ok the other day i went to start my truck and guess what, it wouldnt start when i turned the key to start position the starter just barely turned the motor about a quarter of a crank. ok battery is no good. got some one to jump me, but that didnt work either. all that happened was the same thing as before but this time all the dash lights went dark as soon as i hit the start button. so the truck should have started if it was just the battery that was bad right? or could it be somthing else?

thanks

 

Sounds like a grounding problem. Probably the big one. That's where I'd start.

 

What were you trying to get a jump from? How big were the jumper cables you were using? If you were trying to get a jump from a car, or even a gasser truck, and you were using small cheap jumper cables it won't make much of a difference. Take your battery terminals apart clean them with a wire brush and try again. Check the battery with a volt meter if you have less than 12.5 volts there is probably a bad cell. Also check to make sure all cells are full of water, if not top off with DISTILLED water.

I've seen plenty of times where a car/truck wouldn't start, took the terminals apart cleaned them and when back to gether/no charging no jump it started no/prob.

 

thanks for the help. i whent out and cleand the terminals even though they looked good and it started right up. never thought that would have been the problem.

 

Often its the simple things that get overlooked that solve the biggest problems!!

 

For years now I have been putting a bead of silicon around the posts where they go into the battery case and then put the little felt pads over the posts and then put the cables on.

The silicon keeps the gasses from getting to the post and corroding them. I do check the posts regulary and they are alwasy clean and bright.

It is almost impossible to have your truck jumped off a small car battery. I had the misfortune of needing a jump a few years back and a good hearted sole said he would try it. His car was one of those Ford ranger pickups, well after he started his truck I let it charge my battery for a few minutes and when I hit the key his truck almost died from the load.

The silicon and pads are cheap compared to having a wrecker do it.

JIm