That's what I thought. So there is not voltage regulator between the battery and the starter, the solenoid takes care of that, correct? The aftermarket starter was a Mitsubishi......
So I got a ride home from a friend and gave it a try, got the nasty bad electrical part noise. Had my friend jump to turn it over so I could listen in the engine compartment to confirm the noise came from the starter..... and she turned it once and it started like a dream, six times.... Sheesh! Watch it not start when I get in it to go to work tomorrow morning. When it started the battery read fully charged, so yeah I'm pretty sure it's the starter too. I'll replace it unless anyone else has any other diagnostic tricks for me to try.
I still consider my truck more reliable than any of the boyfriends I've had... :rotf: I know how to figure out what's wrong with my truck!
Thanks Eagle and ComancheKid 45!
Marie, why don't you click on the link in my signature and do Tips 1 through 5?
Good preventative maintenance on an old rig and you can avoid issues in the future.