First major issue with my truck....

when this problem first cropped up, the first service call, the guy did try to jump the solenoid, and nothing happened. So we've singled out the batteries, its cables and the solenoid. checking and/or replacement of the starter is the next (actually should have been the first) logical choice. Trained mechanics at a Kenworth dealership should have done that......that is unless they just dont care about doing quality work and churning trucks in and out as fast as they can just to make as much money as they can.

 

you've have/had herpies? i dont understand what you're saying....and i sure wouldnt advertise it on a public forum. that kind of stuff i'd rather keep private.

 

yeah, when i say nothing happened, i mean nothing...no clicking, no whirring of the starter, nothing...no noise from the starter, or anything. just like when i turn the key without the jump.

if the solenoid is bad, can you explain how the engine starts after being pulled forward (first time) and rolling forward (the 2nd time) and it starts just fine?? Actually, as i think of it, it happened a 3rd time, unhooking from an MT trailer at the Salt Lake City Costco after my run to Ogden. I dropped the airbags, released my parking brake and rolled out from under the trailer a foot or two, and hit the ignition, and presto. Seems to me the starter has a bad spot.

and when i say 'rolling forward', i'm saying just that. i'm not trying to pop the clutch to get it started. if the flywheel had some missing teeth (like some truckers) then when i hit that bad spot on the flywheel, i'd hear some grinding from the pinion trying to engage the flywheel, or i'd hear the starter spinning said pinion with nothing on the flywheel to 'grab'. if the solenoid was bad, i'd hear some clicking or whining.

i dont know exactly....hence i'm not calling myself a mechanic. all i know is that if a dealership says "i think we found the problem"....then the exact same problem crops up....they didnt fix the cause for said problem. Might still have been something that needed fixing, but it wasnt the solution. But hey, thats how the whole racket works, right? why fix the problem when you can put a band-aid on it, and get them to come back in....

 

well guess what.....same problem, and this time i cannot get it started. Wasnt able to roll forward, but tried to roll backward and it wouldnt start like i've been able to get it started.

talking to on road, and the guy tells me that he can call the edwardsville shop out, change the starter and file a claim under 'in house' warranty.

i took off my battery cover, jiggled all the wires i could find, made sure the battery connections were tight, and nothing. Currently waiting for the shop to come out with a starter.....

but i forget, some of you super truckers who've been driving for 80 years are now going to tell me i should be a frickin' ASE certified mechanic to be able to diagnose and fix any and every problem that crops up, huh?

 

tried it. least its the closest thing that looks like a starter near the flywheel. But just to make REDD and whoever else happy, i'll pretend i got on my hands and knees, crawled under the truck and was upset that i couldnt find a sticker that said "starter"...so i really dont know.