Very unusual happening. Drove truck all moring. Go to use it this afternoon, click. Jump solenoid, click. Tap on less than year old starter, click. Both batteries are less than 2 years old and read 12.5 volts. But one is only 65% and the othr 80%. Could that be the problem? I know from experience that 12.5 volts will not always crank an engine.

 

Check the voltage at the batts while cranking it must remain above 10.5vdc to run all of the electronics and the starter.

 

Did u check the batteries under load?

 

Not yet, I am going to let the charger go for another half an hour and then go out and watch the voltage drop during a ignition attempt. Will post the results. I have no way other than the starter to check under load conditions.

 

I was already late, but when I went out to check it, 15.1 volts and fired right up. Drove it 50 miles with nothing on but the radio. Turned it off and tried to restart, same old click. Hooked the battery charger back up and put it on the start setting and it started right up again with little or no voltage drop on the meter. Moved the charger to the passenger side and it also read the same voltage as the driver side, 12.9, but after about 30 seconds it started to arc on the positive terminal. I got a proplem I have to find, but unless a magician here has the answer it will have to wait until tomorrow. Thanks for the help. I at least got to where I had to be and got home.

 

clean all post and cable ends...sounds like a bad conection..

 

Check the output from the alt but if that is good then it looks like a battery may have an internal short.

 

what kind of shape are the cables in, corrosion as well as wear?

 

A very little bit of acid corrosion on the passenger side positive terminal, none at all on the drivers. I have no baking soda and do not feel like going to get any today. That may be the problem? The cable is original, 196,700 but looks alright. I can't even tell where the damn thing comes from nor to where it goes. I suspect it is very important though.

 

No problems at all with it today. But I recall when I was most of y'all's age's an old man, this must have been back in the '50's told me never to forget that nothing on a vehicle ever fixes itself. I have never forgetten that. Let's see what happens. Thanks again for the help.

 

play it safe and make sure u have jumper cables with you.

 

I second this and very strongly.
A loose/flakey connection anywhere in the circuit will produce those symptoms.
Clean EVERY connection at both ends of the cable down to bright metal and take it from there.

 

Ive had corrosion on a terminal and just jiggled the wire & it would fire up fine for a couple days or more but eventually your problem will happen again. Plus it will keep eatin away at the connections or worse- Cause high amps under load . Just me , but id clean all asap like kwik said. Good Luck.

 

[QUOTE=guitarpicr]Ive had corrosion on a terminal and just jiggled the wire & it would fire up fine for a couple days or more but eventually your problem will happen again. Plus it will keep eatin away at the connections or worse- Cause high amps under load .QUOTE]

yep will eventually eat starter also

 

It turned out to be the positive terminal on the starter. I did not really worry about that one until it kept screwing up because I just replaced the starter last summer. But I did spend too much of the winter in the frozen north (salt) but all is well now. Thank you everyone.