Is my new starter bad?

[adventureboss]

Replaced my starter today because the original one was starting to slow down and would crank slowly when it was cold out. 4.0 with the NSG370. I can't get the nut to tighten on the stud where the battery positive cable goes. Eventually the stud just starts to spin with the nut. Am I just stupid and missing something obvious? How do I get this thing tightened down?

The cable is a little loose and I can move it slightly with my fingers, but the starter seems to work fine for now. So is this normal or did I maybe get a bad starter?

 

[adventureboss]

Another issue I'm having- I can't get the bottom starter bolt to tighten either. I don't understand how it can be stripped out because this was the first time I removed the bolt. Basically whenever I try to tighten it, it gets tight for a second and then gets loose again. Any suggestions?

 

[adventureboss]

The studs are not supposed to spin. It sounds defective.

Ah that sucks. Not surprised with the quality of parts these days.

 

[Duck Doctor]

Denso makes a good quality starter for TJs. They are more expensive than parts store units but are better made.

 

[5TTTj]

There should be a nut that locks down the stud to the starter case, Then the cable lug goes on top of that, Then a lock washer and the top nut to hold the cable tight. If you removed the bottom nut and are using that to secure the cable that's very likely the problem.

 

[adventureboss]

Hmm okay let me try this first. It makes sense that there is another nut to lock the stud in place. I guess I was confused because I swear the OEM starter when I pulled it out didn't have a nut locking the stud into place but I could be mistaken.

 

[macleanflood]

Your original symptoms of longer, slower cranks at lower temperatures are indictive of a bad or failing battery.

-Mac

 

[adventureboss]

Your original symptoms of longer, slower cranks at lower temperatures are indictive of a bad or failing battery.

-Mac

Well I had the battery tested and it tested good, plus it was under a year old so I'd hope it wasn't going bad. Checked the cables and all looked okay, which is why I thought it's most likely the starter. Don't have a ton of knowledge about electrical stuff but from what I understand, as starters age, the resistance goes up making it harder, especially in the cold for a battery to turn it over because a good amount of those cranking amps would go to waste, right?

Anyways, it seems the new starter did solve my problem. It turns over and starts super quick even when cold and makes my Jeep sound way "healthier". I just need to figure out how to get that damn cable tight haha.