Rookie Starting Question

[jetdrvr393]

We have a Universal M25 and occasionally on the first start of the day I will engage the starter button and just hear a click like the solenoid is not working properly. The engine won't turn over or anything. When this happens I will reengage the glow plug a bit longer, try again and then she fires right up no problem. I have not had this problem other than on the first start of the day. This is my first diesel, am I doing something wrong or do I have a starter going bad?

Thanks

[MitchM]

before you worry about a starter/strter solenoid going, i think you might be losing volts from the battery into the starter & solenoid by longterm corrosion buildup in the wiring. try cleaning the connections from battery into starter& solenoid with sandpaper, then apply a dielectric grease. also make sure you have a clean main ground on the engine , remove the fat black ground cable and clean the end with the hole in it til it's bright shiny copper color. then clean off the connection post where the heavy battery ground sits on the engine. if you have a voltmeter, you can set it to volts, put the red probe on the bolt carrying the wire into the strtr solenoid and the black 'COM' ground lead onto the engine black ground , then measure volts coming into the starter solenoid. check that voltage against what your main battery voltage is across the battery terminals. if there is a big volt drop from your battery into your starter solenoid, say 13.6 at the batery but only 12.5 into t he starter solenoid, that volt drop is likely your problem. sometimes there will be another large volt drop when there is a key start system in the cockpit, as the battery + voltage has to run up the wire into the key switch then back down into the start solenoid. that voltage drop alone can also cause starting problems , so clean off the start switch terminals on back of the cockpit panel where the + from the battery is coming into the key, then out of the key switch. might be time to buy a $15 voltmeter and go to town with it....

[jetdrvr393]

Thanks for the advice, I never even thought of that. I will get a voltmeter and check it out. One question though, when I have been starting and having these issues, I have been connected to shore power and have a battery charger system installed.