Hi everyone...

After looking through the site for the past couple of days and not finding my exact problem, I figured I'd try to explain the issue I'm having with my 2002 Dakota 4.7L V8.

For the past couple of months, I've been having an odd starter quirk that seems to happen randomly. Sometimes when I go to start the truck, I'll turn the key, all the accessories come on, I can hear the fuel pump do its thing, but all I'll get from the starter is a 'click'.

I can sit and keep turning the key and at some point the truck turns over and runs without any issues. I haven't noticed any type of pattern to this issue; hot, cold, wet, dry... doesn't seem to matter. However it seems to be happening more often than it used to.

Here is some more info on my truck:

2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7L V8 Auto
70k Miles
I've owned it since late 2004 when it had 15k on it, and to my knowledge all the parts are originals. I've only done regular fluid/filter changes, changed plugs and wires, and swapped out brake pads and rotors.

I'm hoping some of you on the forums here can point me in the right direction before I start changing out parts randomly. At the moment, I'm leaning towards either a bad solenoid or the starter going out.

Thanks for any assistance!!

 

I don't know the configuration of the starter on your truck specifically, but that sounds like a starter solenoid failure.

It may be built into the starter or it may be an external component. I am sure someone else can provide more details, but I am thinking that is your culprit.

 

what about park-neutral switch on the tanny.have you tried moving shift cable alittle or starting in neutral.

 

That's what I've been leaning towards too.


I had a friend suggest that too, but it didn't seem to help.

Thanks for the replies though!!

 

if it were the neutral safety switch I seriously doubt it would even "click" I would look towards a loose wire (most likely a ground) or the solenoid. I wouldn't expect starters are verry much for your truck so you may want to just try replacing the whole thing.

 

Just wondering what you found to be the problem with your intermittent starting problem.
I have a 2001 that is doing the same thing.
I see someone else said their problem was a corroded ground cable on the battery. Were the ground connects to the engine. They simply removed it...cleaned up the ground cable end and where it connects to the engine with sandpaper and now works perfectly.

 

Usually the starter motor gets really filthy from the carbon brushes. The commutator which is the brass bar configuration gets a coating on it that insulates it from the contacting brushes. Also if the starter motor incorporates a contactor, (the thingy that actually gets the 12V and heavy current to the starter motor) gets dirty or worn, it won't turn the engine. What I have done successfully over many years is remove the starter motor, take it apart and clean it up real well. Be careful of the commutator though, use some crocus cloth to clean it up and make sure the bars are separated from each other with a either a plastic tool or real carefully with a small screw driver. Usually a motor such as this as with any motor seldom fail unless a bearing goes bad or winding opens....it don't happen often. The easy way is to replace the starter motor with normally today has a contactor as well as a solenoid built in. Hope this helps.