Groaning start

[07Sport Quadcab]

'07 Hemi. Recently bought it used, has 59,000 mi. When the starter is engaged, the motor cranks over a little slowly for the first few revolutions and sounds like a motor that is seriously out of time (too far advanced). Then as it continues to crank it turns over normally. Otherwise, seems to run like it should; normal power & gas mileage. Anybody else ever experience this?

 

[hotkarl]

Weak battery?

 

[07Sport Quadcab]

No, don't think so-battery is 6 mo old and has shown no sign of low charge.

 

[Octane]

Starter. Check/clean all connections too.

 

[07Sport Quadcab]

Why do you think starter? How much is that gonna cost me?

 

[Octane]

Why do you think starter? How much is that gonna cost me?

You can have it tested but if its high mileage or not sometimes the starter drive will go bad and turn engine slower than normal. If its not battery or bad connections it'd be a good thing to look into. Cost of replacement I don't know what a remanufactured unit will cost on a hemi.I've not owned a Ram long enough to replace one yet. But do a load test on your battery if you haven't yet.

 

[Runaround]

Check Rock Auto for prices. They usually have good prices on parts.

 

[07Sport Quadcab]

Check Rock Auto for prices. They usually have good prices on parts.

Doubt I would do the job myself, as it's a bit hard for an 80 yr old to "get out & get under". I'm wondering what total parts & labor would come to. Naturally, I'm not going to replace the starter until it gets a lot worse than this.
That said, can anyone think of any other cause for the initial slow crank?

 

[Runaround]

Starter, battery or connections are about the only things I can think of that would cause it to turn over slowly.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Have you checked your connections from battery to block, Is the cable corroded of either end under the insulation, slit the cable and inspect.

 

[madtrucker2016]

power pak maybe getting weak low voltage when starting

 

[07Sport Quadcab]

Thanks for your suggestions! As soon as the snow melts I'll get under and check the cables and connections.