To end of July I started truck and was one click, nothing else, once and then truck started at second try. A few days latter I had 10 times or so just one loud click when turn the key and after it car started. I cleaned post terminals and checked voltage. Voltage was 12,3V (not great, not terrible) before start and when truck is working 14,6. Then one month no problem. Past week it come back but not in morning then at end of my job when is truck parked for 6-7 hours. Now problem start in morning to. One click 4-5 times and than truck start. Voltage in morning is still steady 12,3 no matter how much I did drive day before. Past week I drove 50 miles to work and back but voltage is 12,3 in morning again.
At Friday I almost went to buy battery than I start thinking. If would be battery I would have problem in morning not in afternoon than must be starter. This morning I had one click in morning to. I have day off so I brought a starter from junkyard. And after replacement same problem again. So should I replace battery? I was thinking about posting here about this problem before but didn't do.
Some guys here advise about voltage drop testing. TBH how to check say + battery cable. Put a pole at positive battery terminal and another pole at starter red one I guess. But what than should car work or somebody crank engine to see some drop. But I have only one click, do not know if voltmeter can read anything in time of one click.
Am I OK to replace battery with steady 12,3 V and should it be reasonable next step? First step obviously wasn't reasonable. Live and learn.
Edit. Around 7" from starter positive cable obviously rub of truck frame. Insulation is gone and copper is exposed. But I didn't see any of thin wires that make positive cable crack. I put there some dielectric grease over exposed area, 3/8 long or so, and than put over it corrugated wire loom. I doubt it can be source of problem as if would copper wire from positive cable short to frame fuse would blow. Negative cable has small area exposed to and I deal with it in same way like plus cable.

 

12.3 is low I think. What about starting the engine after charging the battery? If engine starts consistently easier, the one-click problem is most likely related to 12.3 V.

 

Engine always start after some driving. One click problem show up only when truck is parked for several hours. Very good call. Them I should make thread before start fight problem.

 

Replaced battery to but same problem. Now it work 2 try one click per try and 3. time it start. Will do voltage drop testing at both cable but need to read about it for a while. Probably will buy more lead extensions for voltmeter so can sit in car and turn key and read voltmeter how long I want. But will only read till weekend and than do testing. Battery was at way out. For sure would have to replace it this winter. But starter did replaced for nothing. As I said above I sow some bigger damage at plus cable. Insulation was stripped and copper exposed in length of half inch. But will not do anything without testing. Do believe that new battery with 12.6V will not live me stranded in a few next weeks.

 

Single click is from relay at firewall most likely not from starter as in this guy case in first a few minutes of video. From now on will routinely check voltage at starter as this guy do at 7:45. No way will replace starter at blind any more. I guess only in real life key should be turn to start for this to work. Will crimp alligator clips to 20' of wires each so that can read voltage from siting in my car and turning key.

 

Well Tuesday had problem start with new battery that had 12,4V than. After driving it went to 12,6V and pickup do not have problem starting. Obviously something is not right still. So I decide to go with that voltage drop testing, first time in my life. Connected alligator clips to a 12' and a 6' wires. Connected first negative at battery to negative at starter and record reading with my phone, was sitting in car and turning key. Negative cable had maximum 0,3V at video that I downloaded to my computer.
Connected positive at battery to positive at starter and had 3V maximum reading in video. Obviously that damage that I sow when was replacing starter drove 3V from line. I will try to cut bad part and add another wire when will not be hot. Pickup start for now, will do it somewhere in September.
About Voltage drop testing. How hell I didn't try to learn about it before. So easy and convenient. I'm carpenter contractor and try to learn new technics often, something that I may need in life. How hell I miss this one so far.
Edit. Of course before did voltage drop test first connected jumper cables to battery terminals to see if will give me same reading like multimeter test probes only.

 

So what is standard solution for this? Fix or just replace complete positive cable or complete harness (positive, negative). Damage at positive cable is from it rubbing into pickup frame, so negative cable should be fine (non rusty). At internet say replacing positive cable is cheap way blah blah. But my positive cable has some resistors at it or so close to + post and I guess I can not use universal one.
Edit, I think I get it. I need replace only cable from starter relay to starter, not from battery to relay. Probably will bring some from youpull.
Btw this is what I bump into at wikihow
"If your car is having difficulty starting, or you find that it starts fine sometimes but intermittently won’t turn over, you may have an issue with your battery cables."
Exactly what happening to me.

 

See in this video at 2:00 guy just left old negative cable on. I plan just to buy single battery cable and run it from solenoid to starter. Old cable I will live on and just add new one and it would be good path for current. Whatsoever else is attached to old positive from solenoid to starter can work still always. I think it count in parallel situation. Wonder if someone else here did that way. As I understand if would connect positive cable directly to positive terminal starter would be always on, need to be connected to starter relay.
.

 

Napa even has cable that call "Battery cable, solenoid to starter". I guess it is supposed to be simply addition to existing cable.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MPB7...YaAgF5EALw_wcB

 

This is excellent video. Obviously you run "big 3" or "big 7" all new 4 gauge or 2 gauge cables. Probably will ran all "big 7" in time. You leave old cables where is it and just add new ones.

 

If I’m following you correctly, you put the positvelead of your volt meter on the positive POST of the battery and the negative lead of the volt meter on the starter solenoid post and tried to load the circuit by cranking the engine. It cranked and the meter read a voltage drop of 3 volts, which is way too much voltage drop for the positive side of the circuit.

Now put the positive lead of the volt meter on the positive POST of the battery and the negative voltmeter lead on the starter relay’s post on the fire wall and load the circuit. This will tell you how much of the voltage drop is occurring between the battery and the starter relay.

Next put the positive lead of the volt meter on one of the posts of the starter relay on the fire wall and the negative volt meter lead on the other post of the starter relay on the fire wall and load the circuit. The meter reading will now show how much of the voltage drop is occurring through the starter relay.

And finally, put the positive voltmeter lead on the output side of the starter relay and the negative meter lead on the starter motor solenoid post down on the starter and load the circuit. The meter will now show how much of the voltage drop is occurring between the starter relay and the starter solenoid.

Looking at these voltage drops will tell you which portion or portions of the power side of the starter circuit is causing the voltage drop. Clean or replace accordingly.

 

Thanks. I understand what you try to say as positive cord is actually two cords. From positive to relay and from relay to starter. I didn't do from positive to relay as I sow physical damage at cord relay to starter as I post in nr 1. Will change that cord first thing in morning and check voltage drop and post here and go from there if will voltage drop be still to high. Supposed do it today but to hot is here in Mpls.

 

It would be interesting to do the voltage drop from battery to relay with the old cable and then do it again with the new cable and see how much of a difference the new cable makes. But that’s just me, always experimenting and trying to learn.

 

Well went to do it. Used this schematics, same is in Hanes manual.

First try to check if I have enough of length of cable. Didn't detach + and - at battery. When I touched B+ with connector of new cable I heard loud click (from solenoid I guess) and see some strong spark. Stop all and start pickup to check if I fry something and all is good. I think when I touched b+ at starter another end of new cord was touching ground somewhere up and basically I tried to jump start starter. Ok.
Then I connected new cable. Upper end to C and lower end I put below original connector of old cable (that I will leave on of course)


All easy so far. But now things go strange. Connected positive to battery and than try to connect negative to. When I touch negative post with connector I had strong spark and it look like solenoid click again once. Once is because I barely touched negative battery post with connector. I guess would even start if I would hold it. So I guess I did jump start situation for starter again. Tried barely touch connector to negative post again and again spark, but with no click this time as I minimum touch post to connector. So I pull out new cord for now.
I think I connected it properly from C in picture 1 to B+ at solenoid. Only, distant, second explanation would be at B+ I put new connector first and because it is fat it managed to touch that path in picture below that I marked with arrow. I didn't rearrange B+ connection for now, old first and new over. So any idea what can be. Still always it look that I didn't fry anything with this, all together, 3 sparkings.

 

This is big. This guy at another forum made "big 3" and than say add new wire from solenoid to relay. He said this

"Once you have located the bolt run your heavy gauge wire from that bolt to the starter relay bottom bolt (on your firewall). You should already have two terminals added here, this will make the third. Current is always flowing from this location so be careful when doing this an not hit your wrench on the top bolt(ignition lead). Once you have the terminal connected to the bottom bolt, securely tightly and enjoy your work. This will dramatically increase the amperage going to your system and your starter for long lasting power."

So he said that I should run wire from B+ to STARTER RELAY BOTTOM BOLT. Is it this true. If so how f is possible that Hanes manual is wrong.

This guy mistakenly put alternator wire (B in above picture) over starter wire C and fry starter. https://www.f150forum.com/f12/starte...d-fuse-440103/ So most likely I put starter wire properly to upper post at solenoid. Maybe I get just scarred from stronger spark. As I said I heard one click form starter when try to connect negative, maybe it is normal with new fat cable.

Well when look purely with logic battery + and alternator must have direct path. Third cord go to firewall. If would starter cable go to lower post to than nothing would go at upper cable. And plus starter and alternator cable can not be at same post as it would be direct connection from alternator to starter and everything in car should be protected from alternator voltage spike through battery. So next weekend will just rearrange connectors at B+ (starter positive post) and connect cable hopping for best.