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tough electrical problems

jsbrewster1

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Location
Chattanooga, TN
i hear all you guys having problems with your electical compnents and didn't see any problems with mine till last friday. got in friday morning started fine, after work started fine. made 2 stops on the way home and she started fine. stopped at the auto parts store to get oil and no start. i got in the truck and turn the key and it took it a minute for the lights to come on and then i turned it again to start and everything went blank. finally got it home and worked on it over the weekend and no luck still won't start. the problem is when i turn the key it takes it a second or two for the lights on the dash to come on and when they do it takes it a sec for anything to happen and then when i turn the key everything dies. i have good batterys and everything looks good i just really don't know where to start. any help would be great. thanks
 

NDT

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Check the battery connections and the ring terminals on the firewall barrier strips for corrosion.
 

Warthog

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It could be the ignition switch. It is located on top of the steering column. Sometimes the grease inside will harden and will gum up and cause the internal spring and contacts to hang.

The key turns, pushes on the actuator rod and contacts the switch.

Replacement is covered in chapter 4-13 of the TM9-2320-289-34

If it is the switch Autozone part# LS442 $8.99
 
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4bogginchevys

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rathdrum idaho
could be corroded cables (internal) from batt to batt or to starter, or a loose connection at the starter. Start where the juice starts and you'll find it pretty quick.:-D
 

burbn10

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Lake Villa, IL
It definately sounds like a bad connection somewhere. Most common spot for this symptom is right at the battery terminals. Also check that the terminal posts are not damaged. They can actually break loose from the battery case when abused. If that checks out I would put a decent Ohm meter on the ends of each of the battery cables to check for excessive resistance. (Should be very low) Start at the negative cable on the 12v battery and work your way down the system to the starter. Also check that your vehicle ground straps are not damaged or corroded.

Do your headlights turn on full power without the ignition on? If they turn on normally with the key off and then dim/fail with the key on, then it could be a short further in the ignition system.

I have already fought many an hour with my M1008's wiring, so I wish you luck!!! I hope this helped.
 

jsbrewster1

Member
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6
Location
Chattanooga, TN
with this problem i am having the same luck with the head lights as i am with the dash lights. they come on it is just they take a few seconds for the lights to brighten fully. as for the dash lights once they come on all the way and you go to turn the key everything dies. i tested the starting relay and am getting very low voltage on the purple/white wire. .1-.5V. i am thinking it is a bad wire or that there might be a grounding issue. i am going to be tearing it all apart this weekend. wish me luck:x
 

burbn10

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Lake Villa, IL
Really is sounding more and more like a bad connection point somewhere near the batteries / starter. The reason I say this is because the lighting system is not attached directly to the ignition / starting system. This is exactly what happens when you leave your lights on all night and your battery barely has a charge in the morning... I'm not saying that is what happened, but it is the same symptoms. That's why I am leaning towards current carrying problems. This would also cause your lack of voltage at the starter relay.

Do you have different batteries you could try to use just to test it out? Either that or find somebody with access to a VAT tester and have them do a load test on the starting system. Or one of those fancy Fluke testers that send low voltage AC current through the battery to check its condition. Those work really well. Like I mentioned before, you may have a loose, corroded, or damaged terminal on your batteries. If you are testing the battery with a VAT, that will really tell you if you have current carrying problems at the terminals. Putting a multi-meter on the batteries will tell you voltage, but tells you nothing about if your battery can carry proper current (amperage) through the posts. Multi Meters need very little current to obtain a reading, but your starting system needs hundreds of amps to operate. If the batteries check out, then I would look at the physical connections.

Use a battery terminal cleaner brush on all the posts and cable clamps first. Also check for corrosion in the crimp connector where the wire from the battery cable meets the terminal clamp. If you see green or white powder in there, it is very possibly your problem and I would check the resistance of that cable with an Ohm meter. (You can clean that off with baking soda and water mixed into a paste) That goes for both ends of the cables. Everything should be clean and tight. Even minor corrosion at the ends of the cable can actually be up to a foot down into the wire insulation. If that is the case, you would be best off replacing the cable in question. I also recommend in any case, to use some dielectric grease on all the connections to keep corrosion at bay.

With the ignition off on your truck, you should have at least 24 volts at the B+ terminal of the starter solenoid. Probably be closer to 25.5 volts with fully charged batteries. Check this connection for voltage first without anything on and then try it again with the headlights on. See how much voltage you dropped. It should be only a couple volts. If it is a lot, then you do have a bad connection between the batteries and starter. If you have no major drop off, you have issues further up the system...

I can't remember what manual number off the top of my head, but the maintenance manual for your truck is on this site under the "Resources" tab at the top of the screen. In there you can find some very basic wiring diagrams and troubleshooting tips. I have not had a lot of luck using the diagrams in the manual because my truck's wiring is far off from what they claim it is supposed to be like, but that is military maintenance for you...

Once again, I wish you luck!
 
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jsbrewster1

Member
30
0
6
Location
Chattanooga, TN
thanks i have that manual printed out and refer to it often. i have tested everything but the starter, so i will test it today. i don't know how that would affect the dash lights or the head lights though? i have my wife's uncle coming over today to help me tear it apart and see what he thinks. it sure does help having an electrician in the family:grin: maybe he can show me how to trouble shoot this in no time. im also going to take the batterys to the auto parts store and have them test them with there fancy battery tester. i just hope it isn't them.. batterys are getting really expensive and im on a tite budget now.
thanks for all your help guys.
 
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