Well now that I have started driving the truck again with the VP44 project going and testing. The starter is doing the ole click-click thing sometimes

Ugh. It's probably on a third set of contacts by now. The last set of contacts I ordered were the wrong ones. I was in a hurry so I took it to a shop to be fixed last time and put it back on the truck and the gear would sometimes touch the flywheel going up hill. So I had to take it apart and mess with the return spring. Anybody had this problem before?

 

I'm thing about just buying a rebuilt one because the brushes are likely worn away after all the previous fixes.

Ok. So my OEM starter lasted a long while. I replaced contacts and then finally it died. I pull it and replaced it with a NAPA New Starter which lasted a long time as well. When it finally gave up I had my OE starter rebuilt which cost me more than my new NAPA starter to have rebuilt. It is currently in the truck now but from here out I'll most likely buy new NAPA starters from here forth. OE starter isn't worth the cost of rebuilding any longer just to save the OE.

@Mopar1973Man thanks, I'm going to call NAPA and check on one.

I have a NAPA starter that has a lifetime warranty.  I had to replace it after a few years and the warranty was honored, no cost to me.  I keep a copy of all the "lifetime" warranties in the glove box and the originals in a folder, at home, for truck parts/repairs. 

 The warranty/receipt in the glove box method also came in handy when the crank position sensor went bad while I was in Moab, UT.  I brought the sensor into O'Rielly's along with the lifetime receipt and the sensor was replaced with no questions asked.

When the starter motor is removed you'll be able to check and clean a ground that is on the side of the block.  

So I got the NAPA lifetime warranty starter. I used one of my old basket cases of starters for the core. Can't wait to get it on tomorrow if it doesn't rain. There are a lot of new parts on it.

My luck has been terrible lately. The fancy NAPA lifetime starter already died. It didn't make it two months. The gear extends but the motor just sings and starts smoking. Thought my engine locked up at first. I'm going to leave it alone so we won't know what happened. It's going back.

No hassle return. New starter installed and works. Hopefully it lasts for a long time.

I've heard good things about these rebuild kits;

 

https://fostertruck.com/collections/dodge-starter-rebuild-kits

Yeah, the post above is a possible solution to a starter issue. Myself I have an alternator shop in Nampa ID I visit for my alternator and starter parts if needed. Now I can drop off an alternator or starter and have them rebuilt which I did last time with my OEM starter and found out the windings on the armature were burned. Make sure to have the starter tested before investing money into rebuild parts to only find out you might have a burned winding in the housing or in the armature and would really kind of suck to dump money on a starter to find out it still not going to work 100%.

 

As for my supplier, I deal with DuroBilt out of Nampa ID. 

 

Durobilt

215 1st Ave S, Nampa, ID 83651

(208) 466-7814

I did Larry's parts got 8 years onnit after.

Then i got 2 years on a cheap autozone unit

 

Now on a autozone duralast gold hoping it goes for more than 2 years

 

Making goid use of lifetime warranty now

On my first gen I had for 23 years, was on it's 4th starter ( third rebuilt). They worked out good since they had lifetime warranty and I would get another at no cost. I didn't go for the core money back for the first one so that I had one ready to turn in the next time and not have to go back after the repair, simply exchange it at the same time  when getting a new rebuilt and it saves a little time that way.

 

Something about Autozone though, I always go to Oreilly's for some reason instead and go for the upgraded rebuilds like my alternator now has held up well as a rebuild. It's doing well.