Truck Won't Start

[Grumpy old man]

Does your battery charger have a jump start option ? And yes you can hook the red + cable to the + battery terminal and the same for the black - negative side directly to the battery .

[Foxcroft80]

No, it doesn't have the jumpstart option. I'll try the + and - direct to battery tomorrow and see if the verdict is any different. Thanks, all. Good to know there are a lot smarter minds out there than this guy who just wants to git and rip!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by Foxcroft80

I should also say that when charging I went Positive to positive battery clamp and negative to frame (per manual). Should I go + to + and - to - on the battery teminal clamps to test the core connection?

Probably just me, but I've never had much luck with the negative to frame business.

Should go w/o saying, but safe to assume your terminals are clean? That's #1. If your wires are bad then that's #2, replace them. If that's all good and the battery tests out (e.g. virdict on jump start still pending), then replace the starter (or solenoid as Grumps says). I have always just replaced the starter, so don't know any better. The starter costs what, $80 for a good one? Do that and problem solved.

[Foxcroft80]

Today I tried the charger directly to the terminal clamps (+ and -). So far after about 2 hrs it's holding steady @ 25% charge and the needle doesn't seem to be moving. It's bizarre that yesterday it read a full charge. Anyway, seems like my battery is certainly undercharged. What if the needle never moves...does that mean my battery is junk?

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

Originally Posted by Foxcroft80

Today I tried the charger directly to the terminal clamps (+ and -). So far after about 2 hrs it's holding steady @ 25% charge and the needle doesn't seem to be moving. It's bizarre that yesterday it read a full charge. Anyway, seems like my battery is certainly undercharged. What if the needle never moves...does that mean my battery is junk?

Sounds like your negative battery cable is loose or coroded. Pull it off, sand the inside of the clamp, and the battery terminal, and reinstall. Hook up the charger again and see if it doesn't reproduce yesterday's results of full charge..

[Foxcroft80]

I sanded the negative and reattached - no change. I also tried a jump off my car. Nothing. Any other ideas as to what the heck is going on??

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

Remove both cables from the battery and try to charge it, not attached to the truck.. Trying to recreate yesterday's full charge results... If you can't, I'd say your battery is toast... If you have a drain on the battery and it fully depleted the charge ( which it can do in 2 weeks) it can kill a batteries ability to hold a charge.. I doesnt matter if the battery is an hour old. The fact that you cant jump it off a running car worries me, but After you rule out the battery as the culprit you can start diagnosing if you have a starter problem

[Foxcroft80]

I'm going to leave the charger on a bit longer - it looks like the needle is moving towards 100% (albeit just barely). If I don't see progress within the next hour I'll detach from the truck and see if it will charge that way. I'll keep all posted!!

[RPBurris]

You can always try taking the battery out of another car and hooking it up at least temporarily. That will at least eliminate the battery or pinpoint it as the problem. Make sure all of your connections are tight and as a previous post said make sure your ground on the battery is just as good.

If it turns out to be the battery you might have a drain somewhere. Could be a wire with the shielding worn off over the years and just grounding out or something else. These problems can be difficult to find sometimes. If your truck is going to be sitting for several weeks at a time you can also buy a battery tender. I have found the cheap ones at Harbor Frieght work just as well as the expensive ones.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

dollars to donuts your battery is bad. Like suggested, pull and charge it. An option is to have it tested at the parts store.

[Foxcroft80]

Update - charger is now just about 75%. I never checked the charge when I bought the new battery, and depending on how long it was sitting on the shelf the charge may have been weak. Given I've only used it 2 or 3 times since the new battery and never driving too far those times along with temps here in Maine dipping into the 20's over night the battery may have just crapped out. I'll let you know when I get to 100%!

[Foxcroft80]

OK, it reached 100%. I disconnected the charger and tried to turn her over. Still a click. I hooked the charger back up and the charge dropped to 50%! No idea what the hell is going on. I have to run out so I'll leave it charging for another 2 hours or so and see what happens. I'm officially confused (not that it takes much!).

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

The clicking noise is either a dead battery or a bad starter selenoid as far as hearing the click below the drivers seat ,well , the starter is on the passengers side , dirty corroded battery connections ? burnt + battery cable to close to the exhaust ? loose wire on the starter selenoid ? a picture is worth a thousand guesses ?

GOM, I've shied away from boosting (other people's) cars with mine running. I'll charge it, but won't let them crank it when mine's running. Most manuals are pretty specific about this.

It likely only applies to computer and newer cars anyway (what are you going to do, burn the condensor?) but I'm not grenading a $3000 computer in a shopping center because someone was too cheap to buy a $70 new battery.

Which is why I carry a booster pack, actually, but I digress.

Anyway, I don't think cars should be running during this process. Unless they're old.

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

99% your battery is smoked... Take it to auto parts store and have them confirm it, but I'd take some $ to get your new battery while your there...

[Foxcroft80]

Thx, all. I should note that headlights/gauges work so there is a charge. I'm sure that doesn't require much though. I'll pull and see if a charge outside the truck does anything. Jeez...always something with these old rigs Thank you all for the help - I'm trying to learn!

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

I like Burris's idea.... While you have your battery out and on the charger, put another in from a working car... Would take 10 minutes and tell you whether or not a new battery would fix your starter issues..... Or if the toasted battery is just a symptom of a deeper problem..

[gkhashem]

Originally Posted by Foxcroft80

Hi All,

I went to fire up the truck today and was greeted by a simple clicking noise. Not even a hint of the fan trying to turn. My battery is less than 2 months old, so I know that's not the issue. Any ideas as to where I should check? No idea how long the starter has been in the truck...

Thanks,
Foxcroft-

I just replaced a 6 month old battery today so don't assume battery is good. Did you try headlights? Do they look dim?

[Foxcroft80]

I didn't get out to look at them, but I turned them on from the cab and they came on. Also when I start it the brake light on the dash lights up.

[roboticjunky]

Sounds like a weak battery or a bad starter. Take both to an auto parts store and get them tested.

[Foxcroft80]

Hey guys,

So both battery and starter tested fine. In removing the starter a noticed my positive feed had a big ol' tear in the rubber casing and was cracked in a couple of other places. $13 got me a new cable and the truck fired right up! Phew, cheap fix...gotta love those.