Truck wont start?

Does the battery have a full charge? Are the battery cables/wires all clean and tight on both ends? Can you turn the engine over by hand?

Any testing you do on the starter or starter relay, you need to make sure the tranny is in park or neutral and the e-brake is set.

The starter is a direct replacement for your vehicle? I guess it is possible that the teeth on the flywheel have a problem. The starter bolt holes, are they parallel to the flywheel or offset? I was just curious?

With the key in the crank position and no starter action, is there voltage on the starter field terminal? That circuit goes down in the starter housing, connects to the bottom of the solenoid.

Hi, if your saying, no starter action, when the problem occurs, I'd have to make sure the battery has a full charge and the connections are good. Next, I'd have to check the circuits at the starter relay, underhood fuse box. Voltage for the load/switch side of relay is hot all the time. Voltage to coil side of relay goes hot with the key in the crank position.

When the problem occurs, did you try cranking in neutral?

Hello, your local autostore may sell a moisture displacer in a spray can. Nonflammable, you spray it on everything, plug wires, wiring connectors, everything. I know some people use wd 40 as a moisture displacer, not sure how safe?

Ignition control module controls the primay circuits to the coil, switches the ground circuit on and off. May also condition the crank sensor signal, where applicable, from analog to digital.

I don't know how permanent? Some of that I priced on the internet, is out of my price range. I don't know what the autostore might have?

Sounds like a weak ignition or rich condition maybe from a fuel pressure regulator problem.

Does this seems to coincide with dampness? If so mist water over the plugs and follow the wires back to the coil and see if any runnibility problems start.

When it is a hard start, pull a plug and check for a rich condition (black).

May need to check fuel pressure when the symptoms are present. There is a video on how to on the site if you have a gauge.

All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can ONLY be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem isn't present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That's what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the info required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the + terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

4) If all of these things check good, then you would need to do a complete compression test.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.

Hi, how long since a tune-up? When the problem occurs, your saying it cranks good but won't start? In the dark, engine running, raise the hood, let your eyes adjust, if you see arching everywhere, you need some new plug wires.

If it won't even crank, I'd have to check the starter circuit. At the starter relay, terminal 30 is hot all the time. Terminal 85 goes hot with key in the crank position and is wired through the clutch switch.

Use a digital multimeter across the battery posts, everything turned off, the generic spec for a full charge is around 12.6 volkts. Then leave the leads hooked up on the battery, have helper turn the key to crank, watch the voltage, it should drop some, not below around 9.5 volts, that is a generic spec.

Remove the cap and look inside for moisture. Spray out the cap with wd40 does it start?