Started my truck this .morning started up fine. Went out for while came back to start it and I heard a click then nothing. Won't even turn over. I have good powere all accesories work but It won't even try to start. Any ideas Starter, starter solenoid, ignition?

 

Start with cleaning battery posts and cable ends, both are tight. Of still no cranking try starter solenoid on the fender, what happens if you jummper it??

Havve you tryed boosting with another vehicle to see if that helps????

Start with the basics.

 

By passed the batterey and started throught the starter so I'm guessing my battery is bad tested the alternator still good.

 

How did you by pass battery?? Did you use a different battery.vehicle with booster cable to the starter??

Do you have a multimeter for testing?? How did you test the alternator???

If you have mutlimeter you can check voltage of battery and also test to see what voltage you have to starter when key is to start position.

You could have a bad battery cable going to solenoid or solenoid to bendix on starter.

Do some testing before just throwing a battery at it.

Take a battery out of another vehicle to replace the existing to test and see if it cranks then.

 

Swapped batteries from another truck still nothing, I still just hear the one click coming from left side.of the.truck. Could that click be from a bad.relay or solenoid? I know the starter relay is located near the battery.

 

I don't have a multimeter but had a local shop do an electrical test and they said alternator. Was good. They started the car through the starter some how not using the battery.

 

Since he jumpered the solenoid and cranked the engine means to me that the solenoid is bad Do you have another way to get to a starter/alternator repair shop, if so I would remove the starter and have it inspeccted and need be rebuilt. They will test all compotents on the starter and should be cheaper than getting a rebuilt from parts store.

 

Changed the solenoid on the fender still nothing, solenoid on the starter must be bad then?

 

check the small wire going to the solenoid from the ignition switch. connection
gets corroded.

 

Checked the wiring still looks good, pretty much stuck don't wanna go ta w mechanic to diagnose its probably something simple but I can t figure it out.

 

I would strongly recommend purchasing a multimeter, even a cheap one will help diagnose most basic electrical problems. Without one, you’re basically guessing and throwing parts in the hope of fixing the problem.

An entry level meter will run you between 15.00 - 30.00 dollars. Parts, in this case, anywhere between 20.00 - 400.00 dollars depending on your luck.

Bottom line, the meter will more than pay for itself over its lifetime.

 

How would I test the ignition switch and solenoid using the multimeter.?? Had the batterey and alternator tested at the shop they are good. If I'm able jump the solenoid is that a clear indication of anything? Can I rule out the starter for sure.?

 

By checking for proper voltage at pinpoint connections and or conducting volt drop tests of the effected circuits.

How to use a multimeter:



How to use a meter to diagnose starter problems:

 

Depending on how your jumping the solenoid. If your connecting a jumper between the battery positive terminal and the S terminal of the solenoid and it cranks Id suspect either a bad clutch pedal switch (manual Trans) DTR sensor (auto trans) or the ignition switch.

If your jumping the battery positive terminal to the back side of the solenoid (cable leading to the starter) it could be either the above of the solenoid. But without a meter it makes it harder to narrow down the problem.

 

I'm jumping it using a screwdriver touching the two studs on the starter relay.

 

The solenoid has two large cable lugs (terminals) and a smaller terminal called the S terminal with a Red with Light Blue striped wire going to it (ignition feed while cranking). Remove the wire from the S terminal. Connect a jumper wire (any regular size wire will work) between it and the battery positive terminal and see if it cranks.

Also, is your tranny a manual or automatic?

 

Would cables work don't have jumper wire.

 

And what would this determine.?

 

Any wire will work whether its a set of jumper cables or an old lamp cord. This will help to determine if the solenoid is getting power from the ignition switch with the key in the crank position and if the solenoid is functioning properly. If it still does not crank, remove the solenoid and clean the bottom where it makes contact with the mounting surface. Reinstall and retest. If it still does not crank, more than likely the solenoid is bad.

If it cranks with the jumper, you'll need to determine whether you are getting power from the ignition switch. This will require either a meter or at minimal a 12v test light.

 

Idk WTF I did but I got it to start. Only thing I did was clean the area of the two ground bolts on the starter relay scraped it to bare metal rehooked up everything and it started. I'm still unsure of what my problem was seems like it was grounded pretty well before. It starts up everytime now. Thanks all for the help, now I have a multimeter I can use to diagnose future problems.

 

You apparently had a bad ground connection where the solenoid mounts. I’d clean them good with a wire brush and apply some dielectric grease to help prevent any recurrence.

In this case, had you had a voltmeter handy, you would have been able to determine this by conducting a volt drop test of the solenoids ground circuit. By setting the meter to 12v scale and connecting the positive probe to the metal base of the solenoid and the negative probe to the battery negative terminal. Then while turning the key to the start position (cranking), the meter would probably have read between 6 - 12 volts indicating high resistance in the circuit. Ideally you would want to see less than .2 (tenths) volts.

 

i had the same problem with my truck a month ago. i put a new starter on it and it worked fine. if you have the starter off take it to autozone they test them. or post a vid of what you are hearing