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1992 sierra starter gurus please


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Posted

need help regarding my truck. Last night I turned the key off, and instantly went to start it back up and the starter wouldn't turn.

 

I've changed starters in this truck before, so last night I put in the new starter and same problem. I left the truck over night. 1992 GMC 5.7 350 automatic transmission.

 

so today I went back and really went through things. My first thought was maybe i had seized my engine. So i decided to check the flywheel and crank pulley to verify they'd move by hand, they did. (Did a full turn on the pulley) I ended up buying a third starter and verifying my wiring was correct.

 

What is happening is my starter is engaging the flywheel but not spinning. After releasing the key the starter stays engaged, until I turn the crank pulley, I can hear it click back into the solenoid.

 

I'm feeling like perhaps this is an electrical issue(Not enough juice at starter) today I did hook up starter number one and two to the battery but not connected to the flywheel and the starter engaged and spun just fine. Makes me think it never was my starter.

 

I know I need to take a voltage meter and do some readings but I'm also curious is there a starter relay? I can't seem to find information about this online.

 

thanks in advance

Posted

there is a space for the gear.. like a shim measure.

I remember just eyeballing it.

 

the autos are heavy, so this needs to be right. My manual tranny truck sounds like it is going to launch a jet engine in comparison.

 

there is also a relay.. cannot remember if that was just to power on gear, or actual motor.

Posted

Sounds like the starter gear is jammed into the flywheel so tight it can't move.Never tried this but it might work.....try to start it and if it won't turn over leave it there then loosen the starter mounting bolts so the starter can move and see if the starter gear will retract,if it does there's your problem.Some starters come with shims that might be necessary to adjust how the starter gear engages the flywheel.Don't know if it will work but it's what I would do.BTW where did you get the starter?

Posted

It may be 2 issues. First one, before the motor replacement sounds like the battery. Check the water level if you can. If it's a "maintenance free" battery you'll have to take to a parts house and have them test it. You can't properly test it with just a volt meter. They will test it for "cold cranking amps" or CCA. It should probably be 600 or higher. It might say on the top of the battery. A low CCA will spin the motor with no load but not with the load.

 

I was having a similar problem but not with the starter motor. I stopped at one parts house and they told me it was the alternator. I charged the battery overnight and tested the alternator and found no problems. It would start but just barely. So I took the battery in and it tested at 160 CCA when it should have been 675. That's for 4.3L so yours may be higher.

 

Other things to check are clean and tight battery connections.

 

The second problem would be the pinion gear not disengaging. You might need to shim the new motor.

 

But you've got to get it spinning first.

 

BTW, the only difference between a "maintenance free" battery and a normal car battery is that you can't put water into the "maintenance free" battery even if that's all it needs. I had a car towed one time because it wouldn't crank. The tow truck picked it up by the front end. When they got it to the shop I tried it again and it started. I was 1000 miles from home so I had them put a new battery in and kept the old one. When I got home I cut the top off the old battery and the whole problem was the electrolyte was low. I put some distilled water in it and it was fine. I figured the tow truck picking it up by the front end and setting it back down sloshed the electrolyte around enough to allow it to start the car again. No more maintenance free batteries for me.

Posted

Just an update, I took a voltmeter with me today as well as took the flexplate cover off and eyeballed the starter as the bendix was engaged and stuck into the flexplate. You would assume that this means the starter is too tight however after I handturned the crank which released the Bendix gear, I could tell that the spindle was definitely more than an 8th inch drill bit away from the flywheel, chose to shim the outside Bolt which moved the flywheel closer. 3 shims and viola..

 

3 starters later sigh.. it's interesting to me that all the sudden my existing starter stopped getting the flywheel and now I need three shims when before it was Zero... good luck friends

Posted

Might want to check your AC compressor. I have had an issue where when you turn the igniton on to start the vehicle the electromagnet on the AC compressor closes and your AC compressor is locked up and the engine cannot turn over. That is why you could turn the crankshaft by hand when the key was in the off position. Next time this happens reach over and push the AC button to off (or simply pull the serpentine belt) and give it a try. If I am right there will be a next time coming up very shortly. Good Luck

Posted

Sounds like the starter gear is jammed into the flywheel so tight it can't move.Never tried this but it might work.....try to start it and if it won't turn over leave it there then loosen the starter mounting bolts so the starter can move and see if the starter gear will retract,if it does there's your problem.Some starters come with shims that might be necessary to adjust how the starter gear engages the flywheel.Don't know if it will work but it's what I would do.BTW where did you get the starter?

Initially had the cheapest of cheap Motorcraft bought February 2017 from AutoZone, I bought it in a pinch. I ended up trading in II Motorcraft I bought the first evening and the first Motorcraft for a Duralast Gold however it's the same POS but it is listed as new and has a lifetime warranty. To those of you who need to change a starter, I would highly suggest going to a performance shop and buying the high-torque starter, it's about half the weight and size and much better quality.

Posted

Initially had the cheapest of cheap Motorcraft bought February 2017 from AutoZone, I bought it in a pinch. I ended up trading in II Motorcraft I bought the first evening and the first Motorcraft for a Duralast Gold however it's the same POS but it is listed as new and has a lifetime warranty. To those of you who need to change a starter, I would highly suggest going to a performance shop and buying the high-torque starter, it's about half the weight and size and much better quality.

Yeah,not a fan of Duralast,that's why I asked where you bought it.Like you I had to buy a rebuilt starter from AZ in a pinch as it was late and they were the only store open.That starter sounded like crap and lasted just a couple of months.The irony is I work for a parts house who sells BBB products but was many miles from our warehouse when the original starter went out.

Posted

Just a comment on Duralast. I put a Duralast Gold on my truck and it worked fine for a while. It then started intermittently not engaging the flex plate and making that terrible screeching sound. I went around and around with it. Shims, no shims, etc.

 

I finally took it out and jumped it from the battery and observed the pinion gear throw. With the gear extended and the motor turning there was about 3/16" play in the pinion gear sliding on the shaft due to sloppy tolerances on the lever that throws out the pinion gear. That slop allows the gear to extend but not engage at times when the flex plate/pinion gear aren't aligned properly at the beginning. It would hit the flex plate gear and bounce back out of the gear but not far enough to totally disengage.

 

I had a friend that loaned me a GM starter from his Camaro that he had left over after replacing it with a high torque unit. The play on that GM motor pinion was about 1/16".

 

I swapped out the mounting part of the motor, putting the mount from the truck on the GM starter and it works OK now.

 

BUT, the problem with the Duralast sloppy tolerances damaged the flex plate gear. I'll need to replace the flex plate at some point just because of that cheap Duralast motor. So it's not only that they are poor quality, but they can actually damage other parts. It doesn't matter what the warranty is if it's damaging other parts that aren't covered by the warranty.

 

No more Duralast anything for me.

 

So if that Duralast is still installed and it's working, expect trouble in the future. IMO, you should replace it now before it damages the flex plate.

Posted

Just a comment on Duralast. I put a Duralast Gold on my truck and it worked fine for a while. It then started intermittently not engaging the flex plate and making that terrible screeching sound. I went around and around with it. Shims, no shims, etc.

 

I finally took it out and jumped it from the battery and observed the pinion gear throw. With the gear extended and the motor turning there was about 3/16" play in the pinion gear sliding on the shaft due to sloppy tolerances on the lever that throws out the pinion gear. That slop allows the gear to extend but not engage at times when the flex plate/pinion gear aren't aligned properly at the beginning. It would hit the flex plate gear and bounce back out of the gear but not far enough to totally disengage.

 

I had a friend that loaned me a GM starter from his Camaro that he had left over after replacing it with a high torque unit. The play on that GM motor pinion was about 1/16".

 

I swapped out the mounting part of the motor, putting the mount from the truck on the GM starter and it works OK now.

 

BUT, the problem with the Duralast sloppy tolerances damaged the flex plate gear. I'll need to replace the flex plate at some point just because of that cheap Duralast motor. So it's not only that they are poor quality, but they can actually damage other parts. It doesn't matter what the warranty is if it's damaging other parts that aren't covered by the warranty.

 

No more Duralast anything for me.

 

So if that Duralast is still installed and it's working, expect trouble in the future. IMO, you should replace it now before it damages the flex plate.

Thank you for the input.

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