Is my starter going bad?

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On my 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 6.7L, the starter acts up once in awhile. Maybe 1-3 times a week for the last two weeks. It engages, starter spins once then kicks out. I have to attempt to start it maybe 3-5 times before it starts.

Batteries are fully charged reading 12.6V
 
Sounds like a starter but I would first go to Advanced Auto etc., and have them load the battery to determine its condition.

What is the charging voltage at idle with the driving lights on?
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Sounds like a starter but I would first go to Advanced Auto etc., and have them load the battery to determine its condition.

What is the charging voltage at idle with the driving lights on?


14 Volts. I haven't checked with a multi meter but that's what the gauge on the dash says.
 
Don't put 100% faith in Advance Auto starter testing rig, or other testing rigs if you go that route. Just recently a Honda starter barely passed on their machine, but I knew it had to be bad. Put in a brand new battery, and most of the time it would not crank just like before. Installed a new starter, and it's been cranking first kick every time now.

Maybe you can get by with just changing the solenoid if it is a serviceable part.
 
starter solenoid is my bet. Have had the exact same symptoms many times and starter fixed it every time. check around and see if you can get it rebuilt for cheap.
 
IDK if you have a bendix style starter, where its own inertia kicks the gear down a helix shaft, but if the friction and drag clips aren't set up right, the gear will pop back home prematurely.

Regardless, the cure is a new starter.
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Just be glad you're getting a warning.
 
If you can hear the motor spinning after turning the key off means the motor is working the solenoid isn't engaging. Before buying a new one I would clean up all the connections at the solenoid first.
 
Okay, I'll clean up the connections before getting a new one... I priced a reman, it was $250.
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Originally Posted By: Farmer
Okay, I'll clean up the connections before getting a new one... I priced a reman, it was $250.
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That does sound steep--did that include a core charge?

What is an OEM replacement go for, if ordered online? Sounds like you can at least limp along for now, while shopping for best price.
 
No core charge. I didn't ask how much the core charge was either. I priced one at Napa, $296 not including core charge.

I was driving quite a bit today, no starter issues today. It definitely comes and goes.
 
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The brand-new will usually last a lot longer than the remanufactured one. My previous remanufactured Denso starter didn't last more than a few years. I had the distributor incorrectly meshed and car wouldn't start. By the time I figured it out, the starter had enough wear and tear to fail from ten-second troubleshooting cranks. The one before that also lasted about five years because I didn't realize that I had to half-press the gas pedal with a warm carbureted Corolla engine, which was resulting in long cranks. These starters don't take long cranks.

I was also lucky to find a brand-new Denso A/C compressor. The remanufactured Denso alternator I bought also looked brand-new for some reason.
 
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