Motor Carrier EC's Going For It

[Electric Chicken]

I feel your pain. I thought I was going to just rest up and take in a few movies but, nope! there's a million and one things that need to be done.

Yeah the pickup wasn't even remotely on the list and it's preventing me from doing some of the things.

If I had personal conveyance I could at least run the sleeper for groceries. Instead I had to arrange a ride from my mom.

Hopefully it's just a simple case of dead batteries. They're not that old so they should be under warranty. Gotta get it to do something first though. If she cranks even slowly then that's what it is. If the booster is on and she ain't cranking it's probably the starter. It was abused pretty good back when I had fuel issues. So it could have finally just took a full crap out.

 

[Duck]

My little dinky charger is for cars and isn't doing a lick and for whatever reason I couldn't get a boost off the Mack.

Leave the dinky charger on it overnight if it's an automatic one that won't overcharge it.

 

[389 Hood]

Many times the positive post becomes disconnected on the inside of the battery from the plates. If/when that happens, any charger thinks you are trying to run the truck off of it and even at 5000 amps it won't do anything. Use a volt meter to determine the standing voltage of each of the batteries. The one giving you a 0 is the culprit.

But it is strange that you aren't even getting a solenoid click, because the diesel uses 24 volts to start. Then again, you may have inadvertently left something on and between the draw and the extreme cold, you just may have sucked them totally dry.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Many times the positive post becomes disconnected on the inside of the battery from the plates. If/when that happens, any charger thinks you are trying to run the truck off of it and even at 5000 amps it won't do anything. Use a volt meter to determine the standing voltage of each of the batteries. The one giving you a 0 is the culprit.

But it is strange that you aren't even getting a solenoid click, because the diesel uses 24 volts to start. Then again, you may have inadvertently left something on and between the draw and the extreme cold, you just may have sucked them totally dry.

I figured the booster can also help elsewhere so it won't be a complete waste of money, even if it doesn't help me here.

If it does start the truck, then I'll know I killed my batteries somehow.

If they were completely drained in the cold it would explain why the charger has been ineffective.

That said, I do have lights but no crank so it's still entirely possible that the starter decided it was time to die. I'm pretty sure it's original to the truck.

It also doesn't take much to have lights but it takes a lot to crank. Even moreso when it's literally freezing cold.

 

[389 Hood]

Turn the lights on and then hit the starter. If they go out, batteries. If they just dim while the key is in the start position, starter, or the solenoid.

If testing does reveal the starter, don't trash the original part. Take it to a local electrical shop and have them rebuild it. New stuff is garbage and in many cases a 'remanufactured' unit is a hodgepodge of maybe a dozen old units that you have no idea of the history.

Hang in an Amazon or Parts Geek starter if you need the truck now. Get the original rebuilt and put it on the shelf for a fast change when the new one takes a dump.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Turn the lights on and then hit the starter. If they go out, batteries. If they just dim while the key is in the start position, starter, or the solenoid.

If testing does reveal the starter, don't trash the original part. Take it to a local electrical shop and have them rebuild it. New stuff is garbage and in many cases a 'remanufactured' unit is a hodgepodge of maybe a dozen old units that you have no idea of the history.

Hang in an Amazon or Parts Geek starter if you need the truck now. Get the original rebuilt and put it on the shelf for a fast change when the new one takes a dump.

I'ma trash it just because you said not to.

 

[389 Hood]

 

[Electric Chicken]

Since my mom was my Uber for groceries today we also swung by a dealership to look at some cars I saw online. Couldn't find the one and the other has body damage that to me isn't acceptable for the price. Also had illegal window tint on it. Nice car otherwise.

When we got back to my house I had her turn the key so I could listen for any any all sounds and try to jump the relay.

The only thing you can hear is the loud ass relay not being opened and/or closed fast enough. I think I heard the starter clicking when I jumped it but it still didn't turn over.

So I'm basically back to just waiting for the booster to see if she'll start off that.

 

[Duck]

Since my mom was my Uber for groceries today we also swung by a dealership to look at some cars I saw online. Couldn't find the one and the other has body damage that to me isn't acceptable for the price. Also had illegal window tint on it. Nice car otherwise.

When we got back to my house I had her turn the key so I could listen for any any all sounds and try to jump the relay.

The only thing you can hear is the loud ass relay not being opened and/or closed fast enough. I think I heard the starter clicking when I jumped it but it still didn't turn over.

So I'm basically back to just waiting for the booster to see if she'll start off that.

Don't you have a voltmeter? You should have 12.5 volts or higher. If it's not starting with 12.5 volts in the battery, a booster ain't gonna help.

Since you drove it one day and it was dead the next, I'm thinking you left the lights on or something and drained the battery. But if the battery is good, and it's clicking the relay, it's either bad starter, bad electrical connection on the starter or relay, or a seized engine.

I have no idea how that would happen, but it happened to @Blood after his albino friend drove his green machine with a cat 3406.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Don't you have a voltmeter? You should have 12.5 volts or higher. If it's not starting with 12.5 volts in the battery, a booster ain't gonna help.

Since you drove it one day and it was dead the next, I'm thinking you left the lights on or something and drained the battery. But if the battery is good, and it's clicking the relay, it's either bad starter, bad electrical connection on the starter or relay, or a seized engine.

I have no idea how that would happen, but it happened to @Blood after his albino friend drove his green machine with a cat 3406.

I'm pretty sure you can have volts for lights but not enough amps to crank a diesel motor. But I'm not sure if you can have volts without any amps whatsoever or without enough amps to at least try.

I'll just see what happens when this booster pack comes and gives it what should be plenty of oomph.

I hadn't considered trying to turn the motor by hand. Never occurred to me that it might be seized. This thing used to sit constantly and fire up like it never sat at all. And if I drove it within a couple days it would be even easier to start.

I have that switch for the manual primer fuel pump that used to be cheap gator clips. And that switch has a light on it that's always on so I can find it in the dark. MAYBE that was enough to drain it when we got freezing temps. I can rewire it so it doesn't light up unless it's on and since I was able to mount it between the coolant tank and the washer reservoir it's not hard to find.

Won't be long until the booster is here so we'll find out what's up.

 

[Duck]

I'm pretty sure you can have volts for lights but not enough amps to crank a diesel motor. But I'm not sure if you can have volts without any amps whatsoever or without enough amps to at least try.

I'll just see what happens when this booster pack comes and gives it what should be plenty of oomph.

I hadn't considered trying to turn the motor by hand. Never occurred to me that it might be seized. This thing used to sit constantly and fire up like it never sat at all. And if I drove it within a couple days it would be even easier to start.

I have that switch for the manual primer fuel pump that used to be cheap gator clips. And that switch has a light on it that's always on so I can find it in the dark. MAYBE that was enough to drain it when we got freezing temps. I can rewire it so it doesn't light up unless it's on and since I was able to mount it between the coolant tank and the washer reservoir it's not hard to find.

Won't be long until the booster is here so we'll find out what's up.

You probably won't be able to turn a diesel over by hand.

 

[389 Hood]

A well worn 7.3 Stroker will roll over by hand. A fresh one may not be as easy. A breaker bar on the crank snout bolt will allow you to move it enough where you would know if it was stuck or not.

I'll stick with electrical on an Internet diagnosis.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Booster pack arrived at 5am this morning. Had 3/4 charge already so I went ahead and tried it. Followed the instructions. Clamps on, press button, wait 30 seconds.

She fired up better than on her regular batteries when they were known to be good. Like boom instant. And it's 34°F according to my phone.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I'll just take it with me in the pickup for now until I figure out if these batteries are dying prematurely or that switch is a real problematic draw or I simply dumb dumbed and left something on.

I got her idling now while I do my morning thing for work.

 

[Electric Chicken]

The most important thing is I don't have to buy another vehicle under duress. I don't mind boosting it on the fly for now. It doesn't take long.

I'll probably end up installing one of those hard wired maintainer trickle chargers so I can plug it in while it's sitting at home doing nothing. I do not want something that relies on gator clips and removal and storage. I'd rather mount it on the fender or something and leave it there and only have to plug and unplug the 110v cord.

 

[Electric Chicken]

After shutting it down and trying to start it as normal, it seems there's a bad spot in the starter and the booster can get past it but the regular batteries cannot.

Because I cranked normal and let go of the key before it started. It had plenty of crank in it. I immediately tried it again and it was the same dead as a door nail. Then I put the booster on it and it started up.

So there's a hangup in the starter I think. Hammering it doesn't help and even if it did I'm not going to spend all winter doing that.

She'll get a new starter here soon at least it seems I'll be able to move it to the garage to do the work.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I had to boost it again tonight to get it started but this time I took it on a ~40 mile drive under various conditions including interstate.

When I got back it started on its own 3-4 times in a row before showing some fade and not doing any of that dead stuck nonsense.

So my batteries are definitely the culprit. I ordered myself a 5amp charger with a desulfator/repair function and overcharge as well as undercharge protection. It won't charge them fast but if I leave it on for a couple days it might get these batteries back up to snuff.

 

[Electric Chicken]

You probably won't be able to turn a diesel over by hand.

Says you.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I had a Salisbury steak TV dinner for lunch today. For a local guy that's actually good eats.

The freezer section of my fridge isn't deep enough to fit most of the TV dinners I bought though, which sucks.

But I stocked up bigly on canned stews. They were similarly cheap and are similarly microwaveable.

 

[Duck]

Ok, couple of things I'd check.

First would be the battery cable connections.

Second, for why they went dead in the first place, if you are confident you didn't leave anything on, check your brake lights when you park it & walk away. You said it's an '86 Ford? I don't know if that's got the old style switch or not.

I had to Jimmy around with the one in the '77 a few times because I'd get out & the brake lights would stay on. I ended up adding another spring to the pedal because it wasn't returning up all the way.

You say it's a dual battery system?

I'd disconnect the grounds and let them sit overnight and check their individual voltage. One battery could've died and went to hell.

However that would only be to settle a curiosity because if either one is bad, they should be replaced in pairs.

Older (but still good) batteries will draw power from the new one, but the older battery being incapable of the same capacity as the new one, will simply waste the juice it steals from the new one.

If either battery is over 12.6 after sitting overnight, it's good enough to put in another vehicle with a single battery system. Just not paired with a new one that'll sit at 12.8 or so.