s34n Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 so saturday i drove my truck for awhile,sunday it sat all day, monday went to warm it up before work and it took some effort to start. it would half crank and half crank then crank and finally turn over. it did the same thing this morning. i had my radio on for about 10 mins and started it later and the hard crank problem started again. got home from work. went to a dr appt cranked fine. it sat at my buddies house for a couple hours tonight and almost didnt start. sounded like the battery was almost dead. i checked the battery today and it had 12.25 volts with the motor off. what are possible problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachm89 Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 starter or alternator? anything you can think of that might be drawing off that battery while youre away from the truck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser04 Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70chevy03ss Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Might be the ignition switch. My buddies trailblazer had the same problem. And no my truck once in a while will do it. Go to start it and it will shut right off tafter the 4th try fires right up!! But it doesn't do it all the time.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cramer Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Stop by an Autozone or O'reillys and have them check the starting and charging system. You might have a dead or weak cell in the battery that isn't allowing the battery to expel the full cranking amps on start up. I had this happen on my last battery. Also the alt could be weak and charging just enough to keep the engine running and on start up your battery has just enough power to get it cranking. In this case the battery will be done for in no time. Also check your wires to the battery, to the grounds, alt, dist block, and starter for corrosion or broken connections. If tests from the above show nothing is wrong you prob have a draw coming from somewhere. The easiest way to do this is to take a multimeter and check the battery for amp draw. Start pulling fuses till you see amp draw drop. Some have had problems with the climate control (heat-a/c) not shutting down and causing a draw. Also if you have a alarm or remote starter it has been known that some bypass modules when defective will cause a draw. Hope this helps. Let us know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s34n Posted June 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 i had my neighbor who is a retired mechanic look at it and said my charging system is working properly. he pulled the ground off the battery and said that there was a blue spark instead of a yellow spark and said that means there is an excessive draw from somewhere. so i locked my truck tonight but not alarmed so i will see if that helps and he thinks my starter is going out. but i will let you know what happens. thanks for the replies. Stop by an Autozone or O'reillys and have them check the starting and charging system. You might have a dead or weak cell in the battery that isn't allowing the battery to expel the full cranking amps on start up. I had this happen on my last battery. Also the alt could be weak and charging just enough to keep the engine running and on start up your battery has just enough power to get it cranking. In this case the battery will be done for in no time. Also check your wires to the battery, to the grounds, alt, dist block, and starter for corrosion or broken connections. If tests from the above show nothing is wrong you prob have a draw coming from somewhere. The easiest way to do this is to take a multimeter and check the battery for amp draw. Start pulling fuses till you see amp draw drop. Some have had problems with the climate control (heat-a/c) not shutting down and causing a draw. Also if you have a alarm or remote starter it has been known that some bypass modules when defective will cause a draw. Hope this helps. Let us know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s34n Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) update: today my dad brought up an idea. to disconnect the power to the start and disconnect the negative to the battery. after the starter is disconnected connect the negative to the battery and see what color the spark is and if its a little spark or big spark. so we did that. it was a little yellow spark. when i switched batteries this morning there was a loud pop and a blue spark almost hitting me in the face. i put the NEW starter in and the truck fired right up like normal. so the conclusion we got from the test was that the starter solenoid was the culprit for drawing the power from the battery. something could have gotten messed up internally or shorted out. but in the morning i am hoping it fires right up like normal because i am getting fed up with this issue. but i will keep everyone updated. thanks again for all the replies and advice update number 2: i started my truck this morning and it fired like normal. so seems like my problem was the solenoid on the start. i left work today and it stuttered the slightest then started. i went around the corner, turned it off, waited a minute, started it again and fired right up. thanks again for everyones replies and advice. i appreciate it. Edited June 11, 2010 by s34n (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordmagg Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 I'm telling you. I love this forum. I have been going crazy having the same issues and cant seem to locate where the draw is from. one day it holds a charge and the next its dead. Replaced the battery twice on warranty and the alternator and the battery still dies. I'll have to check the starter and see if thats the culprit. If it happens to be the remote start, is it possible to replace the bypass module without redoing the whole thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhking14 Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 same thing happened to me i replaced the solenoid as well damn autozone oreillys or pep boys didn have it got it out of a u pull it worked just fine and started like normal and no more drained batterys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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