Slow cranking

[reubj]

For the past couple of months I have been having sporadic slow starting. By that I mean the cranking speed is slow. Normally I would blame a low battery but the battery is less than a year old and this event happens sporadically. 80% of the time the cranking speed is normal. I have the upgraded Kelly’s cables. Could this condition be a starter going bad?

Thanks.

[metrictonner]

Battery age has nothing to do with it.  Stick a hydrometer in your battery and see if it is charged...and full of electrolyte.  I think you had it right the first time.

[Jeepman]

Double check the Battery Connections because a loose cable connection will cause this problem as well...

[onlyinajeep726]

Edit:  Nevermind... read the description of the problem wrong...

[HOrnbrod]

Most likely it's the starter going bad since it sounds like you have eliminated the battery and mains cables. Especially if you still have the original starter. Possible causes of intermittent slow starter turnover / dragging include:

 

Worn brushes:  Over time the brushed get worn down and can make poor intermittent contact with the commutator. These are pretty easy to replace if you can solder.

 

Worn end bushings:  Also over time the end bushings can get "egged out" causing the armature shaft to get wobble and get cocked. The armature shaft can then scrape or drag inside slowing the turnover rate.

 

Oil Leaks:  Oil dripping on the starter will eventually cause poor brush connections and/or solenoid circuit impedance resulting in slow turnover.

 

You can try to disassemble the starter, clean it up, and replace the brushes if worn down. Back in the day that's what you always did first before replacing. If the end bearings show wear and/or you can see visible scrape marks caused by a wobbling armature shaft, you might as well just replace it. I also experience slow turnover, but very rarely. I still have the original starter so it's not unexpected.

[Minuit]

I've been chasing a similar issue and it's been getting worse recently but for a few days went away entirely so I thought I had it fixed. I'm over a hundred miles from most of my tools but I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread.

[Roost426]

Oil Leaks:  Oil dripping on the starter will eventually cause poor brush connections and/or solenoid circuit impedance resulting in slow turnover.

 

 

This is what was the demise of mine I believe. When I went to change it was totally caked in old oil/gunk. The crank speed kept getting slower and slower until there was nothing.

 

[reubj]

Not long ago I had an issue with anti-freeze dripping / soaking it. I removed it and cleaned up the exterior but did not attempt replacing the brushes. Maybe it's time to replace it before cold weather sets in.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

[big66440]

I had the same problem last week with my comanche, I separated the terminals from the battery cables themselves and cut the cables a few inches to expose some new cable, cleaned the terminals and tightened them up really good, sprayed both connectors and my starter with WD40 (I started doing that after I washed my engine) and the problem hasn't been back.

[cruiser54]

Not long ago I had an issue with anti-freeze dripping / soaking it. I removed it and cleaned up the exterior but did not attempt replacing the brushes. Maybe it's time to replace it before cold weather sets in.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Take it apart and clean/lube/inspect it. Super easy. 

[reubj]

 

Not long ago I had an issue with anti-freeze dripping / soaking it. I removed it and cleaned up the exterior but did not attempt replacing the brushes. Maybe it's time to replace it before cold weather sets in.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Take it apart and clean/lube/inspect it. Super easy. 

 

I'll check it out this weekend.