Sierra 1500 Starter Motor - Failure

[Paicer]

I took my truck in for a wheel alignment and an oil change to the dealership. I hopped back in my vehicle and let it warm up prior to taking off (it was -27C). Approximately 2 minutes idling the engine started to squeal. I thought it was the vehicle beside me but eventually it got louder and louder and the truck shut off on it's own. I went back into the dealership to bring it to their attention, someone came out and looked at it with me. With his "guidance" I started it back up perfectly fine and almost instantly the engine compartment started to squeal and smoke on the left hand side of the engine bay. 

 

After a couple seconds of it running I shut it off and they towed it inside. They're saying it's 100% the Starter Motor. 

 

My question is how likely is it for a starter motor to get stuck in the circuit while idling and just outright fail like that? 

 

Doesn't make any sense to me. 

 

2014 GMC Sierra 1500

Approx. 180,000km.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Paicer

[Supreme Pizza]

So the starter was stuck "on", or at least the solinoid was stuck in the engaged position.

 

I wonder if water/ice was causing a problem with the mechanical operation of the starter.

 

If it was engaged for several minutes, I would expect that it would get very hot.

 

The starters don't seem to be of super high quality. Sometimes my starter free spins, but doesn't turn the motor. I have a brand new starter in the back seat, just have not installed it yet.

 

My brand new starter cost about $60 on Amazon. It will take about 30 minutes to install.

 

Out of curiosity, how much are they getting for the starter (parts and labor) at the dealership?

[Paicer]

It was $500 to replace, about 270 of that was the starter.. All CAD of course. 

 

I went and picked it up and same issue sadly. Turned it on, 2 minutes goes by and the same noise/smoke came by. 

[newdude]

Starters are common on 14-18 trucks.

 

Sounds like you have another problem going on however as a bad starter wouldn't shut a truck off while running.

 

The smoke, when you say left hand side, are you describing that from sitting behind the driver's seat, so the driver's side of the truck?  Or are you describing left hand side as in you are standing in front of the truck facing the grille, the left side being the passenger side then?

[Supreme Pizza]

1 hour ago, Paicer said:

It was $500 to replace, about 270 of that was the starter.. All CAD of course. 

 

I went and picked it up and same issue sadly. Turned it on, 2 minutes goes by and the same noise/smoke came by. 

 

 

That sucks man.

 

It sounds like they need to redo the repair for free, or refund you.

 

 

 

 

[Paicer]

5 hours ago, newdude said:

Starters are common on 14-18 trucks.

 

Sounds like you have another problem going on however as a bad starter wouldn't shut a truck off while running.

 

The smoke, when you say left hand side, are you describing that from sitting behind the driver's seat, so the driver's side of the truck?  Or are you describing left hand side as in you are standing in front of the truck facing the grille, the left side being the passenger side then?

 

Looking into the engine bay so the passenger side of the vehicle.