98 tahoe having to replace starter every year to year and a half?

[Shatcher0428]

I am posting this for a friend, he has a 98 chevy tahoe, and is having to replace his starter yearly, to year and a half. says he has done it for nearly 10 years. Bought the starter from local parts store and has liftetime warranty, but I find this really hard to believe he has to change it yearly. Anyone had a problem like this or has any suggestion that I can help him with. Thanks!

 

[Doubeleive]

I am posting this for a friend, he has a 98 chevy tahoe, and is having to replace his starter yearly, to year and a half. says he has done it for nearly 10 years. Bought the starter from local parts store and has liftetime warranty, but I find this really hard to believe he has to change it yearly. Anyone had a problem like this or has any suggestion that I can help him with. Thanks!

use NEW bigger cables to the starter, bigger power wire, bigger better ground. or add a ground, could be getting burned up.
otherwise there could be environmental reasons? does this person traverse water often? do farming? vehicle subjected to extremes for some reason?
are these starters being bench tested after removal? or is just loosing connection (person assumes the starter died) and when the cables are reconnected to new one it creates a new connection and the new starter works

 

[the 18th letter]

I would say inspect the teeth on the flywheel. My 99 was eating them for a while and that’s what turned out to be the issue.

 

[Eman85]

I guess the first question should be what is wrong that he is replacing starters so often? Do they failing to activate? Are they grinding? I have been very fortunate through the years to have local starter/alternator rebuilders nearby. The factory starter rebuilt has always been better than lifetime warranty repros. Diagnose the problem first. 10 years of replacing starters I would have thrown the lifetime warranty one away.

 

[Hoesgottaeat2]

...what is wrong that he is replacing starters so often?...

^^^^^This^^^^^

 

[exp500]

As the above posters great advice. Ohm check battery cables.Inspect ring gear, test removed starter to help determine cause.
And what I consider the number !- Find a different parts store!

 

[Caddylack]

A lot of “bad” starters are really just clogged with grease.

Any chance he has a major fluid leak that keeps soaking the starter?

 

[OR VietVet]

"G", all the above.