I installed my gauges and wired them up today I drove it a bunch earlier and had no problem but I just went to go get gas when I pumped gas then got in it would not start. The alarm light was just flashing and when I would turn the key it would just dim. I was going to unhook the negative cable and when I touched the terminal with pliers it honked and it got power agian but when I tried to crank it it just ticked a whole bunch. So I took the cable off waited a minute put it back on and it started right up. I dove home and turned it on and off a couple times with no problem. I am confused. I have a 6 month old Optima Red Top. I am going to o'riellys tommorow to check the altenator.

Any ideas would be much apreciated.

Thanks,
Roach

 

Are your terminals corroded? Selenoid?

 

Yea I am going to clean all that up tommorow the terminals are not but the cables have alittle on them

 

sounds like a loose battery cable

 

I would say you have your gauges hooked up to a "key off draw" power source. not sure if you know what that means....it basically means when your car is off it draws power from your batt....you know to keep the radio clock right or a few other things like alarms and what not.

Make sure you have your gauges hooked up to stuff that shuts off when you have the key out of the ignition. Use a test light to check them. Its a common mistake when you wire up with the key off to find a power with the test light and to hook it up to that.


Just my two cents....might be something else. I have had the exact same thing happen in my mustang.

CJ

 

^^^ I hope so!

 

That might be it I was going to switch the wires tommorow I have them hooked to the headlights accidentaly. They dont come on till I switch on the headlights then I can turn the headlights off and they stay on.

 

If you have corrosion on the starter cable then theres your problem OR the connection on the starter is loose or bad. The corrosion will cause the truck to start off and on. CLEAN EM UP.

 

Try hooking them into the parking/amber lights.

 

Well I just hooked a circuit tester to the battery ground and there is no drains might have just been a fluke cause it is still starting up fine and everything I am going to clean the terminals and everything tommorow just to be safe.

 

check the terminals and the ground. Make sure they are clean and tight.

 

It has started every time since then but I going to clean the terminals today.