Starter issue
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 706
Likes: 2
From: Ontario cali
Starter issue
So my 08 has been eating starters like candy. I think I am on my 5th or 6th starter by now.
Car is bone stock no mods to it, about a year and a half ago the original starter failed, burned the plastic housing where the positive terminal attaches. Replaced it with a starter from Autozone and since then they keep failing, some have the bolt where the positive terminal come off the solenoid but are not burnt up and others just fail, I can put a new starter in and it will fire right up. I have starters last 6 months with daily driving to lasting 2 days.
I have made sure there is not alot of tension on the positive wire attaching to the starter as i first thought this was the issue
I have read about this mentioned in other threads but nothing specific to the fix and i cant find any thread specifically about this issue.
Any one have some insite so i dont have to keep changing the starter. But I can now change one in 20 min.
Car is bone stock no mods to it, about a year and a half ago the original starter failed, burned the plastic housing where the positive terminal attaches. Replaced it with a starter from Autozone and since then they keep failing, some have the bolt where the positive terminal come off the solenoid but are not burnt up and others just fail, I can put a new starter in and it will fire right up. I have starters last 6 months with daily driving to lasting 2 days.
I have made sure there is not alot of tension on the positive wire attaching to the starter as i first thought this was the issue
I have read about this mentioned in other threads but nothing specific to the fix and i cant find any thread specifically about this issue.
Any one have some insite so i dont have to keep changing the starter. But I can now change one in 20 min.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 534
Likes: 33
From: Southern cali
OK -- are you SURE you are burning up the starter???? the more common issue is the solenoid going out and not the starter. if so, the solenoid can be swapped out for about $20 ... now as to how to make them last a bit longer... some have wrapped them in some heat protectant and have seen results.
BTW -- You are in Cali -- I know of a great starter shop in Norwalk ( on Imperial and Leffingwell ) that will swap out the solenoid or sell you a replacement rather than buying a whole starter
BTW -- You are in Cali -- I know of a great starter shop in Norwalk ( on Imperial and Leffingwell ) that will swap out the solenoid or sell you a replacement rather than buying a whole starter
Last edited by C6topless; Apr 5, 2016 at 01:00 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,735
Likes: 412
From: WV
When I do have a starter problem , I will probably be finding a brand new unit instead of getting a rebuilt starter.. I have heard many storys of multiple failures just like your having, so to me the extra expense is worth it, just for the piece of mind..Most rebuilt starters are junk...Like mentioned above ,the best and cheapest alternative is to have your original GM starter fixed by an electrical repair shop....WW
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Last edited by WW7; Apr 5, 2016 at 05:57 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
IMO it may be the quality of the brand you're putting in. But it could also be something else, electrical; have you checked for any codes leading to diagnosing something else in the system? I understand that one reason for burning out a starter could be internal and the solenoid is often mentioned (that's a great resource to have a solenoid rebuilding shop relatively nearby).
Racer
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 469
Likes: 44
Could be Auto Zone is having a problem with their starter vendor. I'm guessing you're getting replacements under warranty. What a pain though. Bad connections, excessive cranking, misalignment of the starter are some reasons for failure. I good quality starter can take a lot of abuse, considering where it is on the engine and what it does.
Educated guess would be a poor quality part.
Educated guess would be a poor quality part.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 706
Likes: 2
From: Ontario cali
it probably is the solenoid and not actually the starter, but the original GM one is long gone, and now i am basically just getting a new one under warranty each time.
When installed the starter acts fine no excessive cranking or anything, it will fire right up like normal.
I have once or twice before smelled a like electrical burning smell and then i usually know the starter is going out or just did go out.
I might look at getting a new one from a chevy dealership, do they get original OEM ones and not rebuilt units? For the extra price if i can get this to go away it will be worth it, but without knowing whats burning up the solenoid not sure if its worth it as Im not sure what type of warranty they cover.
When installed the starter acts fine no excessive cranking or anything, it will fire right up like normal.
I have once or twice before smelled a like electrical burning smell and then i usually know the starter is going out or just did go out.
I might look at getting a new one from a chevy dealership, do they get original OEM ones and not rebuilt units? For the extra price if i can get this to go away it will be worth it, but without knowing whats burning up the solenoid not sure if its worth it as Im not sure what type of warranty they cover.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 616
Likes: 193
From: Gilbert AZ
Burning a starter solenoid in a short period of time is a sure sign that it is being asked to pass excessive current. (Assuming the solenoid is good quality and assembled correctly)
So you have to ask yourself, what is causing the excessive current?
Typical common high starting current problems can be traced to:
1. Low battery voltage.
2. High resistance cables. (corroded or loose)
3. Loose connections on the ground side.
4. Incorrect starter pinion gear to flywheel ring gear clearance or alignment. (fixed with shims)
I'd bet money that one of the four above issues is your root cause for all the failures. Until you find it, you'll keep burning up solenoids.
Garry
So you have to ask yourself, what is causing the excessive current?
Typical common high starting current problems can be traced to:
1. Low battery voltage.
2. High resistance cables. (corroded or loose)
3. Loose connections on the ground side.
4. Incorrect starter pinion gear to flywheel ring gear clearance or alignment. (fixed with shims)
I'd bet money that one of the four above issues is your root cause for all the failures. Until you find it, you'll keep burning up solenoids.
Garry
Last edited by Garry in AZ; Apr 5, 2016 at 11:09 AM.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 535
Likes: 10
From: Fort Worth TX
I had this exact issue last year and wasn't able to find any information about it on the forum. I went through 5 different starters each lasting a few months, and used both aftermarket, new OEM, and rebuilt my OEM. I thought it was the heat from my headers cooking them so I wrapped the headers, wrapped the starter, and put a heat shield on the starter and nothing made a difference.
My symptoms were exactly like yours. My problem turned out to be a frayed wire in the wiring harness that was going to the starter that was messing with the voltage? resistance? I'm sorry that I can't be more specific because I honestly don't know exactly where it was but that's what I remember the technician telling me when I gave up and took it in. I think he had to go in and re-run the entire wire, cost me a few hundred dollars and said it was a pain in the *** but after he did I haven't had a problem since.
Good luck
My symptoms were exactly like yours. My problem turned out to be a frayed wire in the wiring harness that was going to the starter that was messing with the voltage? resistance? I'm sorry that I can't be more specific because I honestly don't know exactly where it was but that's what I remember the technician telling me when I gave up and took it in. I think he had to go in and re-run the entire wire, cost me a few hundred dollars and said it was a pain in the *** but after he did I haven't had a problem since.
Good luck
Last edited by corvette-kyle; Apr 7, 2016 at 08:43 PM.
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Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 21,631
Likes: 1,144
From: Below the bottom of Berby Hollow, NYS
As others have said, unless you find a specific problem, I would start fresh with a brand-new GM starter.
I went through this 45 years ago with a 440 Roadrunner that ate starters: sometimes the motor would burn up, sometimes the drive would break. I kept buying rebuilt starters at a parts store (at $30 a crack, it was killing me) but never did find the problem. I got married and sold the car.
But doing that again I would definitely buy an OEM starter. At least back then the rebuilts were probably done by someone who at least spoke English -- today? -- probably Spanish or Chinese, lol.
I went through this 45 years ago with a 440 Roadrunner that ate starters: sometimes the motor would burn up, sometimes the drive would break. I kept buying rebuilt starters at a parts store (at $30 a crack, it was killing me) but never did find the problem. I got married and sold the car.
But doing that again I would definitely buy an OEM starter. At least back then the rebuilts were probably done by someone who at least spoke English -- today? -- probably Spanish or Chinese, lol.
