Story; go to leave work yesterday hop in go to crank it and "click". Try it a few times and it starts right up. Thinking well ok I'll go and pick up the updated starter contact kit. I get home and shut it off then try it again and "click". I open the hood to find that the neg cable is a little loose. So I clean and tighten both cables and it starts just fine "time for bed". I then get up in the morning and go to start it "click". I'm already behind so I jump in one of my other trucks and go to work. At lunch I pick up the Bigger contact kit and go home and rebuild my starter. All goes great, put it in and "click". (this is where my gun was going to come out". So I make sure everything is clean and tight and check over everything I did all looks good. So I checked voltage on the solenoid wire and I've got 12.7=good. Hot wire from solenoid wire to battery positive at starter and still click. So now I'm thinking the worst and I try to spin the engine over by hand and it spins just fine. Then I did a voltage drop with the fluke and cables are good. Next is to steal the starter out of the crewcab and put it in, go to start it and "click" (this is where my mini was going to come out). And the best part of it both of the starters work with just jumper cables hooked to them on the work bench(aka front bumper).
I'm done at this point both brain and body are fried with it still being 105* outside. I'm overlooking something somewhere......Any Ideas, and sorry for the novel. My final thought is high resistance in the neg cable. Although I have no acid in the cable at all (optimas). But at this point I don't want to see that truck right now.
Justin

 

sounds like a bad battery. mine read good voltage and did the same thing. i thought i was crazy trying a new battery but it worked. idk thats just my experience

 

It is electric motor, did you check the brushes? or possible shorted armature. just a thought

 

We had something like this happen to my grandpas swather the other day. It took us a few hours to figure out what the heck was goin on. The negative cable would have voltage and then sometimes it wouldn't. And it wouldn't start and the radio and everything would come on then turn off. We hooked a jumper cable from the negative terminal to the ground and it started right up. So then we knew we had a bad ground cable. So we moved the ground to different spot and it didn't do anything. Well in the end we finally figured it out. The cable was just loose enough in the battery clamps so it wasn't gettin full contact, so we took the cable off and put it in the vice and tightened it up, and it started right up. We were stumped for a long while. This may not be your problem and it might be. Just one thing to check. Good luck.

 

3 differant optimas that will start my other trucks. I'm preaty sure I'm good there but thank you.

 

I've tried two starters and the one off of the crew cab was starting it just fine before I took it off. But thanks for the replay

 

Yhea that's the only thing I haven't really tested/replaced. I've leaning tword that also. But I'm going to bring home some of my tools from work. I'm going with a loaded voltage drop tomarrow night and well see what I come up with? Maybe another truck........?

 

Just a thought. are the battery cables in good shape? I had a bad pos cable that gave the same symptoms. Try using a jumper cable to go the same place the positive cable does. then try the negative side too. hope this helps

 

ignition switch? That thought came to mind but you say in every instance it "clicks". Well, my guess is that whatever "IT" is that clicks is to blame. Sounds like the relay is not making complete contact to complete the circuit.

 

i would check the starter relay. had mine go out and it did the same thing. it would start when it felt like it.

 

I bypassed the relay. But keep the ideas coming. please.

 

As someone already suggested, I think you have a GROUND issue.

A weak GROUND connection can allow sufficient current to read GOOD on any meter test, but not carry enough amperage to operate the starter.

I would CLEAN and SHINE both end-points of the GROUND cable, assuring good contact.

If still no good, then supplement the GROUND with a really good set of jumper-cables, BOTH cables hooked to the GROUNDs.

If still no go, then swap both cables to supplement the HOT cable and see what happens.

 

It wouldn't be a bad idea to run a second big GROUND cable straight from one of the starter mounting bolts to battery NEGATIVE and thus have TWO GROUND cables.

 

i don't think this has anything to do with the issue but, what about the grounding wire to the body, on the core support? see if it's making a good connection.

 

Here is a stupid idea, try starting it in neutral..(neutral safety switch)