Yes. that's it.

 

thanks.. that was my initial thought, however I cleaned all terminal, checked he battery ran a voltage test.. everything checked out.. at this point I either have to check the entire wire harness and battery cables or the starter.

 

Welcome to FTE by the way.

One thing to keep in mind, and this is also to benefit for future troubleshooters who read the FTE archives, is that jump starting is really an emergency "get out of an unsafe situation" procedure. If at all possible swap in a serviceable battery in lieu of a jump start. Not trying to pick on you or anything. That's my view anyway.

But in any case it's wise to put that battery on an outboard battery charger just as soon as possible, and charge it up to 100%, a dead battery is very hard on a vehicle alternator and may smoke a diode or roast the stator. Just a few deep discharges will probably ruin the battery.

The idea too, is to keep from compounding a small $$ problem (cables, battery) into major (alternators, golly knows what else, etc) $$$ issues that never seems to end. Defective alternator can, in turn, ruin the new battery, and the reverse is also true.

Here are a couple links to get you started with some very simple, basic tests to perform with your voltmeter. The knowledge gained here means you'll always be armed properly to test any vehicle for proper battery, cranking, and charging voltages. This can save a ton of money and frustration or serious inconvenience. Particularly useful is the "voltage drop" test. If you know how to do this, great but most people don't. Ohms resistance tests won't work when 350 amps are being drawn. But a simple voltmeter will tell the tale.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

http://www.aa1car.com/electrical.htm

 

when it started it was just the winding itself.. id end up having to pull the starter loose to turn the gear enough to get it in a different position. (and yes that did get old fast) It wasnt my DD at the time so didnt really care... sometimes i could hit it with a hammer and itd work.. when it got worse and turned into what you are experiencing i just ended up replacing it..

 

Check battery cables for corrosion and all wires going to the starter.

 

thanks Don, I did do that.. ran a voltage test.. no issues... not sure if I should just suck it up and change the starter hoping it will work. since it could end up being anything.. solenoid, relay or something.. kinda lost here and am not that good with cars so..at the mercy of my mechanic.

 

Check the positive battery cable going to the driver's side fender well. There's a junction there bolted on with a plastic cover over it. On my 03, I was checking it over shortly after I bought it, wiggled the cable right there, and the connecting terminal broke off. It was super corroded. Pretty sure that's power for the rest of the truck.
It should be the same on yours. Not saying that's it 100%, but it's worth a look...

Frank

 

The starter CAN cause this problem, especially if the battery is a little weak. It is rare but not unheard of.. A bad starter can have a short in a winding that creates a dead short and pulls the battery voltage below the threshold for the lights, dash and radio, not common but possible. I would however suspect as others have said you have a bad connection somewhere in the electrical system, be very alert looking for bad cab grounds.

 

Just assuming it is possible that the starter is shorting and causing a similar issue, it should heat up right?

Power has to DO something, it doesn't just dissipate magically, it has to either turn into work, heat, noise, something. So if you can touch the starter after 20 seconds of the truck "being dead" ie the starter shorting and sucking power, probably not the likely problem.

 

Yep. That, or cables getting hot too. The amount of power drawn during crank is impressive.

 

Check the cable on the starter. Take it off and clean it and the starter. My 2000 V10 did a similar thing a few years ago and that resolved my problem. Best to clean both ends of the cable to play it safe. Hope this works.

 

So here's what we know:

Started fine on jumps initially
Started getting slower to dead on jumps
Will work on tender(?) charge - just like a 1 hour long jump start of the battery

I doubt it's the starter. I just replaced mine - it's not that hard, 2-3 bolts, just be sure to get the right one.

It sounds like your battery isn't getting enough juice from the alternator/charging system so the battery is dying. Check your positive charge wire from the alternator through whatever system it goes through to the battery. Willing to bet the power flow there is being interrupted. That should diminish the number of wires you need to look at.

Someone else prior mentioned how to perform the test (ohm meter and such.)

If it IS the starter, take your truck home and do it yourself. This would be the part to get: http://amzn.to/1lVjlSu

It's super easy. Very basic tools and some Gojo will finish you right up - can be done in 30 minutes.

 

There are several basic steps to trouble-shooting this problem and not simply throwing parts at it until it works again.
Start simple and work up to difficult.
1. Load test batteries. Pass go to 2
2. Do a voltage-drop test to see where the loss is occurring in the system. Pass go to 3
3. Have the starter pulled and bench tested by a starter/alternator shop.
4. Still have the problem? Start looking at an intermittent solenoid or a bad ignition switch.
If all these item test ok then its time to dig into the primary wiring. E.G wires in steering column etc....
You said all the secondary (large battery cables) were checked. Were they pulled and individually ohm'ed out? A secondary (and a primary) wire can visually inspect ok yet have high resistance due to corrosion under the insulation or are intermittently open due to fatigue. A volt drop test will isolate the general area. Once found the cables in that circuit need to be wrung out (ohmed out).
All grounds need to be present, clean and tight.
What kind of voltage is the alternator putting out? Check the alternators VDC right at the alternator to ground then probe the batteries to ground (engine running). If its suspicious take it to the same shop that did the starter and have it load tested.
The voltage drop test is a simple tool used to pinpoint where the loss is.
I have had everything from a bad starter, bad cables, bad grounds to a chafed wire in the steering column feeding the ignition switch do what you describe. If your trucks rusty the grounds all need close inspection, cleaning, tightening followed by a spray of battery protectant to keep them good for a long time.
A side note: A new starter or new battery can mask an underlying weakness because they are fresh. But if there's a weakness somewhere in the system it will put more stress on the new parts and they will fail in a short period of time. This is why it's important to find the root cause failure. Then the new components will live a long happy life.

 

^^^^ This!

The only issue is this business of "ohming" out cables. The only reason for voltage drop testing in the first place is because high current cables can't really be tested by ohming them out.

When a cable or connection carries 250+ amperes, it must be tested under load. It's the only way. A couple tenths of an ohm difference is barely measurable or within the error of calibration, but will show huge voltage drops under load and enough to choke an alternator or starter. So they are always tested under load in parallel for a positive voltage that represents the voltage lost in the cable or connection. If a cable fails this it's best to replace it. Some of the OEM are stupid expensive, tho "custom" cables made with welding cable are very reasonable.

 

It sounds like a bad battery to me. Could also be a bad ground from frame to motor. You can check for a voltage drain by using a voltmeter with an amperage clamp to see if there is a drain with everything off. Sometimes a starter can act up when it is hot as opposed to cold as well. The radio will act up if the voltage is low or intermittent.