Battery?

[Cainon]

Batteries both checked out good. Standby and under load. Just installed new starter yesterday. First attempt turned over (did not start) but in mid attempt it acted like my batteries died. Could the voltage regulator cause this? Has this happened to anyone lately? Also batteries have been draining if not started and ran everyday.

 

[DaveBen]

There is a whole pile of probable causes; corroded battery posts, corroded battery cables, corroded ground cables and connections. Loose grounds can give you hell. The possibilities are almost endless. Check each of the above and then try it again.

 

[Cainon]

Thanks

 

[ih8minimumwage]

Aftermarket stereo?

Easiest way to check for a drain is to pull a negative cables an install a test light between one of them and the negative battery post. It will light up if there's a drain, then start pulling fuses or any "add-on" wires that are on the positive terminals.

Hard to tell exactly what it's doing without a meter (even a free one from Harbor Freight will do).

EDIT: A good practice with these engines is to run an additional ground cable from battery negative to one of the starter mounting bolts. Helps bypass the years of engine leakage between the starter and bellhousing.

 

[nj_m715]

check the stupid stuff first, but I also had a new bad starter. did the same thing, acted like dead batteries. would turn over slow with a 100 amp shop booster

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The voltage regulator couldn't cause this, assuming that the batteries were fully charged when you tried to start the truck. A bad regulator can short internally and still make the alternator charge just fine. This will cause you batteries to discharge after sitting for several days.

 

[jwalterus]

Also batteries have been draining if not started and ran everyday.

Disconnect them and let it sit a few days, wouldn't be the first batteries I've seen "test good" but be shot.

 

[Cainon]

Disconnect them and let it sit a few days, wouldn't be the first batteries I've seen "test good" but be shot.

You were right. It was testing good 12.4 standby and 11.5 under load out off the truck. But when I put a meter on it while my buddy tried starting the truck it dropped to a whopping 4.3. That's the first one I've seen do that. New batteries and she started right up!

 

[IDIBRONCO]

At least you got her running again.

 

[Cainon]

At least you got her running again.

Yes indeed. Now just a couple more loose ends and she will be a daily driver. Only short trips for now. Doing oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, and rear seals this weekend. And probably what I think are the sway bar links... I'll get a picture tmw when the suns out and post on here to find out what it is. Have more questions about some other things anyway. Thanks for all the help everyone

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Don't use a gasket on the oil pan. From the factory, there was just RTV. A gasket will start leaking. Just use a bead of RTV. Another thing is that while you can drop the oil pan with the engine in the truck, most will agree that by the time that you get done, it would have been about the same to pull the engine out. If you're going to change out the rear seal, they you either have to drop the transmission or pull the engine. It's a one piece seal. Valve cover gaskets and the sway bar end links are the ones that you can do with the engine in the truck. I say this since you also want to reseal the oil pan. Another thing that I found out last summer (2018) that may help. While reinstalling the passenger's side valve cover, the gasket would hit the back of the alternator pivot bolt and drop out of place. I finally had to loosen the pivot bolt up and then I had no issues. I hadn't run into that before, but you can be sure that I'll be doing that every time from now on. Just things to be aware of.

 

[Cainon]

Don't use a gasket on the oil pan. From the factory, there was just RTV. A gasket will start leaking. Just use a bead of RTV. Another thing is that while you can drop the oil pan with the engine in the truck, most will agree that by the time that you get done, it would have been about the same to pull the engine out. If you're going to change out the rear seal, they you either have to drop the transmission or pull the engine. It's a one piece seal. Valve cover gaskets and the sway bar end links are the ones that you can do with the engine in the truck. I say this since you also want to reseal the oil pan. Another thing that I found out last summer (2018) that may help. While reinstalling the passenger's side valve cover, the gasket would hit the back of the alternator pivot bolt and drop out of place. I finally had to loosen the pivot bolt up and then I had no issues. I hadn't run into that before, but you can be sure that I'll be doing that every time from now on. Just things to be aware of.

Thanks for the heads up. Glad I didnt by the oil pan gasket. I already have RTV so that works.