My jeep was parked at the airport for 2 days. When I got back it wouldn't start. Climbed underneath to see the starter since it sounded like it was getting stuck there and saw the plastic clip broken off of the slide on spade terminal connection. Unplugged that and plugged it back on while also moving the heat shield over slightly. It started right up. Woke up the next morning and it wouldn't start. Had a friend start it while I was underneath and I saw an electrical arc coming from the top bolt every time. Unscrewed the top nut off the stud and put it back on and moved the heat shield and it started right up. Its almost a year old brand new AC Delco Professional starter. While I was re-seating the nut the stud appears to wobble back and fourth (see video). So a few questions here.....

1. Is that plastic piece necessary to stop an arc from the spade to the heat shield? If needed, can it be fixed simply by heat shrinking the spade terminal onto the connection and also doing the wire about 2-3 inches back? I'd be worried you would need a automotive grade heat shrink since its so close to the exhaust but then again you have to heat that stuff up.

2. What would cause the top bolt to arc unless the heat shield being on backwards (or incorrectly) was causing that to happen? Could the fact that the stud is wobbly be the cause of the arch? When the nut is tight it is no longer is wobbly. Is this covered under the ACDelco 1 year warranty or are they just going to tell me someone over torqued the nut?

3. What are the chances the dealer broke both the plastic clip and over torqued the nut when they changed the torque converter in my transmission in September? It would appear that you would have to remove the starter in order to complete that job and its just really unlikely that I over torqued that bolt. Especially since I did that job around Christmas of last year. I definitely remember the plastic clip being slightly cracked so I put some aluminum tape around the plastic to keep it from breaking. I figured at first it could have finally melted off or something but the over torquing of the bolt seems like something only the idiots there could do. You can see the burn marks on the heat shield where the spade terminal looks like it was touching.

Thanks for the help and suggestions. Please don't write make the dealer do it. I will try that but I am leaving for a trip thanksgiving week and I don't want to have them rush it right now. Besides I have brought back the torque converter repair job back to them three times but they still cannot get the seal to stop leaking. The last time they did almost get it but now it looks like it is leaking from the upper oil pan gasket. It's nonstop with these people. If the starter is still good, or I can return it, and I can just use shrink tubing to fix the spade, I'll do that combo for now to get me through the trip. Then I'll have them do it all at once and demand a rental car.

 

 

Starter does have to be removed because the bolts run through it and into the bellhousing. O'Reilly covered mine with a broken stud under their lifetime warranty, but I think that experience will vary by salesman. Also, the shiny tape on the spade connector shouldn't be there. If you give that a cover, does it still arc? I don't recall my taco (cover for the starter) being able to move much as it was bolted down from the front. That being said, I also don't think it was flush to the bellhousing at the top either. I was just in there this past weekend.

 

Thanks for the response. I will try and warranty the starter but I got it on Rock Auto so of course it might be a little difficult. The shiny tape (aluminum tape) I put on thinking maybe the wire was frayed in that area and that was what was causing the arch. Just kinda thinking quick fix as I got off of my flight at the airport parking. I will take it off tonight. The taco cover was definitely put on incorrectly by the dealer. It goes underneath a bolt for sure.

The pictures you are looking at right now are of me moving the taco shield around and then undoing all of the nuts and wiring and putting it back together. What you see is what I am currently running with and as of right now the problem is solved. The jeep starts every time. I guess my question would be do I trust the starter? I have a spare mopar with about 100k on it. I guess I will have to leave that and some tools in the JK just in case it goes out on me.

Any advice about the heat shrink tubing in that area?

 

I don't have any advice on heat shrink in that area. I know they take a substantial amount of fairly direct heat to melt but I don't see why a standard heat shrink wouldn't work. I can't recall, is there a wire loom that used to be there also? Maybe do some wire loom over your fix and the loom can be sacrificial but also a quick visual check if the cat is too hot for that wire.

 

For hot areas I like self-fusing silicone tape. Goes on like electrical tape, but there's no adhesive -- It just bonds to itself and it's rated for higher temperatures. It's usually in hardware stores and marketed as a universal fix-it tape for cheaper than the high-quality electrical version. A handy item to keep in the Jeep tool bag.

 

The wire currently has a mesh around it I think to help with the heat. The spade terminal is supposed to be surrounded by plastic on all 4 sides with a clip slide on and off. I went back to the dealer today also because I had a buddy who knows jeeps pretty well take a look at my drive shafts today and he confirmed what I was thinking, they are both in need of replacement. The front Rzeppa joint boot is torn and slinging grease and my read Rzeppa joint is distorted and missing a bolt on the diff connection side and also slinging grease.

This should be a fun trip to the dealer for lifetime powertrain warranty work.

 

Make sure you check behind them on the driveshaft bolts. They require blue loctite otherwise they may start to back out. I think the spec is 15 ft/lbs. Teraflex is now shipping their rzeppa rebuild with red loctite on the smaller bolts with a vial of blue for the larger front ds bolts at the axle.

 

So far they have only been able to look at the drive shafts for me. They haven't got to the starter yet. I also have them checking into the passenger side upper oil pan gasket leak I have going on.

The front drive shaft is in stock. The rear appears to be on a nationwide back order. So my question is.....should I roll the dice and go on a trip with the vehicle with a beat up rear driveshaft?

 

Wait a minute....you can see that im missing a bolt. Would they have to drop either the front or rear drive shaft to do a torque converter? Both driveshafts are missing a bolt.