ok i now know how much i can now recheck when i get a hand when they get here,thanks wanna

 

I don't know if this will help or not or if somebody even mentioned it, but if the throttle is set low, it will be hard to start and will run rough. I throttled my truck up and it runs smooth when it starts when its cold. I don't even know why the throttle would matter, but it did on mine.

 

i did up the idal around 700 to around 800 and that helped some,i did check the possitive cable today and it was 12.5v with the truck doin its water in fuel/wait to start thing and with the starter on it was 10v. so it looks like shes gettin new cables this weekend. wannadiesel how much should i expect when i go to the 2/0,and what kind of conecters top and bottom ends of the cable,thanks guys

 

wannadiesel i had one on the negative and the other on the starter bolt on the starter,do i need to recheck with it on the positive side?

 

That wasn't what I wanted you to check, your test did not show whether the problem was the cables or just a weak battery.

Let me explain it a little differently. To properly test the cables, you need to connect your voltmeter between the positive battery terminal and the starter terminal and check the voltage reading when the starter is cranking. You should see a reading of no more than 0.2 volts. Do the same thing on the negative side, check the drop between the negative terminal and the engine block. Again, your voltmeter should show no more than 0.2 volts with the starter cranking.

The meter will read 0 volts until you crank the starter, this test checks the resistance of the cable and connections under load and shows that resistance as a difference in voltage between the ends of the cable. Small difference in voltage = low resistance. Big difference = high resistance.

I hope that's a little clearer, I would hate for you to go to the trouble and expense of replacing the cables if they are not the problem.

 

ok just got redone checking,on a scale of 0-5 volts it didnt move either side then i checked the ohms(which is what im used to checkin with) and it 0ed out on both sides and it starts great with the new optima yellow top.sorry wannadiesel i got confused my grandpa and dad always told me to ohm things that i needed to check resistance

 

Good deal. You had the positive lead of the voltmeter on the "most positive" terminal for each test?

Unfortunately you can't use an ohmmeter to check resistance under a load, that's where voltage drop testing comes in.

 

was i supposed to

 

Yes, an analog voltmeter needs to have the positive lead towards the positive terminal or it won't read. To test the positive cable, put the positive lead on the positive battery terminal. To test the negative cable, the positive voltmeter lead goes to the engine block.

 

ok i need new medican,my cold and alergies are kickin my butt on thinkin today ok so i re rechecked and red up top and black on the starter and on the 0-5 it went to the first little line which is 0.2 volts.wanna please tell me i finally did it right so i can go to bed

 

Yes, that's how it's done. As long as it was not more than 0.2 volts that's OK. Did you check the negative cable too?

 

yep i did and it didnt move just the positive side to the 0.2volts or the secomd line on the meter thanks wannadiesel.this cold thing has my butt for sure!

 

As long as it's no more than 0.2 volts it's fine.