Strange problem, truck won't start

[GreenMystChevy]

Truck won't start! and I can't figure out why. Here's the story:

Two month old battery, get into truck, try to crank it over and it very slowly cranks and then dies, kinda like I used the last bit of juice even though I cranked for 2 seconds. Start up another car and run jumpers to mine. Wait a few minutes and fire it up and let it warm up while I go inside the house. I hear the truck die from bad carb adjustment, go outside to start it back up and, click click. Nothing, headlights turn on, heater fan works, no starter turning at all.

Throw a different batter in and drive for 20 minutes turning it off here and there and starting up just fine. Got the battery tested and it's good to go, just needed to be recharged. Get to school, park it, try to restart to park in a different spot and nothing. Come back after class a few hours later, wallah, starts up like nothing happened.

Again, this morning, a few days later, my battery was dead when I jumped in. Threw the other battery in and off I went. On my way to school I shut it off while driving on a back road and threw it into neutral and tried to start it. Nothing at all so I just compression started it and kept going. The volt gauge didn't move, everything just looked normal.

Loose ground? Where should I check? Bad starter? I don't have headers, just ram horns. Both batteries are brand new. Thanks guys, I just hate being stranded everywhere, it's embarrasing!

[shortymac83]

I"m gonna guess one of 3 things - a short in the wiring causing the battery to drain slowly (but that wouldn't make sense if you turn it off, then it won't restart immediately after). 2. bad alternator. Do you have a voltmeter or an ammeter? On the ammeter, it should show that it's being discharged, and on the voltmeter, you'll see it gradually dropping off. 3. bad starter soleniod. When it won't start, will it crank over but not fire, or will it just click at you? If it just clicks, the starter gear might move to engage, but the solenoid is too toast to turn the flywheel. At least, that's what happens on a LOT of chevy and ford starters that I test at our store. It won't even turn over the starter gear on the test machine.

I'd check the gauges to make sure it's not being drained off, then replace the solenoid or the whole starter. If that isn't it, start following the electrical lines to see if anything is crossed, touching metal, etc.

[dinnut]

do you have a starter heat shield? if you have headers or exhuast running close to the starter its possible you are heating it up and when you try to restart it immediately it wont but will later. happens on my 72.....

[67chevemall]

I'd go with the hot starter if the Alt and Batt are good!
My 80 camaro used to not start just like that!
It turned out to be the Batt to Starter wire was melted and grounding out when hot on the frame way down where I couldn't see it!

Good Luck!

Try a mini starter they are sooooo worth it!

[Bowtie67]

Sounds like charging system or a short draining the battery, if it wont start after a couple of days the starter shouldn't be hot and especially after being fully charged. Use a test light and pull one battery cable off of the battery and run test light between battery terminal you pulled off to the terminal you pulled cable from if light comes on there is a short darining the battery. Make sure belts and all connections are tight. Do you have a stereo amplifier thats left on all the time. JMO

[GreenMystChevy]

I now believe that the battery is being drained because first thing in the morning and after a few hours of sitting in the cold during school, it still won't always start up. This should give the starter a chance to cool down and work a little bit more properly.


Bowtie67- I want to try this trick you are talking about. Which cable do I disconnect? With the key in the off position, I am supposed to disconnect a battery cable and connect a test light between the disconnected cable and its respective post on the battery? If the light comes on something is draining the battery? I have a wire testing light to see if it is hot, but what kind of test light works in between two pieces? I don't have something like that but I'm sure the local parts store does.


Both the starter and alternator are relatively new too, they could be faulty but have been working good for the last few months since they have been bought.

[WRMZ71]

I think it has to be off the negative post of the battery to run the test bowtie is talking about

[Longhorn Man]

Any test light, on either post, but the negitive post is a bit safer to do.
Remove the batery cable, and position it so it will not 'flop' back to it's terminal.
Take tast light, and tast it to ensure it is working (by touching to pos and neg terminals to see if it lights).
Take the test light's ground (teh wire with clip) and clip it to the terminal on the cable.
Take the poker, and touch it to the bare post on the battery.
Ensure the ignition switch is in the off position, and that all circuits that are constant hot (lights, dome light, stero if hooked wrong...ect) are all turned off.
If the light lights up, then something is turned on. If it glows a very dim orange, and you have a stereo with presets or clock, then ignore it, it is the bright 'full voltage' light we are looking for, or rather not looking for.
If it lights up, the first step is to unplug the 2 prong connector on the alt. If the light goes out, then replace the alt. If it stays on. leave the harness disconnected, and keep reading.
Have an assistant hold the light like you were. girl frends or annoying kid brothers are great for this. now you get to dive under the dash and start pulling fuses. If there are things plugged into the fuse box, unplug them first. Have your assistant ready to yell as soon as the light goes out. What ever wire you pull off when the girlfriend/kid bro yells, that is your faulty item...think, carb choke on constant hot, stereo amp hooked up wrong, cigar lighter pressed in and not popping out.
If the light is still on, then it is time to start yanking fuses out. Some safety glasses are a good idea here since there will be at least one fuse that will not want to come out, and the glass will shater. Also might want to have an assortment of fuses on hand for this reason too.
Again, as you remove one fuse at a time, you are looking for the light to go out. Once it goes out, then you need to find what all is protected by that fuse, and see what item is causing the drain. Think....brkae lights staying on, or dome light staying on due to faulty door jamb switch (if so equipped)
If you have the alt disconnected, all wires unplugged from fuse block, all fuses removed, and the light is still on, then you should probably shoot the sucker right between the headlights, becouse you'll have proven it to be possesed with some seriouse evil gremlins.

[roden001]

I agree with most of what longhorn man said, but if you have a multimeter and know how to use it, I'm going to suggest it instead of the test light. If you use it as an ammeter and connect it in series, just as you would the test light, at the negative post, you can measure your 'dark current,' as you disconnect these various devices. The brightness of a test light can be an imprecise and subjective thing. Also, to be absolutely sure we have a slow drain causing this erratic 'no start' situation, I would test the battery voltage with a multimeter DURING one of the times that the truck won't start. If you've got a fully charged battery, it's not your problem and you probably don't need to go pulling fuses.

[GreenMystChevy]

I will try this stuff tomorrow if I have time. I really appreciate all the info everyone has given me, especially Longhorn Man, very informative.

This evening I took the alternator in to get checked out and it was good. So I know I have a new battery, alternator, starter, voltage regulator.... next up, new truck, lol.

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

[Blue Beard]

Be interesting to hear what you find....

[JIMs70GMC]

yeah let us know.

[Longhorn Man]

Did you find anything?

[GreenMystChevy]

Still frustrating. Took the test light, clipped it to the unhooked neg cable and then touched the other end to the neg terminal on the battery just like I'm supposed to. The light goes on for a second and then goes quickly out. Take it off, wait 5 second, touch it again, barely lights up and then goes out right away. Take it off, wait a minute, touch it again and it lights up bright then dies down as soon as it lit up.

What does this mean?

I'm guessing here but I think my biggest problem is that the alternator, which is tested to be good, isn't able to get the charge back to my battery. What wires, fuses, and cable does it go through to get the charge back into the battery. I want to follow each and every one of those suckers

[LeRoy]

Before you get too carried away. Check your battery cables with a ohm meter. I went thru this with a 71 I had. They looked good but after testing them they were shot. I peeled the insulation back and they were all green and corroded

[GreenMystChevy]

Good idea LeRoy, I don't know how to do this though. I can borrow an ohm meter, or buy one, but do I need to take the cables off?

[jku72]

Boy, electrical problems! I hate 'em. I had a very similar problem that you are having, and it turned out to be a chafed wire to the ignition switch. Drained the battery after a while, but sometimes was bad enough to make the thing not turn over at all, then it would get jostled by the door opening or me sitting in the truck, then it would light off just fine. The only way I found it is that it finally got bad enough to dead short and almost burnt my truck up.
Somewhere, there is a ground in there. It'll show up on it's own eventually if you can't find it. Carry a fire extinguisher in the meantime, and a glove to yank a hot terminal off a bettery in an emergency in the meantime.

[flip66]

check 2 things the negative cable and make sure the Alt is putting out the correct amps. I have seen a battery test good on the bench and good in the truck when the cables were not hooked up but as soon as you hooked up the ground it would test bad. turned out to be the negative cable.

[John Fabris]

Make sure the connection to the dash Amp gauge is tight. Had a similar problem with a friend's truck, he spent months trying to track it down. Just don't stick your hand behind the dash to feel the wire at the gauge cause it will be hot if you were just trying to start it or have been driving it.

[GreenMystChevy]

Well, as of a few days ago, the problem just went away. Of course this is good and bad being that the problem is now gone yet I drive in constant fear that when I get back into the truck it won't start. Let's hope it was just getting back at me for driving it so hard and it has forgiven me. I'll keep you guys updated if I find out anything more.

Thanks again for all of the help and the suggestions, all of you!