94 f250 5.8

the truck has a brand new starter (the problem happened with the old starter too) and the battery is fully charged

when i turn the key, i hear one single click and the power cuts out. i can't attempt a second start or turn on the lights or have any power going through the truck until i disconnect and reconnect the battery. then ill get back in and try again and it cuts out again. anyone ever run into this?

could this be the coil? im pretty new to domestics but from what i understand, the coil sends cranking juice over to the starter after the initial burst of current. does it sound like im on the right track?

thanks a lot in advance

 

I've had this happen before, all it was for me was battery posts and cables needed to be cleaned. Hope it's that simple for you.

 

battery cables are probably corroded inside of the caseing. clean the posts and terminals, if that don't work, replace the cables

 

I would check to see if your starter solenoid is working properly. The coil may not be energizing enough to keep a closed contact.
The solenoid is located on the passenger fender next to the battery.

 

I had the same symptoms on my explorer because of a rotted out ground cable. It looked ok from outside, but when I peeled back some insulation it was all green and crusty. After the new cable it started right up.

 

Could simply be a bad battery. How old is it. Sometimes they show 12 volts or even a "full charge" but aren't putting out enough amps to crank the vehicle. Could also be the battery terminals as mentioned earlier. I've had this happen on my Camry. Turn the key...hear a click and all goes dead. Nothing happens until I jiggled my pos. terminal connection...then she would crank right up. Most likely one of the two or a combination of both.

 

Could simply be a bad battery. How old is it. Sometimes they show 12 volts or even a "full charge" but aren't putting out enough amps to crank the vehicle. Could also be the battery terminals as mentioned earlier. I've had this happen on my Camry. Turn the key...hear a click and all goes dead. Nothing happens until I jiggled my pos. terminal connection...then she would crank right up. Most likely one of the two or a combination of both.

 

clean the battery connections - the copper cables are likely corroded in the lead ends, and the lugs for the wiring circuits off the solenoid are likely corroded.