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69 suburban wont start

6

69sub

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Hello everyone Im new here so please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong section. I read the read me threads and i think this is in the right spot:D.

I bought a 69 suburban about 3 months ago that had been sitting for about 6 years. It's been running fine as my daily driver since i bought with a few hicups here and there.

So far I have had the following replaced:
New rear end - old one was howling like a dog in heat
master cylinder
no bearings and wheel cylinders
carb has been rebuilt
new starter
gas tank

The suburban has been running great until today. I went to start it this morning and just heard a short grinding type noise(forgive me for not knowing what it is) and then nothing. When i say nothing i mean nothing...no lights..radio doesnt turn on ...just nothing.

I just got home from work and preceded to bang on the starter and tap the distributor. each time i would have my son try to start it ...sometimes i would here a short grinding noise but most times i hear nothing...

any suggestions? Im basically wondering what to try next.

**EDIT**
I have recently replaced the battery.
I had a similiar issue about a month ago and it seemed that the battery had shifted and the front posts(im using the top terminals, the only battery i could find also had front posts) were touching the frame. i slid the battery back and it started just fine.
**EDIT**
 
Last edited:
Ill try that. After I posted I started thinking about it and shouldnt the headlights come on regardless of the starter?
 
It can be many things..the headlamps should work regardless of the starters condition.....first thing to check would be the battery--ensure its fully charged,and any wires other than the main battery cables that may be attached to them are intact and connected (seeing its had some problems with the battery moving around and shorting against the sheet metal)...I would take a 12V test lamp and hook it to the purple wire going to the starter solenoid--its a pain to get at,but with the test light hooked there and the other end of it grounded,it should light up when you turn the key to "start"....if not,your not getting 12V to the solenoid,and it wont crank--could be the neutral safety switch isn't letting the current go to the solenoid,the purple wire is cut or corrded,etc.........................................................................................a quicker but cruder way to test it would be to jump the positive battery cable at the solenoid,to the post on it the purple wire goes onto--it'll start cranking instantly when you do that,if the starter is any good...but its not that easy to get at those wires to jump them..If that wire is getting power,then its most likely the starter,but it could be a fusible link failed too,they usually are located near the starter and hook up under the positive battery cable where it goes to the solenoid....those red wires power the rest of the entire truck (or most of it at least)--when they fry,it kills power to the ignition switch and many other things,wont let it crank over.....you can test the starter out of the truck with jumper cables ,if it refuses to crank after testing to see if its getting power to the solenoid..---I have had a few solenoids have the screws fall out that held it to the starter and let it come off the starter some,and it wouldn't crank too...
 
Yes on the headlights. My 72 had a fusible link between the little junction block right next to the battery and it runs along the coresupport to the firewall. Might have a short in your starter/solenoid that fried the link and cut power to your fuseblock. I'd check there, wouldn't be hard to spot.
 
xsmokey11499x said:
if nothing comes on.. I would check grounds. maybe your ground strap came off?
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll start troubleshooting tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

Xsmokey -- is this a visual check or do I need a tool for this?
 
69sub said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll start troubleshooting tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

Xsmokey -- is this a visual check or do I need a tool for this?
Click to expand...

visual.. Its just a ground wire.

http://www.zarwerks.com/zaradmin/wiring/chassis_ground_strap_sm.jpg

could look like that. or just a regular ole black wire.. I had my positive cable Ground out on the frame before, Burnt the ground up. and I didnt have power to anything.. when I turned the Key. the Dash lights would come on. That's it

You could try adding another ground, From the block to the frame and see if it works?
 
I found this ground hooked up to the frame but its not connected to anything and its too short to reach the block.

Would there be more than one ground?


I tried to post a picture but apparently I need to have at least 5 posts here before I'm allowed to.
 
OK. Here is the pic
ground.jpg
 
69sub said:
I found this ground hooked up to the frame but its not connected to anything and its too short to reach the block.

Would there be more than one ground?


I tried to post a picture but apparently I need to have at least 5 posts here before I'm allowed to.
Click to expand...

just hook up another ground, with a thick wire. From block to frame. And see what happens
 
So I guess it was the battery. I put it on the charger just to be sure and it fired right up.

So...I'm guessing the battery gauge doesn't really mean anything because the needle is always in the same position.

Ill just drive it this week and see what happens. Either a accidently left the acc on or I have a bad alternator or voltage regulator I guess.

battery.jpg
 
69sub said:
So I guess it was the battery. I put it on the charger just to be sure and it fired right up.

So...I'm guessing the battery gauge doesn't really mean anything because the needle is always in the same position.

Ill just drive it this week and see what happens. Either a accidently left the acc on or I have a bad alternator or voltage regulator I guess.

battery.jpg
Click to expand...

glad you got it started!
 
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That's good to know. I'll check it out in the morning. Thanks xsmokey:D
 
AHH, I would strongly suggest you do not check the alternator by pulling the positive wire off the battery with it running.
That was a good test back in the days of no computers and point type distributors.

Nowadays its a good way to fry something important. In addition to a voltage/current spike when you take the wire off, having no battery in the circuit can cause the voltage to go way high, plus put lots of noise on the system.

The best way is to grab a simple voltmeter. If you are going to do any work at all on the truck, you will need one a lot.

Measure across the battery terminals with it running. Anything above 12 volts is OK, with 14.5 being ideal.
15 or above, though is a problem.

If you don't have a meter, and don't want to get one right now, turn the headlights on at night with them shining on something close.
Crank the truck. They should go a little dim while cranking, and then go brighter than original when the truck revs up.

If they almost go out when cranking, then you have a problem. If they do not get brighter, then the alt is not working.

Its not as good as a meter, but its an OK quick and dirty test.
 
69sub said:
So I guess it was the battery. I put it on the charger just to be sure and it fired right up.

So...I'm guessing the battery gauge doesn't really mean anything because the needle is always in the same position.

Ill just drive it this week and see what happens. Either a accidently left the acc on or I have a bad alternator or voltage regulator I guess.

battery.jpg
Click to expand...


The alternator may be doing it's job but if the battery has a bad cell in it, it's not going to keep the charge up. In short, alternator is probably fine.
 
69sub said:
So I guess it was the battery. I put it on the charger just to be sure and it fired right up.

So...I'm guessing the battery gauge doesn't really mean anything because the needle is always in the same position.

Ill just drive it this week and see what happens. Either a accidently left the acc on or I have a bad alternator or voltage regulator I guess.

battery.jpg
Click to expand...

That battery gauge is actually an ammeter. Most of the time it should stay right in the center. It doesn't tell you if the battery is bad or good though.
 
There are two inline fuses on the wiring to the amp meter on 67-72 GM trucks..they are located near the headlamps in the wiring harness on each side,the fuse holders look like rubber "blimps" just like the ones you see in the rear tail amp harness that go to the plate lamps..............................................................................................................................................................................................................it took me a good 2 years to finally figure out why my amp meter in my 72 K5 never worked,till I found a wiring diagram that showed the 2 fuses--they were glass fuses,both were blown and the holders were all gangrene,so I cut them out and spliced in some new fuse holders--and ta-da!!....it worked!..:D...I was about ready to rip the dash cluster out for the 4th time and replace the amp meter--I figured I had bought dead ones at the boneyard,turned out they all worked fine !..
 
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