Hey there, new to the forum, learnt some things already.
I'm very mechanically inclined and can replace any hard parts but electrical is not my forte.
So my gf was driving the truck when she said it started making a terrible grinding noise and lost power. After 5 second it was normal again. She was just pulling into a friends driveway so turned it off right aways. Said she could smell burning. It sat there overnight and I went to check it out the next evening.
It sounded to me like the starter was still engaged the way she described it. But it was less than 6 months old so I thought it was unlikely to be a starter issue. But I started looking at wiring because of the burning smell (could still smell it in the cab) I checked fuses, relays, and wiring for burning, battery has good voltage. Couldn't find anything.
I then tried to start it, got nothing. Crawled under the truck and the starter was warm to the touch. The wire from solenoid to starter motor was completely burnt off!
I got a new one and it fired right up, ran good for a few seconds and then the starter engaged again. Shut it off, started again and it made it home completely fine as far as I could tell.
Go to start it the next day and it starts with the key in the run position, (good thing my foot was on the clutch.) The starter keeps on cranking after it is running. I shut it off.
The truck has an immobilizer but still cranks without the fob in the run position.
I have no idea where to start looking in the electrical system for the issue.
Please help!
I did replace the key tumbler about 4 months ago but had no other issues with the ignition. Could it be the ignition itself? How can I test it?