A couple of odd problems bore their ugly heads today...

I took my truck to get the tires rotated at lunch.  After they pulled it out of the bay and handed me the key I couldn't get it to start to save my life.  A month or two ago it gave me a fit starting, I pulled the clutch safety switch, cleaned it up and put it back and I haven't had an issues since.  So, in the parking lot I reached up and pulled it out, tied the wires together and plugged that back in, but it still didn't start.  I could hear a single click at the starter each time I turned the key.  So, I am guessing the starter is bad.  The guy at Les Schwab crawled under the truck (which is pretty great because it is snowing and WET) and tapped on the starter while I was turning the key and it ended up starting after a few taps.  We checked the batteries and they checked good.  The dash, and heater blower all powered  up as normal, no indication of low batteries.

While I was trying to get it to start, my radio started acting up and may be a complete different issue, or it may be another symptom of a bad ignition switch.  I cycled the ignition many times and sometime in all of that my radio (aftermarket Kenwood ) froze.  It was "on", playing a radio station, but I could not turn it off, change the station, volume and the display was froze (time wasn't changing).  Even with the ignition turned off and the key removed. The power button on the receiver did nothing. Once I got home, I pulled the "radio" fuze and it still didn't turn off.  I finally pulled the radio head and unplugged it from the back.  I plugged it back in and it worked as normal.  Now, after plugging it back in the radio turns off with the ignition and with the fuze pulled.  I am wondering if while cycling the ignition if internal to the radio it farted and was powering itself off the 12v feed that is supplied to maintain clock and memory, when I get home I'll look at the schematics to see if that 12v goes through the fuse as well.  I've only had this radio in for a month or so, but I haven't had any issues like this so far. 

Does this sound like a bad started?  or should I look into the ignition switch?

 

Sounds like the starter solenoid contacts are going bad.  Check out LarryB's 

http://www.fostertruck.com/auto-starter-parts.html

 

As for the radio, you are going to need a priest to perform an exorcism on it.  If I remember right the red wire is switched power and the yellow wire is constant battery power.  Check these two and be sure the yellow is not feeding power to the red.  

 

It is wired up correctly, I'm certain of that.  It may have a gremlin or two inside but I was more curious if the two were related.  I don't think they are...but was curious of the opinions of minds greater than mind.  The radio is working as it is supposed to for now.

i had same symptoms on mine, starter contacts are worn. i pulled mine in 10 minutes, 30 minutes to rebuild and clean it up, stuck it back in and works like a champ. i even bought a second rebuild kit for next time!

 

the arc of contact and release erodes one terminal in the contactor housing and eventually there is nothing left to contact. tapping the starter kinds bumps the contactor to actually make contact and it starts. this remedy wont last but a few starts though...

I talked with local rebuilder and they said on ups trucks they change contacts about 3 times before doing anything else to starter.

12 hours ago, Dieselfuture said:

I talked with local rebuilder and they said on ups trucks they change contacts about 3 times before doing anything else to starter.

That's cause they shut those trucks off at each stop. Surprised they don't use gas rigs. 

 

Yeap, I was just trying to point out that contacts is all that is wrong more than likely.