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Turn the key. Nothing

bjr34bass

bjr34bass

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Feb 14, 2014
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Location
Yuma, AZ
Battery is good (12.6 volts and load tested). Alternator is brand new (by PO). No headlights. No dash lights. But does have dome light intermittently. That's probably a key piece of evidence, but I'm a newb so not sure what that could point to. No radio. Doesn't turn over. Nothing. I did some looking on here, but looking for some guidance. Sounds like I need to look for shorts under the hood and a fuseable link?

Also, I recently swapped out the power windows for manual. I cut the wires to the switches but left them loose inside the cab until I figure out how to pull them altogether. I may have left the battery hooked up when I did the drivers side. Maybe that plays a role?

I don't drive this in the summer here (too hot). So it's been sitting. Always started easy before. Thought for sure the battery was toast. Surprised that load test came back good.

Any guidance is appreciated!
 
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I would check for power on both sides of the junction block on the firewall to the left of the master cylinder. This would diag the fuse able links that are feeding the power to the cab.
 
when I reconnected the battery, I get a strong dome light and some pre-ignition warning lights. When I turn the key to start. Everything is dead.
 
bjr34bass said:
when I reconnected the battery, I get a strong dome light and some pre-ignition warning lights. When I turn the key to start. Everything is dead.
Click to expand...
Clean the battery connections and make sure to clean the ground at the engine block. look for corroded wires at battery and the starter.
 
I cleaned the terminals and checked the two grounds I could see (firewall and near the rad/battery. I'll check the starter and find/check the block ground.
 
I'd check the fusible links in the red wire(s) at the starter,that bolt to the big stud on the solenoid that the positive battery cable goes too...there is another fusible link near that junction block next to the brake booster...if any of those blow or get fried,they can still let enough current to pass thru to light a bulb,etc,but not make the solenoid crank it over..

A quick crude test for the fusible links being toasted is to use a jumper cable from the positive battery cable,right to that junction block next to the brake booster--if you see heavy sparks when you connect it,it is likely you have something shorted out in the cab,in that case dont leave it connected ,take it right off--or you could fry some of the harness and burn the truck up...(if the fuse links did fry,its highly possible whatever shorted out is still shorted,so use care doing this)...

You could rig up a 30 amp fuse in a fuse holder between the jumper cable and battery post for a "safety" to prevent any damage from being done...if the truck cranks and starts with the jumper cable by-passing the fusible links its most likely one of them fried..
If the fuse just blows,you'll have to find out what is shorted out--most often its the thick red wires with the fuse links that gets burnt or pinched somewhere between the starter solenoid and the harness it goes into behind the engine,which eventually goes to that junction block ,and the altenator (the red wire tee's off in the harness behind the engine,one goes to the junction block,the other to the altenator "stud")..or it could be a shorted wire in the cab going to the ignition switch or headlamps,etc..
 
if you have the power sorted out but still no crank when you turn the key make Shure your trans is in park/ neutral or the clutch is depressed.:popcorn:
 
I'll be checking the fusible links and looking for shorts tonight. Also, last time I had it out, it died when I came to a stop sign, then fired right back up and I was on my way. Forgot about that until I was reading another post. That sounds like a intermittent short somewhere eh?
 
Sounds like your ignition switch or park neutral switch may have failed. Check for 12V at the park neutral switch while cranking and for 12V at the starter while cranking. There are lots of circuits which are turned off in the crank position.
 
Will do. The ignition is suspicious. Replaced by the PO. No key. Potential sketchy junk yard fix.
 
I was able to get power to my lights and stereo by bypassing the neutral safety switch. I thought that fixed my problem. However, when I turn the ignition, everything dies. Then I check the voltage at the positive battery cable and it's dropped to 7-9 volts. I wiggle the battery cable and it goes back to 12.6 and I can repeat this process over and over. Gain my lights and stereo, but turn the ignition and everything dies and voltage tested at the positive cable drops but it's 12.6 on the positive terminal.

Am I looking at a fried cable? Or fusible links? I haven't dug into them yet (I did tug on them to see if they seemed compromised). I've tested the starter and bypassed the neutral safety switch.

BTW- this body lift sure makes getting at the starter a pain in the ass.
 
I've also cleaned/improved the firewall, block (actually alternator) and front grounds.
 
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