Truck won’t start…..just clicks

[Dewey]

Sounds like click is down by the starter. In accessory mode everything on the dash works fine and no codes or anything like that. Just drove yesterday and all was fine. No slow cranking or anything like that.

Obviously first thing I checked was the battery since it’s just over 3 years old. Battery at full charge and all seems fine.

Not sure where to look next. I hate electrical issues. Any ideas what else to consider would be GREATLY appreciated.

Can’t come at a worst time. I headed out on a week long fishing trip in a few days.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Did you check battery under load? Can be a bad cell and when under load doesn't pull.

 

[Dewey]

Did you check battery under load? Can be a bad cell and when under load doesn't pull.

Only checked min/max with a multimeter. 12.4 before and drops to 11.6 when trying to start. Motor never turns over, just clicks.

Electrical isn’t my strong point. What’s the best way to check under load?

 

[HemiDude]

I would suggest check for a bad or loose ground at the fender near the battery. Also, pop the fuse cover lid off and make sure none of those major terminals that come in from the side are loose

 

[Dewey]

I would suggest check for a bad or loose ground at the fender near the battery. Also, pop the fuse cover lid off and make sure none of those major terminals that come in from the side are loose

Yep. First things I checked.

Just ordered an H8 AGM battery from Walmart and picking up in a few hours. Already removed the old one while I’m waiting.

I wanna eliminate that first given issues so many have had. The battery has always been in the back of my mind anyway after hearing all the horror stories here. At least that will give me a little peace of mind in the near future.

I’ll update later after I get my battery and see if that even fixes anything.

 

[Dewey]

Well a new battery didn’t fix the problem.

Just a click which sounds like that starter solenoid.

Could it be a be a bad starter?

Any other ideas?

 

[Nascar Tommy]

Well a new battery didn’t fix the problem.

Just a click which sounds like that starter solenoid.

Could it be a be a bad starter?

Any other ideas?

If it is asingle click then starter is a possibility.
Years ago we'd whack them with a hammer while someone else tried to start it and sometimes they would turn over.

 

[HemiDude]

Not a smartass comment, how does your oil look, sure the engine isn’t the culprit?

 

[Dewey]

Not a smartass comment, how does your oil look, sure the engine isn’t the culprit?

Oil and engine is good.

I swapped both starter relay’s with others that are the same. Still no change.

Tapped on the starter like the old days and still nothing.

 

[Dewey]

Good news. Banged on the starter much harder this time and truck started right up and continues to after many more tries.

Guess that tells me the starter is going bad. Hopefully it’s an easy job to do. Looks pretty tight in there.

 

[Dewey]

Looks like I better check this first.

 

[Dewey]

Looks like I better check this first.

This nut was slightly loose and was able to tighten another 1/4 turn. No idea if that was the problem or not.

I’m still tempted to replace the starter for peace of mind but hate to put a remanufactured starter on. Anybody have suggestions for where to get a brand new starter for a decent price? I imagine buying from a dealer will be ridiculous. Lot of Mopar part sites. Not sure which ones are good.

 

[bigdodge]

starter bad.

 

[HemiDude]

This nut was slightly loose and was able to tighten another 1/4 turn. No idea if that was the problem or not.

I’m still tempted to replace the starter for peace of mind but hate to put a remanufactured starter on. Anybody have suggestions for where to get a brand new starter for a decent price? I imagine buying from a dealer will be ridiculous. Lot of Mopar part sites. Not sure which ones are good.

This nut was slightly loose and was able to tighten another 1/4 turn. No idea if that was the problem or not.

I’m still tempted to replace the starter for peace of mind but hate to put a remanufactured starter on. Anybody have suggestions for where to get a brand new starter for a decent price? I imagine buying from a dealer will be ridiculous. Lot of Mopar part sites. Not sure which ones are good.

I have purchased from these guys in the past

OEM Car Parts Store | Bam Wholesale Parts

Looking for car parts and accessories? Brunswick Auto Mart Wholesale offers Genuine OEM Parts and Accessories - Mopar, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

www.bamwholesaleparts.com

 

[Sarzoo]

Prolly Kick starter gone bad.

 

[Dewey]

$299 for an original brand new MOPAR starter from local dealers. All surprisingly have them in stock and are the same exact price.

I can get one from MOPAR Parts online for $243 but want one right away to swap out this weekend before my coming trip.

Remanufactured starters are around $200 or even a bit more but not even gonna mess with them. I prefer factory new. I’ve heard horror stories about remans over the years. Sometimes multiple immediately failing before finding a good one. Don’t want to deal with that right now.

Sucks I have to replace a starter already at 57,000 miles but considering this is the first issue I had in the last 12 years over 3 RAM’s other than regular maintenance I guess I was due. I’ve been very fortunate.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

There is a Mopar site, wish I had link, you can change zip code and check all local dealers for price difference. Which I have seen definite differences.



EDIT: Original Mopar Parts & Accessories | Mopar eStore.

 

[Dewey]

There is a Mopar site, wish I had link, you can change zip code and check all local dealers for price difference. Which I have seen definite differences.



EDIT: Original Mopar Parts & Accessories | Mopar eStore.

That’s the site I was on.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Oh ok. I never knew about it until another member posted.

 

[Quint]

The starter went out on my 2021 Ram back in May. It was the same thing - one click and then nothing. I picked up a remanufactured starter from one of the chain part stores for $215 or so because the two dealerships near me didn't have any OEM starters in stock.

The new starter has been just fine. However, removing and installing the bottom starter bolt sucks. You have to chain together several socket extensions of varying sizes and at least one socket joint to bend around everything. My socket at that point was about 1.5ft long but it finally worked.

Good luck with replacing your starter.