No crank intermitently...

[454cid]

My starter is suddenly not responding consistently to the key. There's a big long story, but I think that would confuse things at this point. Today when I went to the store, the starter did not respond to the key... dash lights, and fuel pump came on as normal.

I tried wiggling wires, and hitting the starter with my snow brush, which probably wasn't actually reaching, and it eventually started. I don't know of that actually accomplished anything or not.

It is not trying to engage, it is not clicking, it simply doesn't respond at all.... and then it does. My initial thought is the solenoid. Yesterday, the engine was kicking back and coughing pretty hard while trying to start it after getting something wet while cleaning up power steering fluid after changing a leaking hose. I wonder if that damaged it. The other possibility is the key switch. I have experience with neither. Both have 284K miles.

My tentative plan is to pull the starter tomorrow and see what I can see.

What say ye?

 

[Eveready]

Start by connecting a jumper cable from battery ground to frame. If it starts reliably then it is the battery ground cable. If that doesn't do it use the other jumper cable to jump battery positive to starter terminal. If that does it then you have learned something. Replace both when you replace one and polish the daylights out of the connections at the starter and the battery. These cables are also known to fail internally so the jumper test is a good way to test them both.

Please complete the thread and report what it turns out to be.

 

[454cid]

I don't think this is a matter of a poor power connection. There is no in-between, either the starter works fine or it doesn't work at all.

 

[Wade]

I don't think this is a matter of a poor power connection. There is no in-between, either the starter works fine or it doesn't work at all.

If the ignition switch has all function but the starter, then the ignition switch is probably fine.

I'm thinking solenoid or the connections. Craptastic connections absolutely could cause intermittent operation, either grounds, or any one of the other connections to the solenoid. Or your solenoid is sticking.

What got wet and caused sputtering?

 

[454cid]

What got wet and caused sputtering?

I think it was the crankshaft position sensor. I used to be able to wash my engine with no problems of any kind, but in the last couple of years something has become less than waterproof. I had assumed it was the distributor, coil, and ICM, so I avoided spraying that area. I was doing it mostly for PS steering fluid and oil anyway so I was spraying everything down low. I was at the self service car wash that has warm water. I drove home with no problems. but when I had gathered up stuff to change my oil in a relatives heated garage, it wouldn't start. After a few hours letting the battery charge, I went back outside and pulled the crank sensor since I gad gotten a code for it earlier when the truck was sitting in the street...because it finally did start once and died. It was filthy, but had no wear from the reluctor. I cleaned it up with degreaser and cleaned the mounting area greased up with dielectric grease and put it back. The truck still didn't want to start at first, but it did shortly.... no cranking issues at that point.

The cranking problem started when the battery was still low right after the engine kicked back pretty hard. I think what happens is that when whatever is wet the timing is way off so it coughs sputters and kicks back.

 

[Eveready]

If the ignition switch has all function but the starter, then the ignition switch is probably fine.

I'm thinking solenoid or the connections. Craptastic connections absolutely could cause intermittent operation, either grounds, or any one of the other connections to the solenoid. Or your solenoid is sticking.

Exactly . A bad connection at the starter will absolutely do this .

 

[454cid]

Today, I got under the truck with a good LED light in my uncles heated garage. I tried wiggling the positive cable to see what I could see... when I wiggled it yesterday I could feel movement, but not in manner that I expected. It was very slight, and I wasn't able to actually see what I was doing. Today, even while looking at it, I couldn't see much movement beyond flexing of the cable lug. When I removed the wire I could see that the stud itself was moving.

I removed the starter... it had never been off before. I had purchased a new solenoid and started trying to remove the old one. They are either E5 or E6 screws, and I only had a standard depth E6 socket. The E6 worked on a few of the screws, but one absolutely requires a deep well socket. I also snapped a screw holding the heat shield and the bolt that holds the motor and heat-shield... the one that has a bolt head and then a nut on it too. The nut holds the heat shield, and I snapped that off. SO.... I put it all back together, with the heat-shield being held with one screw and a couple of zip ties.

My plan is to run it, until I can afford a new starter or it becomes unreliable to the point where I will expect it to strand me. I've started it multiple times with no problems today.

Even if I bought that deepwell male torx socket, and was able to remove the old solenoid, that broken hardware would be a problem, and I'm not sure this replacement solenoid will actually fit. It looks like it may be too big. I knew I had a mini-starter, but I was still surprised how small it is. It looks like something you'd pull off of an Aveo.

The battery cable looks fine. I replaced it a few years ago after having a leaking battery.

 

[Jared Jackson]

Had this exact same issue, my fix was the ignition switch.

I would turn the key and nothing would happen... if I held the key over, it would eventually fire... sometimes it worked perfect... sometimes nothing. Fuel pump and accessories all worked great.

 

[Jared Jackson]

The PO replaces the lock cylinder as a guess for a fix... I put the factory one back in so I could keep just 1 key.

I would take a hard look at the ignition switch.

 

[454cid]

Maybe I'll start exploring that. It's hard to troubleshoot it now, as it's been starting fine. Trying to be positive, I did learn today that the starter is not hard to change. It's so nice having access to a heated garage with lots of light. Last time I changed a starter it was on my 69 Buick. I did it outside in very soft dirt... so soft that I had to put a board down so the jack stands wouln't sink. That starter was one of the old fullsize starters not the mini that I have now. Maybe I'll "discover" how hard it is to remove/replace a switch.