2001 F-250 V8 gasoline engine

parked truck at store, went inside for 30 minutes.. when i went to start it, the battery clicked hard (like a jolt) then went dead. I checked the terminal connections and tried again.

when i turned the key to "on", there was a clicking noise by the headlight switch. i slowly turned the headlight switch and the clicking noise stopped.

i had interior lights, but when i turned the ignition switch; the battery clicked hard again and all power stopped.

i turned the ignition key off, then back to on (not start, just on). the clicking noise by the headlight switch returned.. again i slowly moved the switch and it quit. tried to start again with same results..

had truck towed home.. it's in the driveway and i'm here.

any ideas??

thanks

 

Sounds like the starter went. Before pulling it off, check voltage at the battery, see if it is dead. If so you may have a bad battery, bad alternator, or both.

 

thanks.. the battery is good (almost new), i replaced the alternator just last year...

starter? probably/maybe... but the clicking noise by the headlight switch seems very weird. and the headlight switch is right above the fuse box.. could be something in there ???

 

You might have a switch called "starter solenoid relay " , usually located on passenger side fender (inside the engine compartment, near battery) . If you can find it , short it (by-pass ) see if it is preventing starter motor from getting 12 Volt.

Good luck,

 

Its a Ford, so if you hit it with a hammer and it works temporarily, that's your problem part.
Slide under the truck with a hammer or a big crescent wrench, give the starter case a few good taps and try the key again.
If after a few trys, the truck starts, theres the problem part.

 

Before hitting anything with a BFH, take off the serpentine belt and try cranking it. If it now cranks (and runs), one of the accessories on the belt (usually the AC Pulley) has seized.

Then, check battery voltage at the posts to see if the battery's output is sagging when the starter tries to run. If that's good, move on to a voltage drop test for the ground and battery cables, including to the starter.

Since all power dropped out when you tried to engage the starter, I'll go with a corroded cable or battery connection as the most likely cause.

 

ok i couldn't work on the truck until yesterday...

i knew there was a clicking noise by the headlight switch and that whatever it was had caused the battery to drain in a short period of time.

so i pulled the headlight switch hooked up the battery (which i had put on the charger overnight) and there was still the clicking noise; but, now i knew it was coming from the fuse box. and most importantly a black plug in thing located in the top left corner of the box. sorry i don't have a manual that tells what is what in the fuse box.

next i pulled that black plug in thing and the clicking immediately stopped. i took it to oreilly auto parts and they knew what it was (accessory relay, i think they called it) and had it in stock for $13.00.

i went home, stuck the new part in the fuse box and bingo!!! the truck started right up and all worked well.

sooooooo if you ever have a similar problem you might check that first if you hear the clicking noise... do it yourself fix for under $20.00; well for me it was a car rental for a week and a tow truck bill too!