6.5 Diesel cranking issue

[jasoncooperpcola]

1996 GMC Sierra 2500 6.5 liter turbo diesel 4L80E trans. My sister had my car so I had to use my truck for pizza deliveries. First delivery cranked fast then slowed down. Tightened battery connections, and it cranked up. Repeat four times in four hours. On number six delivery, starter took off fast then slowed way down, check battery, still no go. Call AAA, me and the guy running the wrecker go thru it tightening connections, still nothing. He hooks up the jumper cables to his Duramax wrecker with twin batteries and over the next hour with the Duramax high idling my starter gets slower and slower till now it clicks barely. Now here is the kicker, my headlights are very bright I cannot tell any difference. So I think its not a battery issue but maybe another connection somewhere or possibly the starter? Tomorrow morning I will begin cleaning connections. Right now I have the charger on one of my batteries.

Very frustrated right now. Was having a good night delivering pizza.

[smokeonthewater]

time for a starter

[jasoncooperpcola]

time for a starter

Just called, $210!

[THEFERMANATOR]

time for a starter

Not neccesarily, 6.5's are KNOWN for bad starter cables along with poor connections. Look up seller PTWIRINGSOLUTIONS on EBAY as he sells GOOD replcement cables. And if the starter is bad, the cables probably led up to it's failing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVROLET-GMC-6-5-TURBO-DIESEL-2-0-BATTERY-CABLES-/320815622091?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ab219e7cb&vxp=mtr

Just called, $210!

If that is a rebuilt one from most of the large aftermarket parts stores, don't waste your time or money on it unless you LIKE changing 6.5 starters out OFTEN! Look into a powermaster, getting yours rebuilt by a shop, or an AC DELCO reman if you don't want to be changing it out every 3 months.

[jasoncooperpcola]

After some trial and error it is the starter. Got it out, and jumped it from the battery and it barely turns. Ferm I looked at the Pwermaster starters and they are $100 more than the O'Reilly rebuild I was looking at. I did not know upgraded battery cables were an option. Not sure what I am doing now. How much would a starter rebuild cost?

And what about a gear reduction recoil start

[THEFERMANATOR]

ALL 6.5 starters are gear reduction starters. Only the EARLY 6.2's used a direct drive starter. A good rebuild will cost you about the same as one of the aftermarket ones(maybe a bit less), but at least then you know your not getting a box full of OK parts thrown togetehr and shipped out as a rebuild to have to rely on a warranty. The POWERMASTER starters seem to be holding up VERY well so far, and I've only heard of one that failed and it was his fault. The stock battery cables and connections are an EXTREMELY weak link on the 6.5's, and cause alot of other issues. I STRONGLY reccomend upgradiung teh stock cables as GM thought for some strange reason a 6 guage battery cable was sufficient for a diesel engine. I know mine looked OK on teh outside, but once I stripped em down for copper they were JUNK inside(had to convince the scrap place to pay me #2 price for them they wer so bad).

[jasoncooperpcola]

I think at this point, my option is to get my stock starter rebuilt. I cannot afford to have my truck sit around for a month. I had a job to do today that could have paid for the cables and a Powermaster but just lost it. Now i need to find a starter rebuilder.

[smokeonthewater]

This is NOT intended to contradict ferm's advice about an upgraded cable but you can check out the condition of your existing cable and connections easily.... connect a volt meter (set to 0-20 vdc or similar) with the pos lead on the positive side of the batt and the neg lead on the battery lug of the (new) starter (you may need to extend your leads) then observe reading of meter at rest and while cranking. at rest you should see normal battery voltage and while cranking you are looking for a very low reading. Zero would be ideal but .25-1 volt is more likely..... 3 or 4 volts and you have high resistance in the cable and starter death is imminent.

this test can be repeated with the neg on the batt and the pos on the engine block ..... should be very close to zero at rest and while cranking

[charlie_the_tuna]

now, when you say it was a "good night delivering pizzas", do you mean that there was a scantily clad, big titty milf who didnt have enough money for a tip so she said she would work it out with a trade, of sorts? was she wearing tight satin gym shorts and a super tight french cut t-shirt with no bra? she said she would have to hurry because her husband would be home in a few hours and you may have to bail via the bedroom window? her bleached platinum blond hair falling sexily over her heaving, silicone tits, erect nipples straining at the 50/50 poly cotton of her all too tight t-shirt?
was it anything like that?

oh, and was she wearing 6 inch spiked fuk-me heels?

red?

[phatdaddy]

nice one charlie, i used to love your stuff in penthouse forum.

jason, i don't know any rebuilders in pcola, but there used to be a great shop west of mobile, but before theodore, north of i-10. stink might know who it is. they would do our starters on ditch witches & tractors.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Phat, I am checking with B&M Starter and Alternator, on Palafox. Should run it by there at lunch.

And Charley, that would be a GREAT night.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Just called Southern Distributors. $235 for a new AC Delco starter. Hmmmm

[jasoncooperpcola]

BM cannot rebuild my starter. As Ken put it, the armature is whacked. They have another rebuild with twelve month warranty for $169. versus a new ac delco for $235.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Ok. I purchased the rebuilt starter, well actually my boss purchased it. Now when I get home tonight I will install it. I am thinking about building my own cables. Would welding cable work?

[smokeonthewater]

yes as long as it is heavy enough

[jasoncooperpcola]

Got it in! I never seen this truckncrank this fast. Will work on cables in the next weeks. Thanks everybody for the help. Saturday night i could have blown it up....

[THEFERMANATOR]

You DID remember to put the front starter support bracket on, didn't you? If not a broken block may be in your future. I know alot of people skip putting teh front support bracket on, but without it starter bolts will break OFTEN, and in some case the block cracks off where the 2 starter bolts go in.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Yep Ferm, its in. Had to remove the passenger front tire to help get to it. Which reminds me, I need to find the "skirts" that cover the gap from the uca to the fender liner. Ferm, who has the best price on Bosch Injectors for my 6.5? 136k on stock German Bosch. Time for a rebuild, one is clicking loud.