am so gal darn stumped. I can usually figure out things like nothing but I'm about to be completely bald from the head scratching. PLEASE HELP!

so can you clarify this for me. does the engine turn over or does it just make that sound when you turn the key?

It does not turn over. It makes the sound when the key is turned. I am going to load test the batteries tomorrow. Gotta work tonight. If they load test ok im going to replace the cables. They have quite a bit of corrosion on them but I'm leaning towards a bad cell killing the amperage.

this happened to a tractor at the farm. we needed a new starter because the broken one was sticking

Already replaced the starter and had the old one tested good. But that was under no load. I suppose both of the starters could be bad but I'm going to troubleshoot some more before I go returning the new one.

are you sure the solenoid is good?

they both bench tested good so the solenoid is working.

well something electrical is causing it not to spin. if it was bench tested correctly and it passed than it has to be something from the key on down. something in that system isnt working correctly. sorry im not a big help electrical stuff is not my thing. also try cleaning one of the grounds. it might work

bad cell on the drivers side battery, so next time I'll listen to my wife. She said it was a bad battery, but I didn't believe her. She's oviously smarter than I am. New battery tonight and i'll let you know what happens. Thank you for responding to my thread. You've been the only person to even try.

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no luck. It's still doing the same thing. Is there a starter relay on a 95 6.5 TD? Tomorrow I'm going to jump a separate brand new battery directly to the posative pole on the starter and bridge the ignition pole on the starter. If it doesn't crank then, then I'm going to take the starter back and have them give me a new one. Darn this is pissing me off. Beautiful truck and I can't even make it start.

Heart attack, thats when the starter sticks on and the key is out of the ignition!! Been there last week.
Let me tell yah, just take it off and bench test it. Im on my 5th starter in mine as of last weekend.
The power goes from the key, to the ignition switch and so on.
The solenoid is on the starter. (not like ford)
Two bolts to the rear of the block, then one on a bracket to the side of the block.
There are two wires runnin down there, one big power all the time, and a second small signal power when key is turned to start.
Test the signal wire to make sure everything in the cab is working correctly with a test light. Have a second set of hands cycle the key on and off to clarify its working. Then take the solenoid out of the starter and test that with a continuity tester with the plunger depressed and released. If that doesnt work its something in the starter. Apparently your getting juice down there, so its got to be something in the unit itself. Remember to put the starter block bracket back on, its a very important piece!!! Keeps you from shearing off bolts, and cracking blocks.... My last starter was stickin on, i thought it was the solenoid, but it was actually the starter jamming on and the solenoid didnt have enough force to shut it off. I dont have any working gp's, thats why im goin through starters like t/p...