One more thing. Well, maybe two.....

[EdGs]

One more thing... Well, mabe two.

Was invited to go fishing with a friend. Drove to meet him, and drove is both to where his boat is kept. Had a great day on the water, and drove him home.

From his house, I had to pick up my son's dog to dogsit, left his house, stopped to pick up dinner for me and the MIL, at a Subway near home.

Picked up food, got in the truck, and CLICK.

C R A P

Battery voltage good, and after checking things over and finding nothing, gave the starter the hammer trick.

She fired right up, so looks like a starter is in my near future.

Tempted to just pull it and have it rebuilt, any thoughts on this?

Also looks like I have an oil leak at the rear main or close by have some oil at the joining of the engine/trans, so one more thing to check out.

Not alot of oil, and totally understandable with almost 198k on her.

How tough is a rear main seal if that's what it ends up being? Of course, it's not a huge leak, and I have to make sure it's not traveling down from elsewhere.

 

[Wild one]

One more thing... Well, mabe two.

Was invited to go fishing with a friend. Drove to meet him, snd drove is both to where his boat is kept. Had a great day on the water, and drove him home.

From his house, I had to pick up my son's dog to dogsit, left his house, stopped to pick up dinner for me and the MIL, at a Subway near home.

Picked up food, got in the truck, and CLICK.

C R A P

Battery voltage good, and after checking things over and finding nothing, gave the starter the hammer trick.

She fired right up, so looks like a starter is in my near future.

Tempted to just pull it and have it rebuilt, any thoughts on this?

Also looks like I have an oil leak at the rear main or close by have some oil at the joining of the engine/trans, so one more thing to check out.

Not alot of oil, and totally understandable with almost 198k on her.

How tough is a rear main seal if that's what it ends up being? Of course, it's not a huge leak, and I have to make sure it's not traveling down from elsewhere.

Transmission has to come out to replace the rear seal.I'd check valve covers over first Ed

 

[EdGs]

Transmission has to come out to replace the rear seal.I'd check valve covers over first Ed

Agreed, and I know I need new valve cover gaskets.

The oil is not just at the weep hole, it's around the outside too, makes me think coming from elsewhere.

Just have to do some digging. One more thing.....lol

 

[Sherman Bird]

One more thing... Well, mabe two.

Was invited to go fishing with a friend. Drove to meet him, snd drove is both to where his boat is kept. Had a great day on the water, and drove him home.

From his house, I had to pick up my son's dog to dogsit, left his house, stopped to pick up dinner for me and the MIL, at a Subway near home.

Picked up food, got in the truck, and CLICK.

C R A P

Battery voltage good, and after checking things over and finding nothing, gave the starter the hammer trick.

She fired right up, so looks like a starter is in my near future.

Tempted to just pull it and have it rebuilt, any thoughts on this?

Also looks like I have an oil leak at the rear main or close by have some oil at the joining of the engine/trans, so one more thing to check out.

Not alot of oil, and totally understandable with almost 198k on her.

How tough is a rear main seal if that's what it ends up being? Of course, it's not a huge leak, and I have to make sure it's not traveling down from elsewhere.

You were fortunate! At least you didn't get stranded. I was playing around with my latest PICO scope a few years ago, and decided to do a relative compression test on my 2004 Ford Ranger EDGE, and found, quite by accident, that my (I thought) good starter actually had a dead spot in the rotor winding. I could see it in the scope pattern.
I was able to replace the starter BEFORE there was any issue like yours! Or worse! Funny, though. The "cadence" of the new starter was much more enthusiastic while turning over the engine! Go figure!

 

[EdGs]

I cannot afford a Mopar starter at the moment, so that's why I was thinking of having mine rebuilt.

And, extremely glad it's Florida an not 39 degrees or less outside.....lol

Thoughts on this?

 

[Daw14]

Agreed, and I know I need new valve cover gaskets.

The oil is not just at the weep hole, it's around the outside too, makes me think coming from elsewhere.

Just have to do some digging. One more thing.....lol

If someone was not careful enough when adding oil ,and some missed the hole , that may be the source.

I was hurried and did not get a funnel, and three days later see oil on the exhaust crossover .

I looked and looked for a leak but could not see anything. This was very frustrating.

Then someone posts about this price mistake on new loaded 6.4 truck intake manifolds . I had to buy it, then install . This gave me the opportunity to I look for that suspected leak.

There was dirt accumulation near the oil fill , making it clear I was the cause of that drip.

But I did get the intake and that was a good upgrade ,plus no leaks.

Time for a degreasing and cleaning up. Then see if finding source becomes more clear.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I cannot afford a Mopar starter at the moment, so that's why I was thinking of having mine rebuilt.

And, extremely glad it's Florida an not 39 degrees or less outside.....lol

Thoughts on this?

There is a brand of starter/alternator which I've had VERY good results in using... Pure Energy. This product is available through a parts distributor here in Houston by the name of XL Parts. You might be able to track down a distributor there. They usually have brand new, as opposed to reman units. I use that brand ONLY for NEW replacements.

 

[EdGs]

There is a brand of starter/alternator which I've had VERY good results in using... Pure Energy. This product is available through a parts distributor here in Houston by the name of XL Parts. You might be able to track down a distributor there. They usually have brand new, as opposed to reman units. I use that brand ONLY for NEW replacements.

Thank you for the tip.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

I cannot afford a Mopar starter at the moment, so that's why I was thinking of having mine rebuilt.

And, extremely glad it's Florida an not 39 degrees or less outside.....lol

Thoughts on this

I cannot afford a Mopar starter at the moment, so that's why I was thinking of having mine rebuilt.

And, extremely glad it's Florida an not 39 degrees or less outside.....lol

Thoughts on this?

Starter and alternator rebuild shops are drying up. However, I have been able to get rebuilt units either made in USA or Mexico and have been very happy with the results. New units are usually made in China and not of the original housings. They are usually accompanied with a "lifetime" warranty. May be OK, but not worth taking the chance if I can find a quality rebuilt.

 

[EdGs]

I went ahead and ordered one of the Pure Energy starters from RockAuto. It was $104 shipped.

My local parts stores were all in the $200 neighborhood. Screw that. Just have to wait a couple days.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I went ahead and ordered one of the Pure Energy starters from RockAuto. It was $104 shipped.

My local parts stores were all in the $200 neighborhood. Screw that. Just have to wait a couple days.

Make sure it is a NEW one, not reman.

 

[EdGs]

Make sure it is a NEW one, not reman.

Scared me there, yes it was from the 'new' category.

Funny, though. The 'reman' unit was $85 with a $50 core.

The 'new' one I ordered was $90. No core.



????

 

[Sherman Bird]

Scared me there, yes it was from the 'new' category.

Funny, though. The 'reman' unit was $85 with a $50 core.

The 'new' one I ordered was $90. No core.
View attachment 560893
View attachment 560894

????

Their remans are no better than the O'Reilly's ones. I have installed Pure energy many times, but not their remans. I was especially wary when I installed a new starter in a 2002 Lexus SC430.... 4.3L V-8. The top of the engine has to come off to gain access to the starter. That Pure energy works well, and is now 2 years in since I put it in!

 

[EdGs]

Called a local rebuilder, they want $95 to rebuild the original.

I might take a shot myself if I can get the right kit for it.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You DID quadruple-check your truck's battery cable connections (and clean them)...and the ground too, right?

Most likely all your starter needs is a new solenoid and a new brush holder. Buy them off ebay or RockAuto real cheap. Super easy to rebuild a starter. Buy like a Standard (brand) solenoid if you can.

Three things often occur:
1) The brushes inside the starter wear down. On a 2015....10yrs old, yeah, I'd buy a set of new brushes. If you have a drill press, you can chuck the end of the starter armature in the chuck, spin it on slow and use a wide flat file to 'true-up' the commutator bars... (look up the names of starter motor items). Then run some 400# wet sandpaper over them (using WD40 as a lubricant) to get a nice finish.

2) The copper contacts inside the solenoid. You can't see them, but part of the natural process of engaging a high-load starter motor is electricity sparks when the plunger is pulled back into the solenoid contacts. After thousands of times, the copper wears away and the contacts ...just wear out. It's just part of a starter's life. If you cut open an old solenoid, you'd see what I mean. So, you replace the solenoid with a new one with fresh contacts.

3) Misc. There's a braided cable which goes from the solenoid to the motor brushes, you replace that too....if you live in the salty north. In FL the cable on yours is most likely good. But if it's not, you'd want to replace that. They can corrode from being exposed to corrosive elements (salt, etc).

Usually the bearings last a long time. The starter drive ..I wouldn't replace it unless the gear looks bad or it shows signs of wear. Those can last the life of the vehicle, or start to fail tomorrow. And aftermarket ones don't last very long...or can be spotty. So keep what you have if it's not skipping out. Force some grease (synthetic is good) into the bearings if you can.

Boom! You're Done!!!

 

[EdGs]

You DID quadruple-check your truck's battery cable connections (and clean them)...and the ground too, right?

Most likely all your starter needs is a new solenoid and a new brush holder. Buy them off ebay or RockAuto real cheap. Super easy to rebuild a starter. Buy like a Standard (brand) solenoid if you can.

Three things often occur:
1) The brushes inside the starter wear down. On a 2015....10yrs old, yeah, I'd buy a set of new brushes. If you have a drill press, you can chuck the end of the starter armature in the chuck, spin it on slow and use a wide flat file to 'true-up' the commutator bars... (look up the names of starter motor items). Then run some 400# wet sandpaper over them (using WD40 as a lubricant) to get a nice finish.

2) The copper contacts inside the solenoid. You can't see them, but part of the natural process of engaging a high-load starter motor is electricity sparks when the plunger is pulled back into the solenoid contacts. After thousands of times, the copper wears away and the contacts ...just wear out. It's just part of a starter's life. If you cut open an old solenoid, you'd see what I mean. So, you replace the solenoid with a new one with fresh contacts.

3) Misc. There's a braided cable which goes from the solenoid to the motor brushes, you replace that too....if you live in the salty north. In FL the cable on yours is most likely good. But if it's not, you'd want to replace that. They can corrode from being exposed to corrosive elements (salt, etc).

Usually the bearings last a long time. The starter drive ..I wouldn't replace it unless the gear looks bad or it shows signs of wear. Those can last the life of the vehicle, or start to fail tomorrow. And aftermarket ones don't last very long...or can be spotty. So keep what you have if it's not skipping out. Force some grease (synthetic is good) into the bearings if you can.

Boom! You're Done!!!

Oh yeah, connections are good from what I've seen so far.

At 198,800 miles, the OE starter does not owe me anything, I will take a shot at the rebuild. I am familiar with dc motors, and have a machine shop here at my work, so I dont anticipate any big issues, just want to make sure I get the proper parts for the rebuild.

Thank you @Jeepwalker, for the tips on the rebuild. I am looking forward to taking a shot at it..

 

[Hagar1]

I cannot afford a Mopar starter at the moment, so that's why I was thinking of having mine rebuilt.

And, extremely glad it's Florida an not 39 degrees or less outside.....lol

Thoughts on this?

I replaced mine on my 2012 with one from Amazon, that was a couple of years ago and still doing ok. I didn't find it all that difficult to change. Drove it up on a couple of home made ramps just high enough to clear

 

[Jeepwalker]

Yeah, if you look on Ebay there are some replacement starters for like $55.

I know a guy who buys cheap stuff off ebay all the time (not it's not me!). And he has surprisingly few problems with things. You can buy a cheap starter for less than the parts to repair yours.

But the local parts stores also carry starter parts. So you could take it apart and see what it looks like inside before you go to work on it.

I've bought quite a few Autozone starters and alternators. Other than my diesel car, the others have kept working just fine.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Boom! You're Done!!!

 

[GTyankee]

Pure Energy starters may be available at Motorcar Parts of America in California