Starter Solenoid

[KevinCowTown]

Whenever it got rainy and I went to start my truck (85 K2500), once I rolled the key into "start" the starter would spin up... and wouldn't stop. Take the key out the ignition - it's still running the starter (but, of course, with the key out it wouldn't start). Put the key in, jiggle it, hope for the best. It'd keep going until either the truck started or I pulled the battery cable.

But only when it was rainy. Then it started happening at random. Then it was all the time.

Google told me that my solenoid was not working so I stopped at the NAPA on my way home from work and picked one up... and it was a pricey $80.

Took it home, pulled the starter off, pulled the solenoid off that and ("sh*t", I said to myself, in a calm and reasonable voice) the new solenoid wouldn't fit. The plunger on the starter was bigger than the hole in the solenoid.

Back to NAPA.

Looking up the right part, it occurred to me that if the old solenoid was going, the old starter was probably right behind it... so I asked for a price on a new complete starter (with solenoid). $130.

OK, says I, that's a deal. And I go put that on the old truck.

Holy Cow. I used to have to talk to that truck when I started it.

I'd be like "come on General, let's get going" and she'd be all "wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wait, I don't want to yet". And we'd wait a second and then have another try. I was thinking about putting a second battery in there.

Now? It's like I supercharged that starter. That thing starts like a champ. Betcha I could put a remote starter on it.

So, for what it's worth, in my newly formed opinion - if your solenoid is 5/8ths of the cost of a complete starter you should just replace the whole thing.

That's all I got.