An ODD 3.8 starter issue ????

Starts fine when it has been running but cold start ... it will jsta click many times before the starter engages ? No loose wires or connections I can see .....

Double check the battery terminal cable connections both ends.

As you know clicking is inadequate voltage at the starter. What Stump said clean all the large cables/terminals/connections & if that don't do it clean the ground paths. Are you sure the battery is good/charged?

Likely the contacts in the starter are worn out, cheap on ebay and easy to change. If you wait too long something really cool happens... contacts weld together, starter sticks on and tears up flywheel, or you shut engine off and it cranks till battery dies or starter and wiring burn up. A wise person with a clicky mini starter would carry a wrench to disconect the battery.

Thx stumpster .. I’ll double check when I get it on the ramps at my shop

RR .... that’s what I initially thought too .... but there is no appearance of any loss or voltage .... it will do the solid clicks THEN when it hits its a solid spinning the starter. The battery is a newer Wally World 5 year piece.

Wow ... I’ll be prepared !! Thx for that tip.

Any tips on changing these contacts ? This kit available at a local parts store ? I have ZERO experience with this starter ...

Remove starter, pretty simple, just remove the solenoid cap, no need to mess with the motor part. I think advance auto has a kit, utube has videos.

This kit covers covers Toyota tooooooo??!!

I ain't done it (yet) but there was something about that if you rotate the round copper contact in the solenoid to fresh metal that it will be good to go for a long time.

Gotta be honest RR .... never had ANY TYPE of starter apart !

another thing to check is the starter relay in the underhood fuse box. try switching a relay from another [known good working] position. this, at least, will show if the relay is possibly taking a dump.
there is a diagnostic tree in the FSM that shows how to test the wiring at the starter relay position.
i have had a couple of caRRoT vans have had the same issues as you are experiencing. one, the relay was bad, the other had a bad wire connection, causing the relay to not function.
have had a ton of starter contactors over the years act up and burn/pit/weld together. they are easy to change.

Thx mopX ..... I was thimking about that relay in the back of my mind .... sure is a simple test IN FACT the last time I was at the JY I grabbed much of the contents of two fuse boxes out of two vans.

In Yurr experiences ... what failure happens most ? Those words WELD and BURN are scary when it comes to electrical issues !

With a denso starter, if it is clicking, put an ear or hand on it, it is not the relay, contacts are about shot.

usually, the contacts replaced will cure your problem DoC.
they get pitted and burnt from the amperage needed to spin the starter over when voltage is applied.
your carrot van is not ready to burn down [yet].

Back when we had a couple 94 & 95 Intrepids, we changed the contacts on the Desno starters a lot. It got to the point we would drop the strater out, pull the contacts out, file them flat again, reinstall the contacts and then reinstall the starter. All was good for another year. We got 5 or 6 years and nearly 250K miles out of each of those Intrepids. Only issues were the starter contacts and those stupid inner tie rod rubber bushings.
I probably have a set of the old starter contacts in a drawer somewhere around here. Gene

It’s NOT the relay .... so it’s a lifetime warranty starter off eBay from Kentucky it is !

I would have gotten it locally BUT at almost twice the money ? .... not this guy - I’m cheaper than a Hoe truck driver from New Yack !

Why THANKX mopX ! ..... yet !

If I knew more about the innards of said starter I’d pull it apart and tweak those contacts .... and if this Kentucky starter comes in on time ... I’ll do some investigation of same on the old one .

Thx pb ..... if my other vehicle was roadworthy.....I would pop that old starter out and give that a shot. My Chrysler 200 is waiting on inner fender shields ... so the CarrotVan is my only daily driver now.

once you tear into your old starter, you will quickly find out just how EaSy those contacts are to replace.

Doc open it up, you'll be OK

I think we used to be able to buy the contacts at NAPA back in the day, they were pretty cheap. Gene

pb... I called the local Napa ... no luck. I wish the other car was road worthy and I WOULD pull that starter out and apart.

Thx for the tips guys

Make sure you have your "help I can,'t get up" button around yer nEcK

Thx fer the suggestion iTiS .... mopX is sending me a starter ... it should be here in 3 days .... so you send me your IVE FALLEN AND CANT GET UP alarm switch that you wore when you got stuck in the New Yack snow drift !

I have no doubt it is the contacts on your car but I have had problems with the new cars having bad ground cables. Especially the ones with the battery in the trunk like the Chargers.

If you suspect it to be a bad ground cable it is easy to diagnose. Put a Jumper cable from a good ground, like the shock tower ground, to the engine on a metal bracket, like the Alternator or power steering. If the problem goes away your set. Often the ground from the body to the engine is behind the engine. It gets corroded easily and isn't easy to see.

Just food for thought on some of the newer stuff with tiny ground wires.

Thx U R ! ... I’ll check that out !!

Btw .... when it rains IT POURS !

Fedex dropped the ball BIG TIME ! The box was beat up and EMPTY of any contents!

And they KNEW THIS when the package arrived in Ocala on Thursday!!!

i inspected the contacts in the starter i sent DoC, and someone's been in there before, as the contacts are almost NEW !
however, i screwed up and forgot to include include an "adapter wire" for the solenoid, as this starter is a 97, and his is an 05.
the exciter wire connection changed in 2000. i don't like to hack on original harness ends unless absolutely necessary.
when i make these "adapters", i use factory ends and marine shrink wrap, so it is just a "plug-n-play", no hassle, no problame-o deal, and a swap over at any time is possible.
sorry 'bout that DoC.

So what does FUDEX have to say now??

Many THX to X of coder ! ... to hopefully end this roller coaster!

iTiS ..... it was kind of approved by the customer service rep that they - Elmer FUDex - lol - would pick up the cost of OVERNIGHTing a replacement but I hit ANUTTER stone wall with the sellers ... THEY needed to call FEDex to do this.

I’ll post a cut a cut and paste of their response... again - it’s obvious to me that their FIRST LANGUAGE is not English!

Oh my goodness !!

Oh my goodness X 999 ... !!

It is NOT a post office issue AT ALL ... it is still at the Fedex depot in Ocala. It has never been in USPS custody.

Wait ANUTTER 4 days for investigation THEN ANOTHER 10 days for delivery ?

Can you believe this ?

if you don't get my starter in 10 days, i'll eat it.
[anyone know what alUminEum tastes like ? ]