Question, No response when turning the key.

[Lionc68c10]

Some times when attempting to turn my truck on I will turn the key and nothing will happen. I will sit there and try again and nothing. The third time the truck finally starts. Then the next time she will turn right on with no porblem. This past month the cycle of three tries to turn her on is more common. My lights still work when the car will not turn on, I tested the inside and head lights and all works good. Finally today the truck would not start at all no matter how many tries. I had to get a jump and it started right up strong. I already did the battery test where I leave the truck running and take off the negative battery, the truck still runs which indicates the alternator is good. I have replaced the battery about two months ago. I just went outside and she started right up with no problem. It's an on and off problem that I can’t figure out. Any suggestions?

[LockDoc]

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Sounds like your starter solenoid might be getting weak or the starter has a flat spot. It could also be a bad connection or bad ignition switch. That's the bad thing about this type of problem. I would start with the cheapest fix. Taking both ends of the battery cables off and making sure they are clean...

LockDoc

[Longhorn Man]

there's all kinds of things... try wiggling the shifter next time (assuming automatic)

[Kayotic]

I am liking the response from LongHorn Man. All your checks seem fine so far, I would take a good look at the shifter... Again being an auto.

[Green Machine]

Next time it acts up, try tapping the starter with a hammer. I have had several over the years that had worn out brushes in the starter.

[tim21391]

had this happen to me this past summer... my battery got too hot when it was cranking... which in turn fried the starter... i got a new battery and new starter in the long run

[fine69]

In the past i have had a bad ignition switch.

Rare, but if all else fails.

[vectorit]

When my burb had headers I had the same problem, and after checking all of the things one would check for this issue I still had the gremlin.
Turned out that one of the selonoid wires cooked from the header pipe, it wasn't burned bare but just enough to cause issues.

[Longhorn Man]

see... it could be ANYTHING

[Lionc68c10]

Thanks for all the suggestions, atleast now I have some direction the next it happens I will try the shifter trick and hit my starter with a hammer. Then slowly one by one from cheapest I will start replacing parts. I will provided an update, thanks!

[greygoose]

Could this be a GM flaw,I've had two Cadillac at different points that have done the very same thing to me.I ended up trading one and sold the other.

[theyammieguy]

Don't mess with the shifter and hit the starter. Do one or the other. Sometimes finding the problem is as simple as the process of elimination.

[tim21391]

try to bypass the starter it worked on a customer car i worked on at my job

[Lionc68c10]

All,

I have tried all the little tricks and tests. No luck, so the last thing to due is replace the Starter along with the Starter Solenoid. I will attempt to change it out myself wish me lucky

[joemacho]

to check if your starter is good take it out and connect jumper cables to it ground out the but end on the starter and connect positive on the middle of the solenoid touch the screw where you connect the ignition wire see if it spins. if spins it is good. also replace the ignition switch they go bad and sometimes remanufature ones go bad. This happend to me i went through 3 ignition switches finnaly the last one worked no problems any more.

[sflanagan]

A bad voltage regulator can make things act funny too...and again sometimes the remanufacterd ones are junk too...good thing they are only 4 bucks...just another piece to the tangled web and magic of wiring problems...good luck

[spinning wheels]

Did you check the voltage of the battery? When you jumped it, it started right up. You may have a low voltage battery or your alternator is not charging your battery like it is supposed to. Removing the battery cable when the engine is working, was a way to check to see if a generator was working properly. Next time, when the engine is running. Check the voltage that the battery is getting. Usually 13 1/2 volts. Rev the engine, the voltage should go up, then settle back down to 13 1/2 volts, when you ease off the gas.

If your alternator is working correctly, and your battery has 13+ volts. Check your starter, they can go out with little warning or start dragging and get progressively worse.

One other item you might look at, are the battery cables. If they are old, replace them so that you have a good ground and a good positive.

These are problems I have had in the past. Not all of the problems have occurred in GM products. Stuff happens when it gets old.

Please post when you get it fixed and Good luck.

[cdowns]

check the two purple wires at the neutral safety switch near the bottom of the column and clean the connections and make sure they're tight

[Lionc68c10]

FINALLY!!!!!! She is starting up like a CHAMP!!!
The first starter was bad, the second one was the winner. The truck is now running great so far and starts right up. Also, I went to an auto store and bought some engine boosters liquid and cleaner to add when I fueled the truck. I can remember the name, but I will find out. This stuff seems to have made my trucks engine sound better over all. Thanks for everyone's help!

[BluTrukker]

Glad you found it, i had the same issue a while back and it took me forever to figure it out.