Did my solenoid just die??? Listen to this unbelievable story

[NCtrueconservative]

I drive the chally up on ramps to change my tie rods.  Get them changed in an hour, and I'm pleased.  I wanna take it up the road just for a test drive, so I get in the car to back it off the ramps, turn the key and nothing.  I have lights and everything, but there is not a clicking, whining, or spinning sound.  Absolutely nothing.  So my dad crawls under the car and checks the starter by shorting it for just a second and it works.  He makes sure the connections are good on the starter and everything.  He says the solenoid may be bad, it may not be turning the starter.  I don't understand how it just worked 2 seconds ago when I pulled it up on the ramps!!!! So I check with Advance Auto Parts and it is basically the same price to buy a brand new starter for my 340, as it is to just buy a solenoid.  Meanwhile, we cant get the starter out from underneath the car.  We take the solenoid off and get it out, but the starter is too big to get in between the headers and the engine, and it won't come out any other way.  This is a small starter too that I think my mechanic put on for the exact reason that my Hooker headers didn't leave much room.  So I run to Advance and get the starter...It's huge!!!!! Way bigger than the small one I have on my car. Dad has unhooked the headers collector from the rest of the exhaust, thinking it will sag enough to get the starter out....it didn't sag enough    So we start unbolting the headers from the block but it starts to get dark on us and those bolts are SO DANG HARD to get to, they are so close to the header pipes themselves.  So I think what I'm going to have to do is find out who makes those small starters (anyone know?  Like I say, my mechanic put this one on).  After I get one of those small starters, I'm going to have to take the solenoid off and put it on my existing starter that is now laying in between my oil pan and exhaust.  Are we right in thinking this is the problem?? Like I say it had been firing up fine forever and I had just pulled it up on the ramps less than an hour before I tried starting it again!  Unbelievable....one minute I'm pleasantly surprised by how easy those tie rod ends went in, and the next I am trying to take my headers off in order to drop the starter!!!!!!  What the heck has happened?! And where do you get a starter for a 340 that is small enough to get in there?

[Bullitt-]

The last several Bad Starter threads I've read turned out to be bad battery, bad connection, bad starter relay, bad cable, neutral tranny switch not engaged......But No Bad Starters, of course yours could be the exception. . 

[06Daytona]

Check the starter relay on the left inner fender by the battery. I had a similar problem with my Cuda and it turned out that it was bad.

[NCtrueconservative]

But since he shorted the starter and the car started, wouldn't that mean it was getting power to the starter?

[Bullitt-]

But since he shorted the starter and the car started, wouldn't that mean it was getting power to the starter?

The starter relay makes the same connection when energized, follow the cables & it will make sense.   You should also be able to short the two lugs on the relay and it will crank.

[PlumCraZRT]

But since he shorted the starter and the car started, wouldn't that mean it was getting power to the starter?

Power is getting to the starter, but not necessarily to the relay.  I agree, the neutral tranny switch is bad or the relay is.

http://www.moparaction.com/tech/archive/roadside.html

[73Chally]

Could also be a loose wire going into the plug under the dash from the column.  I had the same symptoms and that was it.

[footin70rt]

Once again I would not overlook the bulkhead connector, it doesn't take much "green death" to keep the power from flowing. That is of course if the relay on the left fender is working. I've had Mopars fo over 30yrs and only replaced 1 starter.

[challengermaniac]

Just had a similar problem and it was my Neutral Safety Switch.

[jimynick]

You can pretty well rule out the actual starter from the sound of it. The starter apparently has power to it and the solenoid works if manually tripped as your Dad found out. Listen to the man telling you to jump the relay and also see if there is the trigger voltage to it that would normally signal the relay to do it's job. If there's no voltage, go looking at the connectors, which was also suggested. Be glad you don't own an English car- wired by Lucas- prince of darkness. 

[72cudamaan]

I've had column shift cars exhibit the same problems. When the body is torqued,
the shift housing sometimes can twist and not be completely in park or neutral.
Car wont start until shifter is wiggled.

[NCtrueconservative]

alright i will check all of that stuff but we broke the solenoid part that goes into the starter when we were taking it off.  So I gotta get a new solenoid anyway.  Does anyone know where you get those solenoids for those small starters?  I looked on the starter to find a brand but couldnt find one, and it is significantly smaller than the starter i got at the parts store.  I'm just afraid if I order a solenoid from the parts store, it will be for that HUGE style starter instead of the small one I have, but I could be wrong

[spamtank]

I was recently trying to adjust the auto shifter linkage and rand into a similar problem.  I had to adjust the linkage that runs vertical off the bell crank that the shifter hooks to.  That must connect to the steering lock and the ignition switch.

I had my wife helping out by turning the key while I made small adjustments until it finally allowed the key to crank over the engine.

[Bullitt-]

alright i will check all of that stuff but we broke the solenoid part that goes into the starter when we were taking it off.  So I gotta get a new solenoid anyway.  Does anyone know where you get those solenoids for those small starters?  I looked on the starter to find a brand but couldnt find one, and it is significantly smaller than the starter i got at the parts store.  I'm just afraid if I order a solenoid from the parts store, it will be for that HUGE style starter instead of the small one I have, but I could be wrong

What you  have is referred to as a mini or lightweight starter used on V8 & V6s, mostly trucks I guess, from the late 80's till the LA platform was dropped. There are numerous aftermarket sellers but you can get a scrapyard unit or a rebuilt one from the parts stores. I have one from about a '92 V6 on my 340 with hooker headers. Fits & works fine. You would need to know the origin of your starter to be sure and get a compatible part.   

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/starters.html   

[footin70rt]

I bought a brand new mini starter from NAPA for $106, part#4N6415. Fits a '94 Dakota with a 5.2. Would have been about the same price for a reman when I added the core charge on. And it has a lifetime warranty. Make sure you keep the receipt just in case, I was able to warranty the alternator for my Suburban after 14yrs!