battery or starter??

[dukcaln]

So drove the truck yesterday, no issues, parked it and not sure if I left something on or what but turned the key and nothing. I can't find my jumpers. However, the dom light comes on and I have headlights...not sure how bright cause it was daylight... any thoughts

[BMERDOC]

First tought, starter. Second, starter request. Are you getting voltage to the starter when turn the key? Do the lights dim when you hit the key? If they do look at the starter. If they don't look at ignitiion to the starter

[dukcaln]

well since it is dark now I went out to check... and with the lights on it definatley dims when I turn the key. So I may have a bad starter? thing looks new...

[BMERDOC]

Yep, bad starter. Thank the friggan temps. Have a friend hold the key while you TAP it with a hammer, if it doesnt work the first time hit a little harder. It WILL try to start. If it does start buy a new one if it doesn't make sure all your connections are good. After that have it tested and go from there. If you are still clueless or in doubt come back to us.

[dukcaln]

thanks will do

[dubds10]

Hammer trick will work. But is it cranking over at all? Can you hear the starter engage? Battery could just have been drained and is near dead. If it's near dead there's not enough power to even engage the starter but you will get the dome light come on although very dim usually.

Before anything though, try and jump it with another vehicle lol Or throw another battery in it and check to see. If that doesn't work, then you know forsure to check out the starter and the wiring within the truck.

[BMERDOC]

Yup he's right. Sorry, If you tap it and it tries to start get a new one. If you checked connections and they aren,t dirty and you have checked all you think you can make sure it wont start with a jump. If youve checked starter, battery and connections and feel they are good take your starter and battery to your favoite parts store and have them checked.

[dukcaln]

I can't hear anything when I turn the key...... lights just go dim..... headlights and dom... maybe it is the battery but the lights seem to by dim but not bright.... just not sure... I will attempt to jump it tomorrow morning and if not get the meter out and go from there before I pull the trust hammer out..LOL

[cdowns]

b4 just throwin money and parts at it i'd spend a little time and no money cleaning electrical connections

[dukcaln]

yes I will give it a good look over and do some trouble shooting.... everything is pretty much new under the hood including wires cables ect..... but you never know... but for it to not work after flawless starting is kinda puzzling

[Wrenchbender Ret]

I think your battery is run down or defective.

[dukcaln]

ok update.... took some cables and jumped the battery, truck started right up.... let her run for awhile and turned off the truck... went to start it up again and nothing... hooked up a meter to the battery and I am reading 11.6 I would think that is enough to start the truck but maybe I am wrong because the lights seem bright, the blinkers work ect.... I also tried to hit the starter while my father in law turned the key, nothing... I can't even hear the start when I turn the key... the battery gauge in the truck moves pretty good when I turn the ignition, but nothing not even a click from the starter... but as soon as you hook up the cables to jump it, she fires right up.. what volts should a battery have just sitting there, like I said i read 11.6.. drops off to like 11.35ish when I turn the ignition over but nothing.... so if she fores right up with jumpers, is it the battery or could it be the starter still... is there a way to test the starter while it is still on the truck...

[BMERDOC]

Although you are reading 11.6 thats still one volt lower than it needs to be and should at least be 12v. The problem isn't voltage, its amperage. You have a dead cell. Take it and have it tested, be ready to use it as a core.

[dukcaln]

ok, sounds about what I was thinking but I was not sure.... darn, because the battery seems fairly new and it is a optima red top too... better search for the reciept in the paper work I got from the previous owner...... thanks will take it out and go have her tested...

[VetteVet]

Charging the optima batteries is different than a conventional battery. You need to wake it up with a 10 amp charge for an hour or so and then let it cool, then charge it again at 10 amps for another hour than let it cool and then let it trickle charge overnight at 2 amps. Monitor the battery voltage during the 10 amp cycles and watch for over heating. Here is a website to help. You may not need to charge at 10 amps for a full hour per cycle. It is best to charge two batteries connected in parallel if the optima is below 10 amps.
---http://www.batteriesareus.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=2

[fastwillie 696969]

get rid of that optium red battery ,interstate battery work wonders and is half the price ,went thur 3 of those battery ,so i went and got interstate no problems ,just sayin'

[dukcaln]

hey thanks, I have a battery that is good so I might charge it, if not I will purchase a new battery...possibly an interstate...

[dukcaln]

sounds like a pain in the ar$$ to me...LOL

Originally Posted by VetteVet

Charging the optima batteries is different than a conventional battery. You need to wake it up with a 10 amp charge for an hour or so and then let it cool, then charge it again at 10 amps for another hour than let it cool and then let it trickle charge overnight at 2 amps. Monitor the battery voltage during the 10 amp cycles and watch for over heating. Here is a website to help. You may not need to charge at 10 amps for a full hour per cycle. It is best to charge two batteries connected in parallel if the optima is below 10 amps.
---http://www.batteriesareus.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=2

[oldgold70c10]

In its last few weeks, my old battery would just randomly not produce any voltage at all. Usually, though, it would just click the starter on the first try. Then one day it was totally dead. Now, a new battery & no problems at all.

[dubds10]

Charge the battery and see if it holds a charge in another vehicle or get it tested. I doubt your starter is bad. Sounds just like a lack of charging which is either the battery or the alternator but you said you jumped it and vehicle kept running so that usually indicates the alt is fine. If it were dead the vehicle would just die either way.

[tim21391]

is it hei or points... if its hei is the lead wire been replaced with a wire from the fusebox... my truck i used the wire from the old coil and it drained battery and kept frying my battery........ just my .02

[MagmaJct]

I'm surprised no one touched on one very important detail. Is the alternator producing enough charge voltage? When the engine was running after the jump start, what was the voltage at the battery? Wouldn't it be something if your alternator or regulator was dead and you replaced the battery only to find the truck won't start once it's killed the battery again?

Covering all your bases will ensure your time and money isn't wasted. Of course, it is likely the batter is dead, and checking the alternator output won't be necessary, but then you're going off simple luck.

As far as the Optima battery goes, I can't speak for their quality today, but I've got a 1974 VW Beetle that I installed a Red Top Optima in back in 2000. 11 Years later that same battery has been used in a 1986 Suzuki Samurai, a 1997 Nissan Pickup, and has been back in the Beetle for a few years now.

They were reliable 11 years ago, and the original $120 investment was well worth it. Their prices have gone up, but I can't speak to the quality today. My advice would be to make sure the CCA rating of the battery is matched to the requirements of the engine. I've only ever used my Optima in 4 cylinder engines.

[dukcaln]

thanks all for the imput... I seen over 12v at the battery while it was running. Like I mentioned the starter, alternator and battery are all new with the build of the motor just months ago, not to mean one didn't go bad. I checked them all and again this morning the lights blinkers ect work but nothing when you turn the key...My father in law had an extra battery and charged it over night, so I will jump the truck and drive it over there today and install it.... we will see what happens after that. As for why the battery drained and possible caused a bad cell is another issue. I think it maybe the horn relay was stuck open after I installed a new steering wheel because the wire may have been pinched behind the new wheel for the horn...after I installed it the horn would go off on its own depending on how far I turned the wheel so I disconnected the horns but not the relay... As we trouble shooted the voltage being pulled from battery while truck was off we noticed the relay for horn was super hot. Pulled relay and voltage was stable. So pulled steering wheel and fixed wire and will get a new relay when I put the battery in today..... so I think we found the problem that caused the battery to die and now with a charged battery I hope we are good.

[dukcaln]

ok, well went out to jump it and what do you know the truck fired right up without a jump... drove to my father in laws to get the extra newly charged battery and no issues at all... still firing up on the first try.... so i am wondering if the little charge we put on the battery yesterday worked... been driving around today and no issues but I got the extra battery with me just in case.... hey but who know and thank all of you for the imput I definatley learned alot of this...

[BMERDOC]

Wait!!! You said it was over 12V running? It should be over 13V running...up to 14.4v @ idle. At rest it should be over 12v with 12.6V being a nicely charged battery. Keep checking, this may lead to a bad alternator.