# Starting Issue



## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

Good morning, Last week had a starting issue on my truck. Has happened ~3x since but has not been every time and have not found the pattern yet. 

Truck: 2000 NBS 2500 6.0L , has factory TP2 option with dual batteries. 

Here is what I notice:
-Get in truck, interior lights are on. Place key in ignition and turn to start. Hear click but starter never fires and everthing goes dead. No interior lights, no dash lights, no power, apparent anywhere. 
-Wait a minute, try again...sometimes it clicks but most of the times nothing at all happens. 

First time I quickly left truck to stop a friend from leaving to get a jump thinking maybe I had drained batteries. Came back and tried again before jump and fired right up. 

Times since I have waited a minute and tried again...and it goes. Have also opened hood and checked battery connections, ground wires, etc. Notthing seems loose, and things look ok although reading through other threads makes me want to upgrade my battery wiring. 

No wiring diagram in my Hayes manual for dual battery set up, but just the generic one for starter circuit. It appears from some searching and looking inside my truck that mine has an isolator setup on the secondary battery...but haven't found a layout so don't know how that relates to the starting function. Chasing the wires it isn't obvious how the system works. 

The symptoms make me think I need to take a hard look at the wiring? Is there an overload somewhere tripping a breaker or something which then resets? 

Power seems fine once it works, turns well, batteries seem charged...etc.


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

I think this might represent my truck..but can't find the other pages, or list of parts.


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## 911tech (Dec 31, 2009)

sounds like your starter solinoied is going bad and not engaging the plunger evertime you turn the key. next time it does it try using a long bar and hammer to lightly tap on the solinoied chances are it will fire up. if so replace the starter.


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

But would that make everthing else go dead? Lights, interior lights, dash, windows, chime etc?


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

Anyone else have input?


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## jb1390 (Sep 23, 2008)

Do you lose brake lights when this happens as well? 

Some vehicles are designed to kill power to other high energy sources when the key is turned-to allow maximum power to go to the starter. I am thinking that maybe a sticky ignition switch is not fully seating-and also not returning. If that is designed to kill power to the high-energy devices while the truck is starting, it's possible that the switch is stuck in a position where electrically it appears that the truck is starting-hence why nothing works. Ignition switches are a pain to change, but not very expensive. But I think brake lights are almost always connected so they will work regardless of key position. 

It doesn't seem to me that a loose connection would cause even an interior light not to work once you've taken your hand off the key.


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## zzamud (Dec 23, 2010)

You have a bad connection on batts. When it does work everything fine so batts charged. Unhook all batt cables bruch off all corrosion and retighten. Definatly just a bad connection if it kills everythin meaning batt juice doesnt go anywhere


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## jb1390 (Sep 23, 2008)

I am assuming that, since windows are listed, power doesn't return once your hand is off the key-correct (until the truck starts)? If power doesn't come back at all even when the load is removed, then it isn't loose connections.


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## zzamud (Dec 23, 2010)

You lose power only when in key n start position? Or u lose all power after u try to start and key returns to run position? If the first answer then bad starter. If second answer bad batt connection


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

To answer your questions everything stays dead even when I return the key back to run, and/or remove. Only once things "reset" (on their own) do I get power back again. So that would lead me down the battery connection path rather than starter as you described. 

I don't recall if the brakes lights were working, will look next time it occurs. 

Thanks for input guys. Sounds like I need to get to work on checking and retightening all battery connections. I gave them a cursory once over but didn't remove and inspect...that was where I was headed.


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## BigLou80 (Feb 25, 2008)

Clicking but not spinning still sounds like a bad starter to me OR one of your isolated dual batteries is DEAD flat ass dead. have you disconnected and checked both batteries individually ?

Assuming isolated batteries your only working from one battery at a time so if its set to the dead battery your going to get clicking then nothing when it resets to the not dead battery everything will work. The whole point of isolated batteries is so if one gets drained and won't start the vehicle the other one will. 

Try connecting the two batteries with jumper cables next time it dies and see what happens


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

joshg;1185096 said:


> Here is what I notice:
> -Get in truck, interior lights are on. Place key in ignition and turn to start. Hear click but starter never fires and everthing goes dead. No interior lights, no dash lights, no power, apparent anywhere.
> -Wait a minute, try again...sometimes it clicks but most of the times nothing at all happens.
> 
> ...


It's not a starter issue, you missed checking a power or ground connection somewhere so you need to go back over them all. Those at the battery's are obvious (but just as important) but don't overlook those in the positive junction box (left front of the engine), the battery-to-ground cables on the engine block and the most overlooked one; the 6 gauge positive cable that comes off the driver side battery positive cable and over to the under hood fuse panel. That ones out of site so it's often overlooked but very important as it supplies power to the ENTIRE truck. To access the fuse panel end of it simply remove the fuse box cover and then remove the surround housing, it just un-snaps and slides up off the main fuse box. You'll then see the connecting point of the 6 gauge wire near the front of it on a stud. Make sure that connection is clean and tight...just like the rest should be.


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

Thanks guys. It hasn't occured since last week. I did go back throug the most obvious connections but not sure I've got it as I didn't really find a "smoking gun". 

BB, good tips. I'll use that info to check those.


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## jklawn&Plow (Jan 8, 2011)

My 2000 1500 did this exact same thing. Bought new starter and prblem came back. Found out two problems. The exhaust manifold shield was rusting out and dropping debris all over the starter I finally got a pair of channel locks on it and ripped the worthless pirce of scrap off. Also the starter connection from battery was nearly ripped off, a flat piece of copper with eyelet. I bought a large copper crimp terminal from Autozone $12 and was able to get it just to fit. Wire seemed a little factory short.
Problem solved but what a pain fortunatley it was summer and I was just going lawn to lawn.


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## javaman70 (Nov 11, 2007)

sounds like a bad ground. i had the same problem and the ground cable had corroded in the casing at the block side end.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

i had a truck do the same thing. It was just a bad connection at the battery. You should really take apart the connections at the battery to check their condition. At a glance the connections looked great, nice and clean. Once the connection was removed, it was full of the old "green fuzzies". you'd be surprized how much can completely hide underneath the rubber cover on the end of these side terminal battery ends. Good luck.


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## joshg (Nov 12, 2009)

Just to follow up I did find one of the side studs on my main battery postive terminal did not appear to be tight enough. It is one of those studs with the extra attachement nuts for accessories and I think i was accidentally loosening the stud when tighten the auxillary nut on the accessory stud. 









Since I removed and rechecked all were clean, and tight I have not had the issue resurface. Thanks again for the help.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

Thanks for posting your solution! Glad to hear we helped!


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