If the weather permits I will try jumping the starter relay and the headlight trick. I will let you all know tomorrow night. Thanks

 

ok, a little update. I got home last night (at midnight and 5 deg. outside) and crossed the starter relay to both the other big and the little post and all I get is a click sounds like the starter solenoid engaging. I made sure the truck was in neutral (man. tranny) and the parking brake was engaged and I shorted out the solenoid on the starter too and got the same thing. Still doesn't explain the clicking when the key is in the run position though. Also, I am getting voltage to the small wire on the starter relay with the key in the start position. Is it maybe time to pull the starter and get it checked out?????

 

OK this might sound wierd but until you mentioned the GP solenoid clicking rapidly (other than normal on - off) it did not even hit me what is wrong. Check your feed wire from the battery to the solenoid. The one that is feeds the one terminal on the solenoid that runs the rest of the truck GP wires, Brake lights, etc. It is like a 6 gauge wire 1/2 size of battery cables. I had brand new everything on my rig wires etc except that one it "Looked" real good. The truck would start great and then there would be that one time and nothing. The switch I thought, Solenoid, Ground? Grounds? Yep all replaced..... Still did the same thing and was getting worse. On a chance I decided to take that cable off to clean the already spotless terminals again. Looked and decided to just put a new connector on one end for grins. Cut it and there could not have been 6 wires holding it on the rest had been corroded about 1/2 inch from the connector completely hidden by the insulation. Installed 2 new connectors soldered nice and tight and the the no start issues disappeared. After what you described it sounded just like me a month ago. Hope this helps.

 

on the GP relay or the starter relay?

 

My GP solenoid acted like it had a bad ground and my gauges acted weird and it would even erase my radio memory once in awhile. The starter sometimes would click and then not. The starter switch was not getting the power it needed. The starter even hung up once in mid-activation take your access cover off and spin the starter gear and then the fly wheel once. My starter was new. Just a thought

 

I still think it is in the battery cable clamp.
When you test with a volt meter, you are seeing voltage, but you are not drawing any amps.
When the glow plugs heat, they are drawing 200 amps.
When you crank the engine the starter is drawing 300 amps.

The connection needed to show volts on a volt meter is way different than what is needed to heat the glow plugs or spin the starter.

 

Clean all battery connections, clean grounds, clean connections to relays and controlers. Also as stated check the cables themselves for interior corrosion.

 

If I can work in the Siberian temps this weekend I will clean all the connections and check wires and maybe pull the starter. There is a little corrosion on the batt. cable but i it only on the end i don't think that it is all the way through. Like I said though the high temp for this weekend is supposed to be 5 or 6 deg this weekend and i don't really need the truck all that bad, just need to get the wife off of my ***!

 

I could not even see any corrosion on the exterior of my cable, cleaned the terminals till I was blue in the face.

The only indication of any problem with the clamp was the insulation near the clamp was darkened and very hard.
After I saw the inside of the clamp, I realized the darkened and hard insulation was from heat cooking the insulation when I was cranking the engine.

When I cut the passenger side clamp open, it was full of green slime inside the clamp where the wires all join up.
On my 86 the 2/0 cable that crosses from the drivers side
The 3/0 cable to the starter
and a #6 wire that goes to the glow plug relay all join in the clamp.

The #6 wire is all the electricity for the truck and where the alternator charge returns to the battery.
If that wire is corroded, you have low power or no power to the cab, and the batteries don't charge right when the engine is running.

When I cut my clamp open I was at home.
I had a heavy duty clamp in the garage, but it would not hold all the big wires.
So I drilled the bolt holes for the bolts that hold the strap over the wires out so I could use a longer 1/4" bolt in the hole from the bottom up. Put the wires under the strap and then a couple washers and nuts to hold everything together.
Truck started fine after that and I drove it that way for a couple days till I made it out to NAPA so they could make new cables for me.

They have the flag clamp listed in their book, and they can make an exact replacement cable if they have that clamp in stock for about 100 dollars.
But they were out of the flag clamp so I just had him make the individual cables and ran them seperately to the starter.

As I was typing this I happened to think, you could possibly use vice grips and clamp the lead clamp where the wires go into the passenger side clamp real hard. That may make a connection for a bit, enough to see if it starts or acts different. If it does, you know the problem is inside the clamp.

 

I am having the problem too that someone earlier had, that when it won't start it will erase the presets on my radio. That's almost as frustrating as the damn truck not starting. lol. I guess before I do and pull the starter I will do as has been suggested (you guys have a lot more experience at this than I do.lol) and pull wires and start there. Just check all the wires and clean all the clamps up, maybe replace the bolts on the clamps too to get them a little tighter. Then check the wiring on my starter and GP relays and starter and see where that gets me. Thanks again, don't know where I would be without you guys.

 

You are a lot smarter that me. I joined this forum after ripping some quality skull cover off searching for my issue. Lots of great information out here and getting a different point of view is well worth it.

 

make sure you isolate the two batteries when you check for voltage. also, the rapid clicking of the glow plug relay can be a loose connection or burned out gp's

 

I built my new Cables out of 0/1 welding cable. I used the stud type battery terminals with the wing nuts. and plain lugs on the ends of the cables that go over the studs on the cables. worked great on my truck for almost a year. I would check for corrosion on all the cables. I had corrosion for 6 inches down the positive cable toward the starter.

Scott

 

worked on the truck a little this weekend. got all the connections except for the starter cleaned up. used vice grips on both batt. pos. terminals and still the same results. I only have around 10 volts at the batts. though. Is it possible that either the starter relay is bad or gp relay? the gp's are only a year old and haven't been used that much as the truck sat for much of the last year. one problem that I have found is the starter solenoid (the one actually on the starter itself is missing a bolt so you can move the solenoid around a bit. Could that be a possibility? This truck is pissing me off! lol. Ok, so it's really the wife that's pissing me off but it's because this truck she didn't want in the first place won't run so she nags like most do. lol. I have the truck on a charger tonight. We will see in the morning.

 

You say 10 volts when disconnected from each other? possibly batteries are to low to run starter. Try charging batteries and take them in to be load tested.
Also get another bolt to replace the one which is missing. Every little thing will add up to a no start.