Starter Problems

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum - I have a 1957 CJ5.
I converted it to 12 volts last year, but kept the 6 volt starter.

A few days ago, the starter made a woosh sound, and then would only make a single click when I hit the starter. I figured that the 6 volt bit the dust..

I ordered the Toyota starter (part 16422), which fit on nicely.

However, when I hit the starter button, now I get no sound and nothing happens.

Using a volt meter I tested:
- there is 12 volts at the small wire on the solenoid when I hold the starter button
- there is 12 volts coming into the solenoid from the battery
- the solenoid / starter ground seems to be fine
- when I ran a jumper cable directly to the starter, it spun (I only did this momentarily)
- I also tried starting the Jeep with jumper cables running to my Tacoma, and nothing happened

All this would point to a bad solenoid on the remanufactured starter - so I exchanged it for another Toyota starter (part 16422) - and it has all the same issues that the first one did.

It seems unlikely that two remanufactured starters would both have bad solenoids.

What should I try next?
- is there anything else I can try with a volt meter?
- should I buy a remote mount solenoid and try wiring that up?
- do I need to buy a CJ5 starter (why would this work differently than the Toyota unit?)

It seems that many people have installed the Toyota starter (16422) without any issues.

Thank you very much for any suggestions!

- Jack

 

You say you have voltage in all the right places, but voltage is not the same thing as amperage (power).

The circuits may show voltage but fail to carry the huge amount of current needed to operate a starter. Check all the connections, including battery ground at both ends, cable clamps, etc. They need to be clean and tight.

It is also possible that an internal defect in the battery can provide "normal" voltage but inadequate cranking current.

 

Like PeteL said, check your connections. Make sure you have the battery grounded to the engine or a good ground strap.

 

Hi Pete,

- I ran a jumper cable from the battery (-) to a mounting bolt on the starter, which should have taken care of any grounding issues.

- The positive cable seems to be good visually (clean contacts, etc).

- Wouldn't running jumper cables to my truck's battery have have started the jeep, even if the jeep battery had an internal defect?

Beyond that, shouldn't the solenoid engage even if the cables weren't carrying enough amps to the starter?

Does the solenoid itself use a lot of current?

Thanks for the input!

 

I have the engine grounded with a thick wire from battery negative to the ground post on my alternator. (00 size wire I think)

Another thick wire goes from the battery negative to the frame.

As I said above, I also tried these test with a jumper cable running from battery negative to the mounting bolt for the starter.

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

You can test you starter independently, on a bench, with a good battery. just the starter by direct contact (good cables) and with solenoid. When you are sure of it.
Then you test it with your battery. Then... the ground. It is a lot of tests but each step is to be tested!

 

I'll give this a shot tomorrow. Thanks!

 

Maybe. But then again, millions of recalls are issued every year on modern auto parts.

One of my mantras is to always suspect the newest part first.

 

Reman and even OEM parts sometimes sit on the shelf for a few years before being sold to customer. Things get gummed up just sitting. Always bench test electrical items when possible before installing. Starters that have a solenoid that pushes the bendix into the flywheel can pull around 17 amps 12VDC and require at least 11.5 volts for solid contact. Delco starters was famous for not working all the time due to too small a ignition wire going to the (S) terminal on the solenoid.

 

I had the same sort of issue. Check the ground to the solenoid itself

 

Mine had the proper voltage everywhere, but not enough amperage getting to the small wire on the solenoid. The key switch turned out to be the culprit. It was not making good contact internally.