95 silverado won't start.

[Blk94fiveOh]

I can't get my 95 2500 silverado to start. Its been very cold here the past few days ( -20 ). Yesterday when i went to start it in the morning It made a weird grinding noise the first time I turned the key. The second time I turned the key, it started, but it turned over pretty slow. I had to run a couple of arrands, and when i came back out to the truck it was dead. It made a clicking noise on the drivers side, near the maxi fuse box, but that was it. After a few more tries, the clicking stopped, and now its totally dead. I hit the starter with a hammer while someone else tried to start it, and it sounded like it turned over for a split second, after that It wouldn't do anything.I had it towed home and I replaced the starter in my driveway ( -40 with the windchill) That did nothing. I also tried jumping it even thought the battery is about 4 months old (red top optima). I also made sure i was getting 12v to the starter. The headlights work, interior lights work, stereo, and blinkers work but the wipers, and the flashers don't. I dont' get whats going on here, and I'm getting frustrated with this truck, I just purched in november, real fast.
I have a western uni-mount plow on it.

Btw; i've checked all the fuses and had the battery load tested.

Thanks for your help,
scott

[grass_cuttin_fool]

I dont know unless the flex plate on the torgue convertor has broke and has bound up the engine or maybe a chunk of ice has got in there and wedge it up or something

[xcopterdoc]

sounds like the starter is jammed internally. Hard to diagnose without being there.

[grass_cuttin_fool]

I forgot to mention also the electric motors on snow plows pull alot of juice if you have the stock alternator it may not put out enuff to keep the battery charged, or the extra load may have damaged the battery, i would have the battery load tested at a parts dealership 1st before i done anything else , its about the most simple and easiest to do maybe start there and troubleshoot from there

[Blk94fiveOh]

I had the battery load tested, and I replaced the starter...

[mag360]

Tighten the nuts on the starter solenoid.
This has been the culprit for me several times on several different vehicles. It should be mounted on the inner fender near the battery. That should be where the clicking noise came from.

PS. If the solenoid is not the cause of your problem I'll buy you lunch. (':drinkup:')

[Blk94fiveOh]

Tighten the nuts on the starter solenoid.
This has been the culprit for me several times on several different vehicles. It should be mounted on the inner fender near the battery. That should be where the clicking noise came from.

PS. If the solenoid is not the cause of your problem I'll buy you lunch. ('') I just got done bench testing the old starter and it worked fine.A few things that may help...

-The solenoid is located on the starter and came with the new one. The clicking was coming from the drivers side fender area. (maybe the maxi fuse box area??)

-The clicking stopped after a few attempts to start the vehicle.

-I checked all the fuses

-the warning lights on the dash do not turn on when i turn the key to crank the truck . The only light that comes on is the battery light.

-Is pizza ok with you for lunch? ;)

[xcopterdoc]

might be a faulty ign switch. Check on the firewall, behind a lg plastic shield held in place with plastic nuts, passanger side. Look for broken loose connections and check the relays. Check all the fuses in all fuse panels. Also if you have a Haynes manual, find out where the fuseable links are in the system.

[Eric 1]

Check the ignition switch.Very close problem to what i had.took 2 weeks to figure it out.On my truck every thing on the dash goes dead when starting it, only when the switch is in the ''on'' position before being started do they all come on,then after it starts severall come on for a second then go out, like ''fasten seatbelt''..the clicking....hmm prob. just a relay you don't normally hear because the thing starts right away.

To test the switch connect a wire to the starter solenoid (disconnect the wire there now)put the switch in the on position then carefully touch the wire to the POSITIVE battery terminal (it will spark a little)it should turn over but may not start if the thing is totally fried.

[mag360]

dang!
would've been true of an older truck.

Give me a mailing address!:mad:

[hole in one lco]

crank sensor

[draftlawncare]

WHY DONT YOU TRY PULLING SOME CODES FROM THE COMPUTER THAT MIGHT HELP TELL YOU WHAT THE PROBLEM IS

[xcopterdoc]

It doesnt have a crank sensor, even if it did, that wouldn't keep it from turning over. Cant pull the codes if all you are getting is the battery light on the instrument panel. That indicates a power problem on the primary circuit.

[Eric 1]

Originally posted by xcopterdoc
It doesnt have a crank sensor, even if it did, that wouldn't keep it from turning over. Cant pull the codes if all you are getting is the battery light on the instrument panel. That indicates a power problem on the primary circuit.

Exactly, check the ign. switch.Keep us posted when you fix it.

[CHAN]

try jumping the solenoid on the truck. the little wire and the big wire from the battery. see if it spins over like this. if it does it is in the wiring or switch.

[Blk94fiveOh]

Thanks for all the replies guys...it turned out to be a bad ground from the battery. Its amazing how something so simple can be such a PITA.

scott

[hosejockey2002]

I feel your pain there. I had a similar problem with a Ford Explorer and it ended up being the negative battery cable. It connects in five different places.:realmad:

[greendave]

Situations like this are what automotive technicians are for. Please stop wasting YOUR time and money guessing and throwing parts at it and have a professional fix it. After all, don't WE complain about scrubs in THIS business? JMHO. BTW, you may have badly corroded battery cables from acid leakage. This is a common GM malady, especially with Delco batteries that have had the cable overtightened. (one area where if 'tight is good, reefed down must be better' ruins things)

[hosejockey2002]

Situations like this are what automotive technicians are for. Please stop wasting YOUR time and money guessing and throwing parts at it and have a professional fix it. After all, don't WE complain about scrubs in THIS business?

I think many of us repair our own vehicles because we don't want to pay a technician $80 an hour to guess and throw parts at a vehicle, which has happened to me more than once. I called a Ford service center about the transfer case not shifting into 4WD, he said it was a bad shift motor and it would cost around $450 to replace. I got on the Internet and spent about an hour learning how to diagnose and fix the problem. It took me 45 minutes to remove the shift motor, clean the contacts and reinstall. It worked perfectly. So, I saved myself $450 for two hours work. Also, if a homeowner mows his own lawn, does that make him a scrub?:confused:

[Blk94fiveOh]

Situations like this are what automotive technicians are for. Please stop wasting YOUR time and money guessing and throwing parts at it and have a professional fix it. After all, don't WE complain about scrubs in THIS business? JMHO. BTW, you may have badly corroded battery cables from acid leakage. This is a common GM malady, especially with Delco batteries that have had the cable overtightened. (one area where if 'tight is good, reefed down must be better' ruins things)

well the only part i threw at it was a starter, and even though the old one turned to still be operable, the new one cranks the motor over ALOT faster than the old one so I'm going to keep the new on in.

[Grassmechanic]

your old starter will crank over a lot faster with the ground problem fixed.

[xcopterdoc]

Electrical problems can be nightmares to troubleshoot in person, nevermind over the internet! Glad to hear you got it going and it was a quick fix. Also thanks for posting back. When someone posts about a mechanical problem, its great when they back after its fixed so everyone can learn from it.

[greendave]

Thanks for your thoughts hosejockey2002. No, a home owner mowing his own lawn isn't a scrub. I think you understand the jist of my comment. What I meant to point out is that just as we need our mowing equipment service providers (you see references to it all the time here), we also need automotive service providers. Granted, we all do our own maintenance on our equipment, including our trucks and such, but there comes a time when you really DO need a good mechanic. Finding one IS a problem without a doubt. (Here's where get on my soapbox, indulge me please) People get into the career of auto mechanics for two reasons: they LOVE to fix things, and they LOVE to make people happy. It isn't for the glory, money, or to have a cushy job. How do I know this? That's been my vocation since I was 14. I am Master certified in auto, medium and heavy truck, have an L1, and am AAM accredited. (so much for the shingles) Certification in the automotive industry is all volunteer. It's not perfect, but it's all we've got to show people we do care. I have to tell you guys honestly, I have RARELY met a dishonest mechanic in my life. Incompetent, yes, under educated, yes. Misdirected by a greedy boss or service writer, yes. Unfortunately, today's vehicles are so complex it takes more of a computer geek/electronics whiz to fix these things than it ever did. The sorry part is the MANUFACTURERS don't want to release enough engineering and programming information to allow us to fix these nightmares. And you're right, the dealer techs often DO throw parts at them, instead of actually diagnosing them. The dealer is the LAST place you want to go for repairs and service. You need to find an independent service center. As for the caliber of person working on your vehicle, consider this: most often they were put into auto shop in high school because they couldn't make in regular classes. These are not the electronics and computer people we need today. Consider this too: That tech working on your vehicle has to buy HIS OWN tools. Today that represents an investment of over $30,000 dollars. (no, that's not a typo) He NEEDS to collect a big wage just to buy tools! Like all things, running an auto repair facility is expensive, and believe it or not, it is rare you'll find a mechanic or shop owner driving big dollar late model cars. Just as the lawn service/landscaping isn't all as easy as it might appear, neither is the auto repair industry. Hopefully my rantings will be taken in the informative spirit that I meant them to be. .....Stepping down from the soapbox, awaiting the firing squad.....