Starting problems, now zero power!

[Dadjeans86]

Hi all! New to the forum but have got lots of good info here in the past. I have an 86 Suburban with the 350 engine. I recently swapped out my old starter for a remanufactured Duralast starter. Right after I noticed it would intermittently click. I would have to hit the key again and it would fire right up. It has done that off and on for a couple weeks. Today I hit the key and it started to turn over and completely cut out on me.. no dash lights, no power anywhere at all. Getting 12.9 volts at the battery and all fusible links and all wires check out fine when I check resistance through them. Battery cables are fine as well. I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on an ignition switch, just not sure if I'm missing something.. any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[BigDaddy72]

Sounds like your headed in the right direction. I bought a brand new starter once for my 90 ss 454.

I was leaving out of town and my wife needed the truck so I swapped it out real quick and it wouldn’t work man I checked everything twice finally I just pulled it back off two hours later and put a old one on off a teardown motor and it fired right up.

The brand new starter was bad. Care to guess what brand it was?? Lol!!

May need another new starter.

 

[Ricko1966]

Hi all! New to the forum but have got lots of good info here in the past. I have an 86 Suburban with the 350 engine. I recently swapped out my old starter for a remanufactured Duralast starter. Right after I noticed it would intermittently click. I would have to hit the key again and it would fire right up. It has done that off and on for a couple weeks. Today I hit the key and it started to turn over and completely cut out on me.. no dash lights, no power anywhere at all. Getting 12.9 volts at the battery and all fusible links and all wires check out fine when I check resistance through them. Battery cables are fine as well. I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on an ignition switch, just not sure if I'm missing something.. any help is greatly appreciated!!

Real easy you should be able to get to that solenoid with a quarter in your hand short from battery hot lead to solenoid wire if it cranks the starters fine if not start trouble shooting.Nuetral safety switch, ignition switch, open wire. This quick check is assuming you have a good battery a good positive lead and a good negative lead but shorting the back of the solenoid bypasses everything in the car. I' ve seen so much trouble with aftermarket starters and alternators, everyone's try to be the cheapest but nobody is trying to the best. I had an AC Delco reman fail on me in just a few weeks, my original just needed a solenoid but the Reman was about the same price. IDK 2?3? years later still rolling strong on my original starter with the solenoid robbed off the reman.

 

[Dadjeans86]

I'll try jumping the contacts and see what happens. Would a bad starter kill power to everything like that without blowing any fusible links you think? Just trying to wrap my head around it

 

[Dadjeans86]

Sounds like your headed in the right direction. I bought a brand new starter once for my 90 ss 454.

I was leaving out of town and my wife needed the truck so I swapped it out real quick and it wouldn’t work man I checked everything twice finally I just pulled it back off two hours later and put a old one on off a teardown motor and it fired right up.

The brand new starter was bad. Care to guess what brand it was?? Lol!!

May need another new starter.

Thanks for that.. I'm thinking that may be the culprit. This thing has been acting funky out of the box. Did yours still have power to everything else but just no cranking? That's what is weird to me is it seems like I burnt up a disabled link, but they all check out fine! Weird..

 

[Wumbo]

I'll try jumping the contacts and see what happens. Would a bad starter kill power to everything like that without blowing any fusible links you think? Just trying to wrap my head around it

I don't see how it could.

 

[Dadjeans86]

So I jumped the solenoid to hot lead at starter and I'm getting nothing. I'm seeing sparks so I know I'm getting a decent arc but not spinning over. Still not sure why I have ZERO power to anything else though. I guess it might be possible that if things aren't right in the starter, it may cause that condition, seeing as how the battery + is connected to the starter haha. I hate electrical!!

 

[gotyourgoat]

Welcome

Start simple. Check and tighten down the grounds and the starter connections. Had a loose connection give this everything is dead symptom before.

 

[BigDaddy72]

Welcome

Start simple. Check and tighten down the grounds and the starter connections. Had a loose connection give this everything is dead symptom before.

X2

 

[DoubleDingo]

Take your battery out and go have it load tested. I had a battery go south on me like that. Started just fine to come to work, went to leave for lunch and it wouldn't turn over. Had plenty of voltage, but the cranking amps were toast. I'd start there if it were me. I replaced the battery and it was prorated so I didn't have to pay full price, and the problem was solved. It may not be your problem, but it sure sounds like it could be.

 

[Vbb199]

Was kinda thinking just replace the battery.

But I have gotten bad starters before.

 

[Ricko1966]

I've never seen a starter kill power to everything else.
I thought your starter just quit.I'm thinking you have a bad connection.Do your headlights come on? Yes/ no . Do the headlights come on key on engine off? Yes/no? With the head lights in the on position start pushing and putting pressure and feeling for heat at all connection points in gliding the starter lead. The hot spots you will feel are bad connections you may have to give things a little twist by hand here and there to get them on in the first place.If they are not on they will come on when you find your bad connection.Ignition switch shouldn't kill head lights either. Something's open, dirty, or bad battery

 

[Matt69olds]

Check for power down at the starter. Remove the starter and inspect the battery cables. Since nothing works, either your problem is on the ground side of the battery (I’m assuming you inspected the negative cable and it’s connection?) the only other common point is the stud on the starter. Battery cables can look good on the outside, but have serious corrosion inside the insulation.

 

[Dadjeans86]

Yeah there is no power to anything whatsoever. I think the problem was initially a **** starter from auto zone which in turn burnt up my fusible link somewhere. I planned on bringing the starter back when I first noticed it was giving me trouble intermittently.. looks like a waited to long on that one! I'm going to tackle it tomorrow morning and I'll let you all know what I find.. thanks for all the input!!

 

[Dadjeans86]

Also there is power at the starter, and I tried jumping battery wire post to solenoid post and got no action from the starter. I think it's cooked..