Hi there, replace mechanical fuel pump 2 days ago, was late and cold weather kept me away from it yesterday. Went to start it today and it's acting like it has a dead battery. Am using 2 fully charged batteries 1 is new 650 cca, other is 2 years old 750 cca, hardly used in 2 years and is like new. New starter, solenoid, alternater, and cables. Even with both batteries it does the dead act. some times it turns over but usually it doesn't. all contact points are new, clean and tight. any ideas, the hayes doesn't tell me anything that would help at this point.

 

PS. Truck is a 75 f250 with a 390 & automatic.

 

Even though they are newer batteries, have you checked them for voltage.

If you can, try and see how low they drop in voltage while trying to start.

I have had many new and new'ish batteries fail a load test.

Good luck buddy.

 

I agree with Ford Guy... I just replaced a 20 month old NAPA 'premium' battery because of a voltage issue. It even checked good when the parts counter numbskull hooked up the little auto-tester device. When I took it elsewhere (left as a disgruntled customer) they at first did the same test with the same results but then did a load test and it only popped 11 volts.

NAPA made it right when I communicated my concerns via facebook with a $100 gift card.

 

Batteries like to play tricks on you every now and then. If taking it to a parts store to be tested make sure its load tested.

 

A lot of the testers used now only "simulate" a load. Not put an actual load on the battery like a starter would.

 

Have you tried individually with each battery? How about with a jump? Cause if it still has issues after these troubleshooting steps then maybe look elsewhere. New starters for instance can also be bad.

 

The truck was pulling a Calgary. That's when something that should work doesn't work for absolutely no reason. I went back out and no problems with it turning over at all. For the first hour of the day it would not crank at all, just did the click, click, click routine even with the quick start charger on the cables. there was nothing wrong at all, just being another Calgary pita.

Thanx for the responses, sorry about the false alarm. Tomorrow I get to drop the tank on my Scab and either change it onto the Camper special or use it to replace the fuel sending unit. Their both 75 f250s so it should work or I might just take my already out auxillary tank and change that one or maybe just remove and drain the main tank, plug and disconnect the lines and use the auxillary tank. Like the latter idea, least amount of work and won't cost anything.

 

i have also had a similar issue whenever my starter cable melts to my headers and grounds out on something else maybe check it out its free to do and easy to understand

 

Combine the cold weather, maybe slight issues with a battery cable contact......just enough to keep it from cranking...Possibly this trucks starter requires more than the usual amperage. My 77 is real sensitive to wiggling and tightening the negative battery terminal. its already been cleaned on both cable and post, still likes to make me fiddle with it...

 

As I said earlier it's a Calgary, in other words anything that can go wrong or screw up will screw up and go wrong. An hour to 4 days later it works normally. Computer that claims your not connected to a network even though your connected, stove that doesn't work for 6 hours, have not had a coffee maker last more than 8 months, it took 3 replacements to get an air compressor that worked from Home Depot, freezer that stopped working until after you buy a replacement. these are just a few examples the one I like best happened in Edmonton. 19 year old plus kid goes to airport to go to Mexico, has pipe bomb in camera bag, security doesn't know what a pipe bomb looks like, tries to give it back to him so that he can take it with him to Mexico. Kid goes to Mexico, gets arrested a week later when he returns. It took 4 days for security to show pipe bomb to RCMP located in same airport. His punishment 1 year probation, $100 fine, $500 donation to burn ward and has to visit burn ward. Kids excuse, he forgot he had a pipe bomb in his camera bag. What is totally abnormal every where else in the world is normal here.

Everything is new from alternator to starter with no interference problems, it just decided not to work as working would make life to convenient.

Turns out my fuel pump was okay, the problem is with the pick up in my fuel tank. I'm going to pull the tank, plug lines and marret the live wire on gauge, filter and pour fuel into auxiliary tank. I'm not going any long distances so I don't need the rear tank anyway. If there is anything wrong with that tank I have the tank from my F350 and it's in really good condition.
I'll gather a bunch of empty beer cans and surround the tank with them, take a picture, do a write up saying it's a racing fuel tank used in NASCAR and put it on kijiji for a $100 and it should sell in 5 minutes. I had a neighbour sell a 77 dentside that was a complete piece of crap for $3200. He claimed the blown 429 in it was the motor he built for Kevin Harvick the year he beat Mark Martin at Daytona, seriously. The guy who bought it made it a point to do a couple of burn outs up and down my gravel back alley to show off his racing exhaust, straight pipes.

Thanks for the advice as it all helps and the stuff above really happened, enjoy the laugh and don't let anyone with high blood pressure or a heart condition move here.

 

So when you try to start it it just clicks? Sound like a solenoid switch to me, new doesn't always mean good. I've had new ones out of the box not work, or only last a few weeks.
In fact a few mornings ago I had to cross my solenoid to get my truck to start to go to work, but it started fine in the evening and hasn't done it since.