I'm sure I already know the answer.....

Upon starting and/or the attempt to do so I have a few issues. I either get a loud clicking w/ no start(battery is 1 week old) or a loud whine/hum that I am almost certain is coming from my starter. To get the whine/hum to quit I have to cut the engine/ignition off and the sound quits with a slight delay.

I assume this is my starter telling me to hurry up and replace it?
Also, I know where the starter is and I've looked at the service manual about this issue....Is this a rather simple job to complete and should I devote a day off to doing this or can it be done some evening after dinner?

I have NEVER had to replace a starter on ANY vehicle I have owned so any help would be great.

 

IMHO it is a simple replacement, although i have alot of hood time under the belt.. Peer through your drivers side wheel well (Or get down and look) and see what your getting yourself into. It's always a safe practice to devote a day to a project for those "Just Incase" issue so you dont short yourself on paitience.

 

clicking and no start is caused by a bad or loose battery. If it is new and still charged, triple check your terminal connections. That's the problem. Not tight and down good without corrosion.

If the battery is already dead from being loosely connected, it will need charged prior to using.

If everything is super tight, the NEW battery is BAD.

Now with that said, you described two issues: the clicks (battery) and the hum/whirl which is a starter not engaging. Fix the battery first and see if that takes care of it. If not, starter needs to be replaced due to not engaging. Search here or elsewhere for detailed DIY how to's. I believe there is one here with great photos too.

IndyDurango

 

You are correct. I should have been a little more clear. Checking tightness and such has been done. I do not get the loud click every time, sometimes it starts up with NO indication of a problem. Other times it will start but the loud whine/hum is there as well. The more I ask around and think, it seems to me that the starter is not falling out after the engine is running. I believe it is getting stuck in the "engaged" position. For me to get the sound to quit I have to cut the ignition off.

However I am still concerned with the battery thing. I am still "tinkering" around to make sure that what I believe to be the starter going is my ONLY problem right now.

Thanks a bunch for your help

 

If the battery connections are clean and tight and you have had the battery load tested to ensure the battery is good then most likely it sounds like a solenoid/starter. My last one did the same thing and the OEM one before that.

Starter is about $120 over at Auto Zone and comes with a lifetime warranty. Although it is a rebuild and everyone knows I hate rebuilds. If you can find a brand new for about the same price then I would go there, but for the cost and you get the life time warranty then worse thing is replacement after about/or approx. 50k

Here is a DIY I did on a 1998 5.9L:

Starter

Starter Replacement on the 5.9L and 5.2L and Starter Diagnostic Techniques.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen-...-and-5-2l.html
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen-...ck-in-and.html