can't start truck part two?

Question

ok when i go to start my truck the lights inside come on and when i turn the key all u here is a click and the lights go off, doesn't turn over or nothin, it is a older model truck, i have changed the ignition switch, new battery, i have put a test light on the ford starter solenoid to test the ignition switch and etc.. this si where it gets interesting, when i turn the key on and all the lights go off i then put a test light on the positive side of battery and then follow the positive cable to the solenoid where i test it, on the solenoid itself positive side the test light doesn't light up, but when i put the light on the cable it lights up, but i then turn the key off and back on and all lights come on and test light works on solenoid, what is the deal, i can't get my truck to start

starter has also been tested and it works and also i have tried jumping the solenoid but it still doesn't turn over
new battery
new ignition switch
new starter
change solenoid but i believe that is the problem again
also after messing with it for a little while i do get it to start up, its not the fuses, would a corroded wire cause this or is it the solenoid and if so what is the best solenoid, i have went through 3

and before anyone ask what i am doing to make it start i just turn the key and it just happens to start

and the solenoid is fender mounted is that a problem

brand new motor as well

Answer 1

This sounds like a corroded contact in either the positive or negative leads from the battery to the starter, most like the negative. If the neg is connected only to the body directly, the current has to find it's way from engine back to battery through the body. How good is any body-engine connection?

The reason the lights go out is that the connection is good enough to run them, maybe 10 or 15 amps but it is not good enough to run the starter, this needs 12 or more times the current. When you turn the starter on, there is not enough electricity getting through the connection to run both starter and lights.

It's possible the solenoid is supposed to ground through the bodywork but if it was not working you would not get the lights going out. The click you hear is probably the solenoid doing it's job.

Before you go buying more parts, get a wire brush or sandpaper etc and clean all the connections.

There is a possibility that the starter motor itself is giving you grief, there may be some internal short circuit but it should get very hot in such a case.

Some old hands used to recommend grounding the battery to both the body and the engine from the negative pole using a dual ground lead.

Answer 2

Siezed engine?
Blown starter?

ADDED:
Oh, blown head gasket. Hydro-locked piston.

In automotive terminology, a hydrolock (short for hydraulic lock) is the immobilization of an engine's pistons by a liquid (usually water, hence the prefix "hydro-"). Hydrolocking occurs when liquid fills a cylinder on the intake stroke and, due to the incompressibility of a liquid, makes the compression stroke impossible. This, in turn, prevents the entire engine from turning, and can cause significant engine damage if one attempts to forcibly turn over or start the engine. Typically, connecting rods will be bent, making the engine uneconomical to repair.

ADDED: #2
Use an old crappy screwdriver to short both the big posts on the starter solenoid to bypas it.
If the starter turns, replace the solenoid (again)

ADDED#3
Go buy a Chevy......

Answer 3

disconnect the pos. cable and check the Resistance in the cable. check the neg. also. the cable maybe corroded inside of it. check your ground, make sure it is also good. turn your ignition to the on position and jump solenoid, if that dont work try a new solenoid. make sure all connections are good. you are losing power in the system some where. good luck.

Answer 4

check the ground from the battery to the body it might look good but still bad just had that happen on my daughters car this winter.. and the solenoid has to be bolted up tight to the fender if it is loose it will not ground right (has to be grounded)

Answer 5

After interpreting your tale it sounds like it has gradually gotten worse in terms of the quantity of tries it takes you to commence the motor vehicle. you pronounced once you attempt to commence the motor vehicle and all you hear is a click. if that's the case the 1st place i might commence may well be the battery. If after checking the battery, your battery tests out nice. the subsequent difficulty i might verify is your starter because of the fact the solenoid in it it made be undesirable that's the place the unmarried click is coming from. My next question

Answer 6

sounds like a bad batery cable. start with positive cable to solinoid. using your jumper cables hook the two red clamps from battery to positive solonoid terminal and try starter if it works cable is broken inside try starter side to starter. then try bypassing main ground cable if the jumper cables make it start replace that cable

Answer 7

cheek the starter solenoid

Answer 8

BAD GROUND