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won't start


Joined
Dec 20, 2011
Messages
9
Age
41
City
Johnstown PA
Vehicle Year
1996
Transmission
Manual
A couple days ago my truck sounded like the battery was dieing when I tried to start it I waited a couple seconds then tried it again and it started. Yesterday I got gas in my truck and when I tried to start it, it made one clicking sound and wouldn't start at all I kept trying to start it and it just wouldn't start so my brother used his truck to push mine and catch it in gear then I drove it home and the battery light was on. this morning I went out to the truck and started it and it started right up. By the way the clicking sound it made was on the fender in a little box. HELP???
 
A couple days ago my truck sounded like the battery was dieing when I tried to start it I waited a couple seconds then tried it again and it started. Yesterday I got gas in my truck and when I tried to start it, it made one clicking sound and wouldn't start at all I kept trying to start it and it just wouldn't start so my brother used his truck to push mine and catch it in gear then I drove it home and the battery light was on. this morning I went out to the truck and started it and it started right up. By the way the clicking sound it made was on the fender in a little box. HELP???

See if you can get another battery, and run that for a few days. If the issue goes away, then it's time for a new battery. That's what it sounds like to me, anyway......and while you're at it, have the alternator checked to make sure it's putting out enough to keep the battery charged properly.
 
Or you may have a loose wire...the little box is usually a solenoid and you can check that the wire connectors are tightened properly (but don't tighten too much...just see if the wires are loose)...

Loose wires can be a problem to diagnose sometimes...but it's usually pretty obvious... if the wires move...they are loose...
 
I'd be shopping for a new battery.

Test the alternator output too. Should be above 13.5V at idle. I usually like to see around 14 on my own.

The battery light is supposed to tell you that the alternator isn't working (I know, it seems bass ackwards to me too) but sometimes it stays on if you pop start it or if the battery is severely discharged even though nothing else is wrong.
 
i just had my battery tested about a month ago and they said it was great. someone told me it could be the starter solenoid or the starter it self.
 
Not sure if the "old-school" way of testing an alternator's functionality is good for newer vehicles, but.....

With the vehicle running, pulling the battery cable off was a way to see if the alternator was doing it's thing. If the vehicle died, then it wasn't.....the battery was providing the juice. If it didn't die, it was working.

It didn't provide any levels of output, just indicated if it was working or not.
 
i found out it was the starter
thanks everyone for the advice if it ever happens again i know what all to check
 
Not sure if the "old-school" way of testing an alternator's functionality is good for newer vehicles, but.....

With the vehicle running, pulling the battery cable off was a way to see if the alternator was doing it's thing. If the vehicle died, then it wasn't.....the battery was providing the juice. If it didn't die, it was working.

It didn't provide any levels of output, just indicated if it was working or not.

That test is not recommended for a few reasons. It has the potential for frying the computer, plus, the engine can run on as little as 5 volts. An alternator generating as little as 5.5 volts can keep the engine running (albeit poorly) without a battery. This condition will be invisible with the battery hooked up except for maybe some dim lights and the slow degeneration of the battery's charge. Unless one actually checks the output.
 
Not sure if the "old-school" way of testing an alternator's functionality is good for newer vehicles, but.....

That test is not recommended for a few reasons. It has the potential for frying the computer, plus, the engine can run on as little as 5 volts. An alternator generating as little as 5.5 volts can keep the engine running (albeit poorly) without a battery. This condition will be invisible with the battery hooked up except for maybe some dim lights and the slow degeneration of the battery's charge. Unless one actually checks the output.

That's why I said....."Not Sure". :icon_thumby:
 
i found out it was the starter
thanks everyone for the advice if it ever happens again i know what all to check

Good to hear it was resolved...I had a starter go out on me once...right in front of a junkyard...and just enough time to go back in and get one...it was one of the most unusually fortunate situations I'd experienced...

And, it's no big deal but you gave negative rep to me...lol...it's easy enogh to do because I did it myself once...that little selector is sensitive to the scroll on the mouse or pointer...

Don't worry about it...just a heads up that it can happen...and not that I deserved pos rep for what I said anyways...:)
 
And, it's no big deal but you gave negative rep to me...lol...it's easy enogh to do because I did it myself once...that little selector is sensitive to the scroll on the mouse or pointer...

Hm......me, too......
 
Oh, well...blame it on inexperience...or maybe they posted from a blackberry...mine goes crazy sometimes and I find it hard to edit quoted posts...

Or it may be furry mouse balls...or an optical mouse that needs glasses...
 
Is it neg rep, or neutral?

(Just looked.....it's neutral. At least mine is.)
 
Last edited:
sorry about the neg rep everybody im new at this i guess i was pushin the wrong things
once again sorry
 

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