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]

Originally Posted by smokeonthewater

time for a starter

Just called, $210!

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by smokeonthewater

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-GM...19e7cb&vxp=mtr

Originally Posted by jasoncooperpcola

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).