Hey guys, well the starter in my 94 Jimmy with the 4.3 cpi is having a hell of a time cranking that engine. It cranks very slowly and often feels like it simply won't start it; like a really weak battery. I brought it to an Autozone and they ran the tests and apparently my battery is fine, however the tester said that my alternator is getting tired (but still has some life in it) and the starter is almost dead (gotta replace that SOON).

When driving around in the cold weather at night with the lights, radio, and heater blasting, I can see my voltage gauge bouncing around a bit and the lights are also flickering a bit at idle. Makes sense considering what the tester at the store said.

Now my questions are:

They said that a new starter might help keep the voltage more consistent when the engine is running. Is that possible? It sounds weird to me, considering how it doesn't do much when the engine's running lol.

And what are your thoughts on AC Delco re-manufactured starters/alternators? I can get a reman delco starter on Rock Auto for about 85 bucks after paying core. Good price?

Thanks!

 

That is a prety fair price i think . What about the shipping , thats why i don't buy from rock auto . I no that if the voltage to the starter is to low it will ruin the starter . I would also check all your grounds .

 

Constant lack of juice to a starter eventually ruins it? I wonder how that works, cause I never heard that before.

I'll have to double check the shipping, however I've purchased a bunch of stuff from there before so far without feeling cheated on the shipping price.

I'll check out the grounds too like you mentioned.

 

I had a similar problem so I decided to take the plenum off replace the Dist rotor glad I did cuz it was pretty worn, I also replaced plugs wires and the ignition coil. It starts right up and no more flickering lights!! I know some of your symptoms could be the coil which is super easy to test/replace..

 

I've replaced the cap, rotor, wires, and plugs this past year but for some reason I never got around to even touching the coil. It might even be the original one! I'll swing by the auto parts store tomorrow to pick up a new one because even if that's not directly the problem, it definitely couldn't hurt to replace it.

 

exactly let us know how it works I'm telling you I could feel the difference immediately

 

It probably wouldn't hurt to clean the ground connection on your block, at the end of the NEG battery connection, a little wire brush will do wonders.

Also wire brush or scrape the cable connection till is a little shiny,

There should also be a "toothed" washer which helps with transerring Volts and AMPS through the connection.

I'd think about either replacing the alt or having it repaired( cheap ) or Rebuilt (typically same price or a little cheaper than buying off the shelf )

good luck.

 

Well I was actually about to head out to Autozone to pick up a new starter, but then just to check I went to yank the battery out of my 91 Trans Am (which is already parked for the winter) and try it out in my Jimmy.... turns out I just had a crappy battery all along. Cranks nice and strong now. I guess it's not a good idea to put all of your faith in the Autozone "battery/starter/alternator" tester, since their computer told me my starter was crap and battery was fine.

However I did replace the ignition coil and that seemed to have helped a little bit. The truck felt like it had a little more power and the voltage seemed quite a bit more stable at idle. I just finished it a few minutes ago and I only went for a short ride so I'll wait a little longer before I start singing praises, but so far, so good.

 

Glad to hear you found the problem, thanks for letting us know.

 

[quote=musclecar70sfan;385809]Well I was actually about to head out to Autozone to pick up a new starter, but then just to check I went to yank the battery out of my 91 Trans Am (which is already parked for the winter) and try it out in my Jimmy.... turns out I just had a crappy battery all along. Cranks nice and strong now. I guess it's not a good idea to put all of your faith in the Autozone "battery/starter/alternator" tester, since their computer told me my starter was crap and battery was fine.

However I did replace the ignition coil and that seemed to have helped a little bit. The truck felt like it had a little more power and the voltage seemed quite a bit more stable at idle. I just finished it a few minutes ago and I only went for a short ride so I'll wait a little longer before I start singing praises, but so far, so good.[/quote ]

Good to here....., but please don't buy that reman crap from autojoke... trust me, i went thru 5 starters from them!!! not the cheap ones either, before i found one that was good... till i sold the car a few months later.... I'm n6t saying that they aren't good for some things but be careful.... save yourself some headaches!1