Please help! Possible battery/starter issue...

[heyliddle]

Okkkkkkkay... firs time poster here.

So recently my Expy has been giving me some issues. Just before Christmas there I started to notice I would lose power, I would hit certain gears, and it would feel like it was losing power. That seem to have been solved by replacing the MAF sensor. I switched the spark plugs out, things were going well, then all of a sudden I started feeling the truck start to shake at low RPM, and then eventually at idle. It had been getting worse over time, my thoughts were maybe the EGR, but I just let it go. And just to note, when the vehicle is under load, the shaking goes away, and it drives well.

Fast forward to yesterday... after grocery shopping, I get in and try to start it up, but there was no turning over. The lights, accessories, radio, vents, etc, all came on no problem at all, but when I try to turn it over, there's a slight click, and then nothing at all. After a few minutes of off, then on, off then on, the truck started up.

Now this morning. The car was parked in my garage, I get it, and it starts up no problem. Stop along the way to work to grab a coffee, and when I get back and try to start things up, same thing as yesterday, although this time, it just didn't start at all. Spent several hours checking the spark plugs, all the connections, etc, etc, etc. Nothing.

When I turn to turn the engine over, again, everything powers up, the lights come up, all accessories, etc, I hear a click, and then nothing.

I was thinking starter possibly? It seemed to have just died out over night.

While working on the truck, the battery did go flat, so I asked for a jump from someone passing by, the jump didn't help, still nothing.

Once it was dead, I tried starting it, and it as with most vehicles that have a dead battery, there was a "clickclickclickclickclick".

One thing I'm thinking is maybe the battery is just completely toast? Could that be why it's not starting? Why my truck was shaking? And why it was kinda slow to accelerate when I'm at slower speeds?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please try and keep this in layman's terms... I'm very inexperienced when it comes to vehciles.

Cheers!

 

[Thermo]

liddle, you have a few choices here. What I will tell you to start with first is to get yourself a large screw driver. now, remove the plastic cover next to the battery that is on the fire wall. After removing that, you are going to see a round piece with 2 large posts sticking out of it. Using the screw driver, touch the screw driver to both of those posts at the same time (warning, may arc and spark on you, so, watch your eyes). Does the engine turn over like it should or does it just click? If the motor turns over like it should, then replace the starter solenoid.

If the starter just clicked on you, get the battery checked to verify it is good. If you replace the battery, see if you still have issues and if so, start over with this posting. After ensuring that you have a fully charged battery in the truck, you will need to get your hands on a multimeter and get the assistance of a friend. What you need to do is to connect a multimeter between the starter side of the solenoid and chassis ground. Now, attempt to start the truck as you watch the multimeter. Note the voltage on the multimeter. If it is up above 12.0 VDC, then you have a bad cable. If it is between 11.0 and 12.0 VDC, then you have a bad starter. If you have something between 1.0 VDC and 11.0 VDC, then you have a problem with the battery cable between the battery and the starter solenoid. If you have 0 VDC, then your problem lies with the ignition key circuit (write me and I will help you with that).

Hope this gets you down to a problem.

 

[heyliddle]

Hey Thermo,

Thanks a bunch for your reply! I did already replace the solenoid, however, that did't help anything, but I like that it was only $25 for the part. The fellas at the parts store also mentioned the screwdriver bit. I'm going to tackle it with my pal tomorrow, so fingers crossed, we'll see what we can come up with.

Cheers,
Eric

 

[ELVATO]

May seem obvious, but make sure your terminals are clean and tight.

 

[heyliddle]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Through the process of deduction, I've determined that it's the starer. Replaced the battery, replaced the solenoid on the chassis of the body, made sure terminals were clean on the old one, checked fuses, etc, etc, etc. After all that I got under the truck, gave the starter a quick smack with a wrench (on the advice of the the guys at the shop), took the wrench and used it to connect the solenoids on the starter, and voila.

I haven't tried it since I've gotten home, but we'll see later. With all that said, I'm thinking it's the starter. The battery I had in there before was giving a cold cranking amp of 9... yeah... 9. Had 12v so that's not bad, but I'm pretty sure it was time for a new one.

Looks like I've got a Sunday afternoon set tomorrow to put a new starter in there

Cheers!

E

 

[heyliddle]

Back again!

So Saturday afternoon I go back to the "scene of the crime", so to speak. My truck had been parked at a coffee shop since it had broken down.

I was starting to think that it was maybe the battery that was toast, so, I took that in to get it tested. It was showing a charge of 12v, however, the CCA was only 9... yep... single digit, 9. Again, with having very limited knowledge when it comes to mechanics, I can only assume that could prove to be an issue. So I replaced the battery, thinking, "wow... that was an easy fix!"... lo and behold, throw the battery in there, and nothing. Same problem. So I check all the fuses, take them to a shop to see if they can test them as I'm running short on ideas. One of the guys there tells me to just give the starter a good whack... so sure enough I take a wrench, get underneath, give it a smack, nothing, smack it again several times, nothing, getting frustrated I hit it as hard as I can, use a screw driver to touch the solenoids, see a spark, turn the engine over, and VOILA!! The truck started running, and I was extremely excited!

So through the process of deduction, I've concluded the issue to be the starter... I know what I'm doing this weekend.

Eric