(Sorry for the long thread)
I just purchased a 2007 Chevrolet Duramax Diesel about a month ago from Lenz Trucks Center.
The problem:
The following morning after I purchased the truck I went to start it and it made a buzzing sound. The best that I can describe it as is a sound similar to double starting a vehicle. It will make the sound as long as you hold the key to start it. If you let off the key right away it stops, or if you keep the key in the starting position it will keep doing it. (I did capture one incident on video with my point and shoot camera, I will figure out how to put it on you tube or something)
I called Lenz right away and let them know what was happening. It continued to happen at a frequency of nearly once a day to at least every other day. It seems to happen at random times. Sometimes it's extremely cold, sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's humid, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it sat for 13 hours sometimes it sat for 7 minutes. There seems to be no consistency with it.
I brought it in and Lenz "Tested the electrical system and found no problems with the starter or anything else." They tested the batteries and said one was week so they replaced the batteries free of charge. They are covering the work on this since they said the truck comes with a 3 day warranty. They were confident the new batteries would solve the problem......
Of course they didn't!
However, the frequency of the event decreased, it now seemed to do it every couple days (This decrease in frequency may be a coincidence).
Lenz said they need to hear the truck do it (despite me playing the video for them).
So I took it back, this time they kept it for 4 days and gave me a loaner. Of course they couldn't get it to do it, but they did find a "problem". They said that the fuse box above the left front wheel well had mouse damage. They said a mouse got into the truck prior to me buying it and chewed the insulation off a number of wires. They "fixed" the wires and said that should solve the problem, as they believe it is not a problem with the starter but probably some electrical wire.
Well needless to say, 2 days later it did it again. Now it's been 2 weeks since they fixed the wires and it still does it. However, it has happened less, only 5 times now in 2 weeks, but it is still happening. It went 8 or so days without happening once, but it happened twice now in 2 days.
They said they will look at it again but they can't do much if they don't get the problem to occur for them.
I am getting really frustrated because the dealership is 1.5 hours from me and I this will be the third time driving up there for this problem. It is not convenient and costly to keep doing this. Yeah they are fixing it for free, but it is costing me a lot of time and money to keep driving there for an existing problem that should not keep occuring!
I think they are not doing everything they could do since it is on their own dime. If I took this in and was paying for it all, I am sure they would have replaced the starter by now and had me do who knows what else that would cost a lot of money. But they are adamant it is not a starter issue (probably because they would be paying for the replacement).
I am just a newbie, but to me it sounds like the starter is free spooling or whatever you want to call it. Almost like the solenoid is not actuating properly all the time and not fully engaging the starter into the fly wheel. I suppose it could be an electrical problem, but I don't know the details of the starting system.
Another problem could potentially be a worn down spot on the flywheel, but I have no clue what that would sound like.
Every time it does happen, it always starts the second time I try to start it. It has never done it 2 times in a row.
I just don't know what to do and I feel like the dealership is yanking me around on this!
Any ideas on what the problem is?
Thank you in advance and sorry for the long thread!
I just purchased a 2007 Chevrolet Duramax Diesel about a month ago from Lenz Trucks Center.
The problem:
The following morning after I purchased the truck I went to start it and it made a buzzing sound. The best that I can describe it as is a sound similar to double starting a vehicle. It will make the sound as long as you hold the key to start it. If you let off the key right away it stops, or if you keep the key in the starting position it will keep doing it. (I did capture one incident on video with my point and shoot camera, I will figure out how to put it on you tube or something)
I called Lenz right away and let them know what was happening. It continued to happen at a frequency of nearly once a day to at least every other day. It seems to happen at random times. Sometimes it's extremely cold, sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's humid, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it sat for 13 hours sometimes it sat for 7 minutes. There seems to be no consistency with it.
I brought it in and Lenz "Tested the electrical system and found no problems with the starter or anything else." They tested the batteries and said one was week so they replaced the batteries free of charge. They are covering the work on this since they said the truck comes with a 3 day warranty. They were confident the new batteries would solve the problem......
Of course they didn't!
However, the frequency of the event decreased, it now seemed to do it every couple days (This decrease in frequency may be a coincidence).
Lenz said they need to hear the truck do it (despite me playing the video for them).
So I took it back, this time they kept it for 4 days and gave me a loaner. Of course they couldn't get it to do it, but they did find a "problem". They said that the fuse box above the left front wheel well had mouse damage. They said a mouse got into the truck prior to me buying it and chewed the insulation off a number of wires. They "fixed" the wires and said that should solve the problem, as they believe it is not a problem with the starter but probably some electrical wire.
Well needless to say, 2 days later it did it again. Now it's been 2 weeks since they fixed the wires and it still does it. However, it has happened less, only 5 times now in 2 weeks, but it is still happening. It went 8 or so days without happening once, but it happened twice now in 2 days.
They said they will look at it again but they can't do much if they don't get the problem to occur for them.
I am getting really frustrated because the dealership is 1.5 hours from me and I this will be the third time driving up there for this problem. It is not convenient and costly to keep doing this. Yeah they are fixing it for free, but it is costing me a lot of time and money to keep driving there for an existing problem that should not keep occuring!
I think they are not doing everything they could do since it is on their own dime. If I took this in and was paying for it all, I am sure they would have replaced the starter by now and had me do who knows what else that would cost a lot of money. But they are adamant it is not a starter issue (probably because they would be paying for the replacement).
I am just a newbie, but to me it sounds like the starter is free spooling or whatever you want to call it. Almost like the solenoid is not actuating properly all the time and not fully engaging the starter into the fly wheel. I suppose it could be an electrical problem, but I don't know the details of the starting system.
Another problem could potentially be a worn down spot on the flywheel, but I have no clue what that would sound like.
Every time it does happen, it always starts the second time I try to start it. It has never done it 2 times in a row.
I just don't know what to do and I feel like the dealership is yanking me around on this!
Any ideas on what the problem is?
Thank you in advance and sorry for the long thread!
