Starting issue - starts sometimes - other times just a single loud click

[gotmud]

I need help bad!
1968 C10, 307, 3 on the tree, no a/c.

From time to time (more often than not) when I go to start my C10, the starter makes a single click noise and the red brake light comes on. If I continue to try and start it....each time I hear a single click noise from the starter.....it will start....sometimes on the 3rd try....sometimes on the 15th try.

I replaced the battery today. When the truck is running, a multi meter at the battery registers 14.5 so I assume it is charging. I took the starter to Auto Zone and they tell me the starter is good.

Any ideas? I'm getting ready to head out on a road trip and this has me pretty worried.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!

[racer57]

check the connections on the starter solonoid. My daughters car did that and the connection from the battery was loose.

[bmfm64]

I'm guessing ground wire. check all connections very closely and make sure all are tight. Is the truck a stick or auto?

[gotmud]

It's manual. 3 on the tree.

I removed the starter today and polished up all of the connections with a wire brush, cleaned the starter with a bit of mineral spirts, verified the wires had no cuts or damaged ends on them, and tested battery ground all over the engine bay with a multi tester. All of it seems to be in good condition ie nothing obvious that I can see.

UGH pulling hair out!

[nightmare]

The starter itself might be good, but maybe try replacing the starter solenoid. It's real easy to change.

[gotmud]

Originally Posted by nightmare

The starter itself might be good, but maybe try replacing the starter solenoid. It's real easy to change.

The starter has the solenoid attached to it. How do you replace it without changing the whole starter? Is there a howto somewhere I could see pics of it being done?

[MagmaJct]

I'll take a stab as this! The problem sounds so much like worn brushes to me. How did Autozone perform their test? Will there test work on an intermittent problem? Often times when DC motor brushes fail the problem will be intermittent.

If the problem is NOT the starter nor the solenoid, then the problem is a huge voltage drop somewhere in the circuit. Do the headlights dim considerably during the "no start" condition when the starter is engaged?

There are some test you can do, but they will require a helper. Grab your best multimeter on the DC volt setting. While the starter is engaged and it's not working, measure the voltage from the battery positive terminal to the positive terminal on the solenoid.

What we are doing is measuring the *voltage drop* across the positive leg of the circuit, not the voltage across the battery. The voltage drop shouldn't be more than 1 - 2 volts. We shouldn't see battery (12) voltage!

If we see a low voltage drop on the positive leg of the circuit, next we need to check the ground or negative leg of the circuit. Again, put your best meter on the voltage DC setting from the negative terminal of the battery and the negative (grounded) terminal/body of the starter. Again, the voltage drop should be small. If it's huge, there's your problem.

Once the voltage drop (if there is one) is found to be in either the positive leg or the negative leg of the circuit we can narrow down the fault using the same method.

[bmfm64]

Could be a bad spot on the fly wheel too. Are the teeth worn at all on the starter?

[72lb4x4]

Use an old junk screwdriver to jump the solenoid with the truck in neutral. You may have resistive connections in the solenoid circuit.

If the problem doesn't go away when jumping it, its probably the solenoid.

[Frkypunk70]

Iif you take the cylinder type object apart on your starter thats the solonoid.
there is a copper disc in there you can clean that should help your problem. Its that simple.

[Shyguy]

I had to replace both cables before my starting problem was cured because of internal corrosion in the cables.

[FriscoDave]

I had the same problem. With original wiring I used one of these and now it starts right up.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-30202/

[mpotts64]

I do not take anything to get tested at the auto parts store. I always go to a local shop that rebuilds starters, alternators, etc. He knows what he is looking at and what to look for. I have had them replace specific parts while checking the rest to make sure it is right. Lots more confidence when I put it back on because it actually had an experienced set of eyeballs on it.

[landsurvey1]

Maybe your starter/solenoid is getting heat soaked. Summit has not only the relay, but a remote solenoid to move into the engine compartment to keep it from getting hot. That’s what I am going to try on mine.

[MagmaJct]

Originally Posted by FriscoDave

I had the same problem. With original wiring I used one of these and now it starts right up.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-30202/

While this solved the problem in your case, the symptoms experienced by gotmud don't match up with the problem you were likely having. It sounds like you had a poor connection between the battery and the solenoid, likely the ignition switch which the relay you installed bypassed.

gotmud's problem seems to be a problem between the battery and the starter or inside the starter.

The fix you suggested is the same fix I used on my aircooled VW. (I know, not Chevy, but pertinent to this discussion.) In the VW the battery is under the back seat. The circuit for the starter solenoid runs from the battery positive all the way to the ignition switch, then all the way back to the solenoid. A long trip for upwards of 10 amps which is about what the VW solenoid pulls.

When everything was warmed up like sitting in line for emissions, the engine wouldn't re-start. In fact, it would do nothing! I bought an automotive relay from Radio Shack and did the same by pass you did 10 years ago and I've never had a starter problem since. (Except that time rabbits chewed through the starter wire!)