Now I'm really confused. I said in an earlier post I went out and bought a new multi-meter. What did I miss?

 

You had problems with your old multimeter so you bought a new one right?
What kind of multimeter did you buy?
Will it check volts, amps, and ohms?

 

Volts= voltage
Amps= amperage
Ohms= resistance

 

Yes




Well wasn't that already what you have did??

Trucks still no start??

 

You bought this Right or Similair???

 

Don't remember the brand name. Got it at Home Despot. Checks all that stuff.

Blade: Yeah, that looks exactly like mine except the outer case is a greenish color.

 

jswartz says I have bad batteries and after some testing today it appears he was correct. Removed them and, as soon as funds allow, they'll be replaced.

 

So you have to connect the probes to desired configuration. Common will be the black probe and voltage will be the red probe. They should be color coded. It should have also came with instructions.

 

Finding and replacing a (or several) bad battery is the correct place to start. If you do end up taking it in, you don't need someone else charging you for THAT job!

 

Do you have an extra battery that you can swap out for testing purposes?

If so you can swap the battery, start the truck, connect the multimeter on voltage to one of your batteries. Your alternator should put out around 14 volts. This can be read at the battery. This simple test will tell you if your alternator has failed you or if it is just a bad battery. If the alternator is not working your voltage will read at 12 volts or less.

 

Well I hope I am Wrong

What I am reading is your Supposed to Send 5V to the PCM For High Idle MOD

I have a Feeling you sent 12Volts and fried the PCM (STILL A NO START!! I am ASKING! NO Crank at ALL NO Movement)

EDIT= Maybe you were wired the Other way Looks like 2 configurations For High Idle


What leads you to believe the Batterys went Bad?? More info

Does it sit or a Daily Driver?? or??

Have you cranked the starter a lot???

 

No, unfortunately, I don't. I'll just have to buy new ones and go from there.

Blade: Page 2, 5th post down. My understanding is fully charged batteries should take 13.5 volts. Mine wouldn't get above 12.4 or 70%.

 

No, no start. Per jswartz, I stopped trying so I wouldn't fry the ficm.

Your right. I probably sent 12 volts to the pcm. I tried following the instructions on the mod. No one said anything about only 5 volts. As a matter of fact, I asked about this in another thread I'd started and was told I could hook up to any 12v wire as I didn't have the ability to install the upfitter switches.

 

Did you check all the fuses?
If you look carefully, the blades where the fuses go in the box go all the way through the fuse body (the plastic part) and are actually visible on the top where the fuse rating is printed. For a quick check you can ground the meter black lead and probe the fuses where the the blades are showing on the top, without pulling them. Meter set to volts you're looking for any fuse that doesn't have power on both sides. You will have to turn the key on to power up some of them but it's a quick way to go through the whole fuse panel. Checking for continuity (ohms) seems like a good idea but it won't work because some of the fuses are on circuits that have continuity all the time and you'll be reading through that instead of the fuse.

As far as testing a battery, a multimeter can be used by putting the meter across the posts and flipping the headlights on (bright) with engine off. If either battery is less than 11v after a minute or five, it needs charging. If after charging it still drops like a stone it's bad. That's a redneck procedure and not nearly as accurate as a proper tester I admit, but a quick check. Problem is that the load is much less than a good tester, but if it fails this test it IS bad.

By the way, Blade's point about using a hydrometer is true also and will point out which cell is bad even. Many people haven't though of this, but if your battery has removable caps for servicing you can put the negative meter lead on the - post of the battery and the positive int the electrolyte in each hole and measure voltage to find a bad cell.

I'm not convinced your batteries are bad. I would look very closely in the area you were working for anything that may have gotten bumped, pulled, or unplugged. Also double (or triple) check the re-connections you made. It could also be a relay. Those are a bit more complicated to check, but it's easy to swap some of them around, just be sure you swap the same part numbers.

When you turn the key to start does the engine turn over (cranks-no start) or does it do nothing (no crank-no start)?

 

Is this Testing them Unhooked with your DVM Right??

A Fulley Charged Battery Tested UNHOOKED Should be at 12.68 Volts

When you Have the Truck running and the ALternator is Charging you want to see 13.5 Volts Up into the 14.3-5 volts range But this is with Truck RUNNING With ME?????

Volts isn't the Best way to test BUT we got to make due for a Minute