Need help

[sjmccausley]

hey guys my truck is a 87 with the 2.0 and its been cranking fine but yesterday it started making this buzzing noise when the key is turned, the noise is coming from the passenger side fender under the hood, the picture shows what im talking about, and the arrow points to what i think it is, mainly just what to know what the heck that stuff is

 

[Mark_88]

The buzzing noise is usually caused by a low battery...it just doesn't have enough juice to crank the starter.

The obvious things to check would be the battery voltage (should be 12 to 14 volts to crank), the battery connections (should be tight and clean...if loose, tighten them and if dirty take them apart, clean them up good with a wire brush and/or sandpaper and spray them with something like liquid silicone)...try jumping the battery or jump starting the truck and if it starts right away then you may either have run down the battery or it is slowly dying.

Check all connections on the starter also...usually if there is a bad connection you won't even get the buzzing sound...so that is probably not the immediate problem...

There are a few maintenance items under your hood that need to be kept up...the main one being the battery connections...your alternator may not be able to fully charge the battery if they are loose or dirty and that can lead to the situation you find yourself in...

And if you happen to have a spare alternator bracket (the aluminum one that bolts to the engine head) let me know because mine broke a few years ago and I am looking for a replacement to buy...

 

[RonD]

The part next to your arrowed part is the starter solenoid, the one with all the wires.

That is what is probably making the noise.
It is, in essence, a high amperage relay, and can wear out, so contacts can't close, that causes a buzzing sound when trying to start.

Disconnect Neg on battery then check that the solenoid is grounded, unscrew it from the fender and then clean it and reattach it, without a good ground it can't operate properly.

For the next test MAKE SURE TRUCK IS IN PARK OR NEUTRAL!!!!!!!!!

Connect battery back up
Use a screw driver to short between the two larger studs with the large wires, starter motor should turn over.
If it does replace solenoid.
If it doesn't then either cables are dirty, battery is low or starter is bad.
But it is almost always the solenoid.

 

[sjmccausley]

ok ill try all that tomorrow, and no sorry i dont have any spare parts yet ive only had the truck two weeks and my ignition switch doesnt need a key to start the truck i bought a replacement but never replaced one before, i have no clue what im doing there, but i am guessing i have to pull the steering wheel also

 

[Insanejughead]

No. In order to get the ignition cylinder changed, you only have to remove the shroud that covers the top and lower half of the steering column.

Once the shroud is off, you'll have to turn the key to the "on" position. Then you'll need a small, thin screwdriver (or long, skinny nail) to push in a detent through a hole on the bottom of the column. Look around, it's there, and once you push in on the detent, the key and ignition cylinder should slide right out.

 

[sjmccausley]

thanks for the help guys, it was the starter solenoid. and thanks insane, i now have a properly functioning ignition switch so i wont keep running my battery dead

 

[Insanejughead]

Glad to be of help, man.