Truck wont crank

[TollKeeper]

I will add one thing to the above. If you are jump starting by connecting the cables to the battery, your doing it wrong.



And that bracket to the left in that picture is where you connect the ground. It will even have a picture on it.

 

[OR VietVet]

@TollKeeper, Yea, too many times a member says they did this and tested that but that does not tell us that it was done right or tested right. Process of elimination should only be done with absolute "known" repair or test procedures.

 

[MassHoe04]

So is this pretty much narrowed down to bad battery cables or bad ground? I wire brushed battery terminals so those are clean,no corrosion, and nice and tight

Need to inspect both ends of the cable connections and see if you can assess the condition of the cables themselves. Clean connection up top will do no good, if the connections below are not clean and tight. I had my own experience on my Jeep, where cables were corroded inside the insulating jacket. That corrosion was caused by decades of water seeping in where the insulation ended and the connector. It was just enough crud to cause problems in current flow and the grounds. Form the outside, the cable looked perfect. When I made a small cut in the insulation behind the connector at the bottom end, I did not see shiny copper wire strands. I saw black, white, green and dark brown. Cables were crap.

Start with cleaning the end connectors and the points they mount to, for positive and negative cables. Measuring current and resistance, as suggested by others, will help assess the condition of the cables.

 

[Hanky]

Need to inspect both ends of the cable connections and see if you can assess the condition of the cables themselves. Clean connection up top will do no good, if the connections below are not clean and tight. I had my own experience on my Jeep, where cables were corroded inside the insulating jacket. That corrosion was caused by decades of water seeping in where the insulation ended and the connector. It was just enough crud to cause problems in current flow and the grounds. Form the outside, the cable looked perfect. When I made a small cut in the insulation behind the connector at the bottom end, I did not see shiny copper wire strands. I saw black, white, green and dark brown. Cables were crap.

Start with cleaning the end connectors and the points they mount to, for positive and negative cables. Measuring current and resistance, as suggested by others, will help assess the condition of the cables.

I appreciate the in depth explanation. I'm going to test all grounds and inspect the cables tonight im really not trying to waste anybodies time but i was trying to say its at least not the battery or starter because i had both components checked so now im thinking grounds are going to be the biggest possibility. Did you jeep not start at all? Cuz all my accesories work like normal. Would accessories still work fine if i had one of the main grounds not working? Wouldnt it most likely make everything goofy?

 

[MassHoe04]

Jeep did not start at all. Accessories lit up, because they were fed from a second terminal post inside the power distribution center under the hood. The bottom end of the positive cable was where the worst of my corrosion was festering inside the insulation. That was the end that connects to the main post on the starter. The ignition signal wire that goes from ignition relay to the starter solenoid was another problem I had on that vehicle at that same time. Either one could prevent starting. With so many weird electrical ghosts caused by bad cables... I put a whole new set in and never looked behind.

Not saying you need new cables. Just need to start with the connections first, to make sure they are clean and tight to make the best possible contact. If cables obviously look like crap, then replacement might be a good idea.

 

[Doubeleive]

I appreciate the in depth explanation. I'm going to test all grounds and inspect the cables tonight im really not trying to waste anybodies time but i was trying to say its at least not the battery or starter because i had both components checked so now im thinking grounds are going to be the biggest possibility. Did you jeep not start at all? Cuz all my accesories work like normal. Would accessories still work fine if i had one of the main grounds not working? Wouldnt it most likely make everything goofy?

sooo... you had the battery load tested? and you bench tested the starter?
if so then you should make sure the engine is not seized, stick a wrench on the harmonic balancer and try to turn the motor by hand
otherwise it should be turning over (cranking) now, and if it still won't run then you need to check the fuel pressure
it goes step by step, miss a step and you don't know where the issue is and it's just a guessing game.

 

[Hanky]

Need to inspect both ends of the cable connections and see if you can assess the condition of the cables themselves. Clean connection up top will do no good, if the connections below are not clean and tight. I had my own experience on my Jeep, where cables were corroded inside the insulating jacket. That corrosion was caused by decades of water seeping in where the insulation ended and the connector. It was just enough crud to cause problems in current flow and the grounds. Form the outside, the cable looked perfect. When I made a small cut in the insulation behind the connector at the bottom end, I did not see shiny copper wire strands. I saw black, white, green and dark brown. Cables were crap.

Start with cleaning the end connectors and the points they mount to, for positive and negative cables. Measuring current and resistance, as suggested by others, will help assess the condition of the cables.

Low voltage on dash but accessories work fine is weird

sooo... you had the battery load tested? and you bench tested the starter?
if so then you should make sure the engine is not seized, stick a wrench on the harmonic balancer and try to turn the motor by hand
otherwise it should be turning over (cranking) now, and if it still won't run then you need to check the fuel pressure
it goes step by step, miss a step and you don't know where the issue is and it's just a guessing game.

I gotcha i did turn the engine over moved no problem. When it clicks i noticed the throttle body door clicks as well and opens a little bit each click

 

[George B]

Where is the click coming from? The starter or elswhere?

 

[Doubeleive]

Low voltage on dash but accessories work fine is weird

I gotcha i did turn the engine over moved no problem. When it clicks i noticed the throttle body door clicks as well and opens a little bit each click

that doesn't answer the question though, sounds like you still have low voltage which tells me 1. the battery is bad, or 2. a voltage drop test was not performed and the voltage issue addressed from there. your biggest volt/amp draw at startup is the starter. which is why...... i am just repeating myself, good luck.

 

[OR VietVet]

I have seen bench tested starters appear good and when on the engine, they still fail.