Everything electrical is sluggish at startup then clears up.

[jimtash]

Lately at start up, everything electrical is sluggish to work at full power until it idles for a few seconds or I rev the engine. Then everything is fine. Belt is tight and nothing is out of order. Notice this happens at restarts rather than initially in the morning. Also experiencing extended cranking times as well which I'm pretty sure is related to this.

Headlights and dashlights are dim, wipers work at reduced speed, the blower fan is slow, but it clears up and everything is normal. Any thoughts?

 

[Devin]

What voltage are you getting at the battery?

 

[SHOdded]

x2. Sounds like battery is not holding charge. Start with checking terminals/cables for tightness/corrosion.

 

[jimtash]

As soon as I get a chance, I'll let you guys know.

 

[rubydist]

could also be a sick voltage regulator, bad connections on the voltage regulator circuit, or a short in the starter motor.

 

[intimdatr]

Personally I vote dying battery, followed by a sick voltage regulator.

 

[jimtash]

OK guys, I've narrowed it down to the cables. Forgot to mention that during cranking, the whole thing will just shut down and this buzzing noise appears to come from the starter switch on the fender. I want to go ahead and replace them but keep getting conflicting answers to the length needed. For the positive cable I see around 48" is enough to work and for the negative, I see 60" is plenty. What about the switch to the starter?

 

[intimdatr]

Ever thought about upgrading to the Mini-mag 2nd gen style starter?

 

[jimtash]

No, never knew that was an option.

Found 4 gauge cables but the originals look to be 2 gauge. Will using 4 gauge wires overload them?

 

[rubydist]

I think the originals were 0 gauge, iirc. I think 4 is too light. Usually, the issue is the cables getting corroded by the connectors/terminals at the battery, so you might just replace them.

I like the separate solenoid better than the integrated one. I've changed too many starters because the solenoid was bad...

 

[jimtash]

They're huge for sure. I found a 48 inch 2 gauge red cable with a lead at Tractor Supply of all places for $18.00. Can't find a longer one with a lead for the negative though that's in stock anywhere.

I want to go ahead and replace them. The wiring at the terminals is brittle.

 

[luigisho]

Depending on how far the corrosion goes on the cables, I've had good luck cutting back the bad part of the wire and changing the terminal ends.

 

[SHOdded]

^ this. Had this done on my Intrepid, very effective low-cost option.

 

[jimtash]

Don't want to put stress on the cables by shortening them creating other problems.