Two days ago I drove home and parked my truck, came back a few minutes later and she wouldn't start. All that I get is the solenoid clicking. Thinking it was my Optima battery which wasn't holding a charge or sulfated, I replaced it, still no difference.
I searched around on the forum and thus tried to see if there were any fuses blown but those I checked were good. Cleaned battery posts & tapped on the solenoid & starter with hammer but still nothing.
She appears to have all interior lights working and headlights too. So I figured the next logical step would be to pull the starter have it checked and replace as needed. Does that sound like a good next step?

 

Assuming you replaced it with a good battery? Did you try to jump start it?

It's normal for interior lights and radio to work with a "dead" battery as it doesn't take anywhere near as much to power those as it does the starter.

Assuming the power/battery is good, there is a starter relay in the fuse box. You can pull the starter down if you want and you can test it yourself but I'm 99% it's fine

 

Electronics is definitely not my specialty. So, how does one test the starter relay? I have a multi-meter but not sure how to use it, but hey Im trying!

 

Oh yeah, is there a recommendation on brand of starter? New vs Rebuilt? Parts store they tend to have the best luck with? As a rule I shoot for "lifetime warranties" when available.

 

Anything with lifetime would be fine. If you have an Advanced Auto Parts locally, google some online discount codes and use them during checkout. You can save a lot of money, pay for it online and pick it up in store.

As for testing the relay, there is info in the Srv Man on how to do that

 

Starter it was! I ended up picking up a Ma-Mopar new unit since the parts guy was willing to beat NAPA's price on a new (not reman) unit. While there isn't the lifetime warrenty, if this one performs as well as the old one I will be happy. Nine years and over 100,000 miles, not to bad.

Thanks everyone!!

 

My 07 Sport had the same problem. I replaced the original battery, still not starting well, it barely started after a cool down. Put in a reman MOPAR starter and it is now OK. The original part # was replaced by reman #. My truck has 64K miles on it.

 

An easy way to test any kind of relay is to use a 9v battery(the rectangular ones ) touch one blade to positive and turn it so the negative hits another, and u will hear a clicking sound If it is good .

 

Well, that was a crazy way of testing relays
The relay can click but that doesnt mean that its working.

And there so many different kind of relays needing signals to "click", like some feulpump relays that gets signal from the crankshaft sensor that the engine is running.

 

a relay has 2 parts.
the coil to pull contacts ...
and contacts...

coil could work.. but the contacts could be bad/burnt.. so click means very little.