91 K2500 stopped trying to crank, worked hours prior? Please help

[iNFiNiTY125]

Hello,

Hopefully I posted this in the right place.

So I recently bought another GMT400 series truck it is a 1991 K2500 it has the 350 5.7l engine.

Today after cleaning the interior the truck stopped cranking, the starter dosent even try to engage the only thing that happens is it clicks under the glove box. The radio climate control head lights and everything all come on, but the starter doesn’t try to engage?

It was working all day started no problem, I turned it on with out issue the previous day and hours before? I know that it isn’t the fuel pump, starter, battery, anything like that because like I said it worked hours before. Haha

Before it stopped working I was cleaning the interior, I may have bumped a wire loose? Also I was cleaning the steering wheel and it clicked and popped out of being locked multiple times? It Won’t lock in place with the key out and the turn signals never did turn off from steering when it worked, Did I mess up the ignition terminals when I popped the steering wheel out of being locked?

The only other thing that I noticed is the battery terminals are the compression type with the bar squeezing on the bare wire, I was cleaning around the battery terminals too, I’m thinking either way I should get new terminals with better connections?

I am not sure what happened I just was driving the truck all day yesterday and a few hours prior then cleaned it and it stopped trying to start, if anyone has any advice or places I should check please let me know. If anyone knows about the ignition contacts or something in the steering column that I should look at please share your knowledge.

Thanks! Can’t wait to get this back on the road.

 

[RawbDidIt]

Did you check to make sure the starter cable is still connected to the battery terminal? Those terminals make it easy for the wire to back out. I don't mind them, but I usually solder the ends to the terminals after tightening them down with an impact gun a little, then hit them with the impact again

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[Schurkey]

1. The battery terminals you have are "temporary" terminals. They collect corrosion like old men collect stamps or coins. Doesn't matter how tight you get the bolts that hold the strap on the cable, the bar distorts limiting the pressure applied. Forty years ago, they might (MAYBE) have been made better. The ones I've seen lately are just pure light-weight weak junk.

2. Did you bump the neutral safety/backup light switch? Ten minutes with a test-light or a voltmeter would tell that tale. You'd be looking for power into--and OUT OF the switch for the wire that goes to the starter solenoid "S" terminal when the key is turned to Crank. You'd have confirmation that the switch is out-of-adjustment if the truck starts as you apply up or down pressure on the shift lever with the key turned. I don't have a photo of my wiring--just the switch from my '88 K1500.

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They're supposed to be self-adjusting, but after installing a replacement switch, I had to push mine over a notch or two to get the thing to work properly.

 

[c1500deathtrap]

why not try figuring out where you have power, power to the starter solenoid from ign. switch? power to starter solenoid from battery( big wire)? and then go from there instead of guessing at a solution.

 

[iNFiNiTY125]

Thank you so much everyone for the help and suggestions!

I almost feel bad wasting everyone’s time but it turns out it was just a purple wire underneath the steering wheel. The previous owner I guess cut that wire and reattached it using spade connectors but they were different sizes and extremely loose, even when I reconnected them I just rubbed up against the wire and it disconnected. So I used a butt connector to make sure that it doesn’t fall out when I’m off-roading.

The symptoms that I was having was no power whatsoever going to the starter I checked it using my multimeter.

I plan on replacing the terminals with the block style ones and putting ferrules on the wires or using the stud type terminals and copper lugs on the wires? Does anyone have an opinion of either?

Also the previous owner hacked up the wiring pretty badly I’m probably going to post some pictures of that somewhere because it will give some of you a good laugh, the main 12V rail going to the ECU was used to power the radio constant supply. they sliced the wires and just twisted them together with out any tape wire nut or anything so I had a nice live 12V connection surrounded by probably grounded metal pieces just flopping around getting ready to short. Haha

Thank you so much everyone for the help and support!



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[Eveready]

Glad you chased it down. We appreciate completed threads and finding out what the answer turned out to be. Good also that you are cleaning up those terminals. Sounds like Murphy was getting ready to lay one on you.