Truck will not start?

I looked at the picture. Have you inspected the flex plate to make sure the teeth that meet with the starter are okay?

When you say it won't start, do you mean the starter does nothing, does it grind, or does it turn the engine, but the engine fails to run?

Let me know.

Joe

It cranks but won’t start. I didn’t check the flex plate, replaced the old one in Oct. 2022 so I figured it’d be good. But I’ll check it out tomorrow. I cleaned up the starter and reinstalled it earlier, truck fired up on the first try. Then went to leave la little over an hour later, doing the same thing again, cranks but won’t start.

Okay, so there seems to be less power trying it this morning. There are metal shavings in the flex plate housing as well and the teeth feel really rough on the edges. of course, that’s where it’s coming from, where else, right? Thinking too hard about this probably. Looking at the starter on my workbench right now and I see the plastic on the solenoid is cracked. I’ve had a starter crack before, but it was on the nose, around the gear. Also, Idk if this is an issue, I feel like it is so I'm going to tell you about it. The starter doesn’t meet up with the bell housing. I’ll post pics. The first pic of this shows the starter with a spacer, the second is without. I can’t seem to find anyone that: a) has this issue; or B) has heard of it or has a suggestion as to what a solution could be. I’ve tried finding a spacer of sorts to fill in the space but so far, I haven’t found anything that works.
Thanks man, your helps appreciated.

Hi,

I looked at the pics. First, replace the starter due to the crack. We don't want that coming apart and shorting.

Next, I do see a slight opening. Are you certain this is the correct starter motor for your vehicle? If it isn't in the entire way, that will damage the flex plate and starter drive gear.

By chance, are you getting the same replacement brand/part each time it fails? I can tell you the OEM part number is 10465167. Can you contact the parts store and confirm that is the correct starter if they cross-reference the part number?

Also, do the teeth on the flex plate feel rough on the trans side, the starter side, or everywhere?

Let me know.

Joe

Do you know if the starter is supposed to be a direct drive or if it's the gear reduction starter? Does it matter? i have been replacing it with the same one each time, the direct drive starter, and i called to have the part numbers cross referenced, they match up.

i checked the teeth on the flywheel again, they are rough on both sides.

i just got off the phone with the transmission shop where i got mine installed in January and when i asked if they noticed any damage to the teeth on the flywheel while under there, the secretary said there were no notes about that on my service tag and that they would have definitely noticed. not sure if that pertains, just trying to give you as much info as possible.
thanks again.

Another update, i called and spoke to a mechanic at a GM dealership and he says the correct part OEM part # is 10465389.

Hi,

The part number you have is different than what's in my manual. This could be the cause. Contact where you got the starters and ask if what they sold you crosses to the part number from the dealership.

Let me know what you find. I'm interested in knowing.

Take care,

Joe

Okay, so I cross referenced both part #s. The # given to me by the GM dealership mechanic matches up with the starter that I've been buying over and over. It's a direct drive with 9 pinion teeth. The part # you gave me is a gear reduction with 11 pinion teeth. Yesterday I swapped out the old starter for the same one i had been getting, #10465389. Installed it and tried to start my truck up, only to have a different issue arise. The motor is turning, but i think slower than usual, and it's making a noise that sounded to me like the battery needed to be charged. Charged it up for a few with jumper cables and tried to jump it but got the same outcome. I'm going to swap out the starter again for the #10465167 later today. I'll get a video of what it's doing now and post it as separate reply on this thread first though.

Thanks

Okay yes, turning a lot slower than it should be. Windshield wipers work when the key is in on position, so the battery is not discharged, there’s no corrosion at the cable terminals and they are nice and tight. I should check the wires in the starting circuit and ignition switch next I suppose?

Wow, it does sound like a weak battery. If you haven't already, remove it and have a parts store load test it. It may show 12v but it doesn't sound like the amperage is there to turn the engine.

Let me know.

Joe