I HATE electrical Gremlins!
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From: North Carolina
I HATE electrical Gremlins!
Been reading other posts and figured its time to ask:
Solenoid was clicking, so I push started it (79 F100, 302, 4 speed) to get home. Battery is good, replaced solenoid, starter, cleaned all the connections (well, most of 'em) checked the groundstrap, and the solenoid still clicks. It won't jumpstart (still clicks), and the solenoid will sometimes click once, then nothing. I have an electrical meter but I'm unsure how to read it, nowhere does it indicate 12 volts. It is a Walmart type with needle and a dial.
What gives?
Steve
Solenoid was clicking, so I push started it (79 F100, 302, 4 speed) to get home. Battery is good, replaced solenoid, starter, cleaned all the connections (well, most of 'em) checked the groundstrap, and the solenoid still clicks. It won't jumpstart (still clicks), and the solenoid will sometimes click once, then nothing. I have an electrical meter but I'm unsure how to read it, nowhere does it indicate 12 volts. It is a Walmart type with needle and a dial.
What gives?
Steve
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Long Beach, Ms.
You should have a twist dial on the meter. Set it to 20v DC. Now put the black lead on the negative post - and the red lead on the positive post +. If the battery is good you should get a reading of 12v to 13v. Once you look at the meter you will see how the scale reads. Now attach the black lead - to a ground point and start checking the positive + current path until you find the point that the power disappears. I think that the starter relay may have failed. It sounds like electricity is not being passed through the relay to the starter. One way to test it is to carefully connect a jumper cable to the starter where the red cable from the relay is bolted on. Then touch the other end to the positive battery terminal. If the starter spins then the relay probably is the culprit. I have used a starter/jumper battery to do this test from the underside of a vehicle on ramps. Ground the black clamp of the jumper and then touch the red clamp to the starter terminal. Make sure that the truck is in neutral and the key is in your pocket when doing this test to prevent the engine from starting.
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From: Virginia
You can do the tests and use the meter as he says in the previous post, but always take a reading while someone is turning the key and trying to start the truck. This will put a load on the system, and eliminate false readings.
An easy thing to try is like the previous poster said, and use a small jumper wire, and jump #5 to #3 in the picture above. If that doesn't work, take a large jumper cable, and jump #3 to #6 in the picture above.
An easy thing to try is like the previous poster said, and use a small jumper wire, and jump #5 to #3 in the picture above. If that doesn't work, take a large jumper cable, and jump #3 to #6 in the picture above.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Abilene, Texas
You can do the tests and use the meter as he says in the previous post, but always take a reading while someone is turning the key and trying to start the truck. This will put a load on the system, and eliminate false readings.
An easy thing to try is like the previous poster said, and use a small jumper wire, and jump #5 to #3 in the picture above. If that doesn't work, take a large jumper cable, and jump #3 to #6 in the picture above.
An easy thing to try is like the previous poster said, and use a small jumper wire, and jump #5 to #3 in the picture above. If that doesn't work, take a large jumper cable, and jump #3 to #6 in the picture above.
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From: North Carolina
Love It. Thanks!
Great! There is a box on the sidewall that wires go into, I thought this was the 'starter relay', part of the starting system. According to your diagram, the actual starting system is much simpler. The diagram really narrows it down for me. I drive a truck and will try this out as soon as I am in town.
Steve
Steve
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From: North Carolina
How do you check the alternator?
The battery, though it is good, was VERY low. I charged it and it cranked fine. Took it to Autozone and he said the alternator is not charging enough. I'm not sure how old it is but assume this might be the problem. So where would I place my meter connections and what voltage am I looking for?
Steve
Steve
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From: Virginia
If you would like to check the alternator like he did in the truck, get the truck started, and put your meter on the battery terminals. You should have around 14 to 14.5 volts. Around 13 and you might have a slipping belt or a burned out diode in the alt. Around 12 volts or less, and you are not charging at all.
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From: North Carolina
How to read the darn Multimeter?!
I replaced the alternator, since it was putting out about 12 volts (tested at Autozone.) New solenoid, all terminals cleaned, and still the clicking! I charged the battery, was thinking it was a strong one but had been sitting a month or so. After charging, it cranked fine. After sitting a week or so, it is clicking again.
I have pocket sized multimeter, and either age or a brain fart but I can't read the thing. Looked everywhere (online) and found plenty of directions, even an owners manual, but nothing is clear about testing the car battery. There is simply nowhere on the scale that indicates (for a dunce) how to tell if the battery is 12 volts. The top scale is for ohms, the scale under this reads V-mA, the lower scale only goes up to 10.
Putting the meter on my son's Tacoma and another car shows the same reading for all (including my truck) at 50 on the second V-mA scale, of 50.
What am I missing?
Steve
I have pocket sized multimeter, and either age or a brain fart but I can't read the thing. Looked everywhere (online) and found plenty of directions, even an owners manual, but nothing is clear about testing the car battery. There is simply nowhere on the scale that indicates (for a dunce) how to tell if the battery is 12 volts. The top scale is for ohms, the scale under this reads V-mA, the lower scale only goes up to 10.
Putting the meter on my son's Tacoma and another car shows the same reading for all (including my truck) at 50 on the second V-mA scale, of 50.
What am I missing?
Steve
Last edited by sdloe; Oct 23, 2008 at 06:17 PM. Reason: missed important fact
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From: Virginia
To properly test a battery, you need a special battery tester like this. The local advance auto can get these for about $40.00. It has a load resistor inside that puts a load on the battery while the meter reads the voltage. A battery's voltage will "float up" with no load, giving a false reading. You can test a battery with a regular meter if you hold the meter onto the battery while someone else tries to start the vehicle, to put the starter load on the battery.
If I had a meter like this one below, to read battery voltage I would turn the dial over to to the 9 oclock to 11 o clock area. This is the DC measuring area, because it has a "V" with a straight line under it. The dotted line means pulsating DC. It has a "20" scale, so that would work for 12 volts.
If I had a meter like this one below, to read battery voltage I would turn the dial over to to the 9 oclock to 11 o clock area. This is the DC measuring area, because it has a "V" with a straight line under it. The dotted line means pulsating DC. It has a "20" scale, so that would work for 12 volts.
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