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Vehicle stalled out in about six inches of water, now will not turn over

Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
No water is in the cylinders or the oil. When we tried to restart it the starter attempts to engage. There is one click sound from the starter and then the dash lights go off for a few seconds. The engine doesn’t attempt to turn over. Took the starter to be checked and they said it was bad so I replaced the starter and it does the exact same thing.
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Saturday, April 27th, 2019 AT 1:17 PM

11 Replies

Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

Okay, can you check and see if you have battery voltage at pin#87 of the starter relay? The relay is located in the under-hood Fuse Block at the left rear of the engine compartment. I have included in the diagrams below a Starting Circuit Wiring Diagram and a diagram of the under-hood Fuse Block. I have also included a link below of how to use a multi-meter below if you are not familiar with how to use one.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-voltmeter

Please go through these guides and get back to us with what you are able to find out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Saturday, April 27th, 2019 AT 2:15 PM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
I’m having difficulty figuring out how to check pin voltage. But here is what I have figured out: I have 12 volts going from the battery to the starter before the solenoid. I have 9.6 volts going to the solenoid when the key is in the crank position. I only show about 6.5 volts coming from the solenoid to the starter when the key is in the crank position. If I jump across the starter pins, the starter spins but doesn’t engage the Bendix. When I try to start it and the starter makes a click sound but doesn’t seem to engage or spin, the starter gets extremely hot. This is with the new starter in place.
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Monday, April 29th, 2019 AT 11:08 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

That is because you are getting massive voltage drop along the way. The starter motor is only getting about half the voltage it needs to operate properly. You are going to need a new starter solenoid and the wires are going to need to be cleaned up, or better yet replaced. Voltage drop is caused by unwanted resistance in an electrical circuit that takes up voltage for the electrical flow to push past it leaving an under-volt condition when the electricity gets to the load. I have included information explaining voltage drop in the diagrams down below. Please get back to us with how it turns out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, April 29th, 2019 AT 1:48 PM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
It’s a brand new starter and solenoid. Only the wires going to it are old and the starter wires are carrying 12 volts into the solenoid. Can the low voltage to the solenoid from the key cause it the solenoid to not fully engage the starter?
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Monday, April 29th, 2019 AT 1:55 PM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Okay,

I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying earlier about the voltages and where the voltage drop was. So we are both on the same page, I have included for you in the diagrams down below a diagram of the connections on the starter. The one I want you to get a reading on with your multimeter is connection X1. I need the voltage there when the engine is cranking, please. I have also included another Starting Circuit Wiring Diagram, which I will include every time we test something new, with the pin that we are testing highlighted. Let's test this one and see where we are at.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, April 29th, 2019 AT 10:18 PM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
I’m sorry it’s taken so long, I’ve been out of town for work. The voltage is 11.4 when the key is in the start position. When I check voltage from the battery to the solenoid it shows 11.4 volts. But again, if I check from the solenoid to the starter while the key is in the start position it only shows 4.5 volts. I’m thinking my starter is bad?
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Sunday, May 5th, 2019 AT 9:23 AM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
And it’s new. I guess it’s back to AutoZone again.
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Sunday, May 5th, 2019 AT 9:25 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Is the solenoid built into the starter?

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Sunday, May 5th, 2019 AT 9:37 AM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
But here’s something odd. Every time I try it with everything hooked up, as soon as I let off the key the wipers go through one cycle. Even though the wipers are turned off.
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Sunday, May 5th, 2019 AT 9:39 AM
Tiny
THATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Yes, the solenoid and starter are one assembly.
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Sunday, May 5th, 2019 AT 9:40 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Yes. It sounds to me like the solenoid has a lot of unwanted resistance in it. 4.5 volts to the armature is not going to be enough to turn your motor.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, May 6th, 2019 AT 2:43 AM

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