Another "Starter not turning engine over"

[Brian VT]

All was fine 3? weeks ago when I parked it. It's been cold. Below 0 at night and teens during the day.
Went to start it and it was turning over slow. Not surprised. I charged the batteries to full. Then it wouldn't even turn over. Just a click.
I figured the (2 yrs. old) 850CCA batteries went bad. Took them in hoping for warranty replacements. They tested fine.
I brought them in the warm house and charged them up and reinstalled them while still warm after cleaning the posts and adding that goop.
Ran the glow plugs for 10 seconds then hit the starter. Just a click. No turn.
Tried jumping the starter solenoid posts. Still just a click. No turn.
Checked the battery voltages after that. Both at 12.8v
Starter is a Powermaster I put in 3? years ago and it usually tries to flip the whole truck over when I use it.
Now what to do?

 

[DaveBen]

Try jumping the Starter Solenoid and see what that gets you. Jump the two large connectors and it should run the Starter Motor.

 

[Brian VT]

Already tried that before my post here.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Is there a loose connection on the power cable to the starter?

 

[Brian VT]

Dunno. It was getting dark and starting to get cold so I called it a night.
And it's supposed to go back to very cold and windy for this weekend so now just trying to formulate a plan of action/troubleshooting for when the weather permits. No hurry.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I don't blame you one bit!

 

[Brian VT]

I should have installed battery warmers while I had them out. Not that it's the current problem, but it could help in the future. I'm just trying to get her blood flowing again after 3? weeks of sitting. I think she's mad at me. ;-)

 

[franklin2]

Before you crawl under the truck to mess with the starter, check your ground cables. There should be two, they go from the front of the engine block on each side to each battery.

To avoid crawling under there to check the ground to block connections, you might get a decent jumper cable, and clamp to one of the battery negative posts, and clip the other end to a good metal spot on the engine and see if that does anything.

Trying to avoid doing too much in this weather.

 

[Brian VT]

I like the idea of using the jumper cables as a temporary ground. (Thanks franklin2). I will keep that in mind for future troubleshoots.
I tried it but it did not solve this problem.
So I slid under and checked the wire to the starter. (Thanks IDIBRONCO). I could swivel the wire a bit so I did tighten that nut. Still no turn when trying my starter button. So I tried jumping at the solenoid again. It turned over. Yay! So part of the problem fixed. I took the starter button out of the dash assuming it was bad (they do fail) and touched the wires together. Nothing.
So I followed my button wire to the solenoid. It had become disconnected. It's just attached to the solenoid post by a friction end. It was probably working it's way off the post when I had the weak starter issue and I assumed it was the batteries causing it.
All is back to normal. Thanks for the ideas. I need to replace that wire's end with a ring and attach it to the solenoid with a nut.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Glad to see that you can drive your truck again.

 

[Old Goat]

It`s always the little things that get cha.
You park the truck out side? You guys in the eastern 1/2 of the country
sure have been getting hit with some cold freezing weather.
Ca, Or, and Wa. got their share of wet flooding conditions.
We are still waiting for winter here in Northern Nv. 1 week of rain, and one
snow flury.

Goat

 

[IDIBRONCO]

1 week of rain, and one
snow flury.

In some parts of the country, that is winter.

 

[Nero]

We haven't gotten one goddanged snowflake here yet. Many below freezing days. Too dry. But this last weekend it's like Poseidon himself was mad at us and just pissed rain all weekend