95 silverado won't start... Need HELP

[96k1500]

If you have any starting fluid have someone crank the truck and spray a little in the throttle body while they are cranking and see what it does, just a quick spray not a constant spray

 

[TylerZ281500]

ar you getting spark? is the smoke actual smoke? or is it stuff blowing out of it. stuff blowing out would be spark and just it smokeing would be a the engine not getting fuel.

 

[96k1500]

ar you getting spark? is the smoke actual smoke? or is it stuff blowing out of it. stuff blowing out would be spark and just it smokeing would be a the engine not getting fuel.

My thoughts exactly, if it will fire with starting fluid even if its just for a second or 2 the cause would be loss of fuel, probably from bad fuel pump or maybe clogged fuel filter

 

[knight89]

Jus went out and tried to start it and it does nothin now starter doesn't engage motor won't turn over but lights and radio all still work... So I'm really leaning towards it bein a battery or alt. Issue becuz the longer it sits the worse it gets... Jus don't understand how one night it starts and runs fine and the next morning it won't start and how jumping it off won't let me crank it... Damn vehicles

 

[TylerZ281500]

first did you have your battery checked? second does your starter making wierd clicking noise like its trying to come out?

 

[knight89]

first did you have your battery checked? second does your starter making wierd clicking noise like its trying to come out?

The starter will make one click like it's engaging but nothin else no motor lope nothing... I do remember that the voltage gauge on dash would jump wen driving but it did this for awhile so I figured it was nothin major...

 

[96k1500]

From my experience a battery with a bad cell will act the same as a dead battery and not have any power, you wouldnt be able to crank it or have power to any accessories without having a charger on it, the alt you cant really tell for sure unless you get the truck started which is when the alt plays a role in the charging, if you could get it started you could disconnect the battery and the truck would die if the alt is bad, to me it sounds like after your many attempts to start the truck you fried the starter, you may still be able to tap it while somebody cranks it to get it to engauge, my money would still be on a fuel issue being the original issue though

 

[knight89]

Finally got it to start by jumping it off and it runs and cranks fine now but I kno some things up with it might go ahead and pull the battery andnget it tested still think it may b the alt.

 

[Enginebuilder]

Was your battery hooked up the entire time this truck was sitting? I'm betting that you have corrosion on the battery terminals, and probably corrosion build up in the + lead to your starter.

The fact that all your accessories work fine says to me that the battery isn't the culprit.

To verify battery & alternator condition without taking it to autozone/advanced/wherever, place a volt meter across the terminals on the battery. With engine off, should read 12.6v. If the voltage is too low, attempt to charge the battery, with vehicle power cables disconnected (to ensure no parasitic losses). If the battery, after receiving a proper charge, still does not hold 12.6v, it is bad. With engine on, should read 13.5-14.25v. Anything less than 13.5v should be considered a warning sign for a bad, or going bad, alternator. After taking initial reading (engine on) turn on *every* electrical accessory you can think of, including the headlights (set to high beam). Voltage reading should STILL be 13.5-14.25v.

Now, assuming that your battery checks out as okay, and your alternator is also working to standard, time to check voltage at the starter. With the engine off, place the + lead on the volt meter on the + terminal (large lug) of the starter motor. Connect the - lead to the - terminal of the battery. Compare this voltage reading to the voltage reading you took at the battery directly - if there is more than .3v difference, you've significantly narrowed down your problem. Could either be a bad cable to the starter, or bad grounding.

I'll continue, assuming this to be the case.

Place the negative lead of your volt meter on the + lead at the battery. Place the + lead on the + terminal at the starter. *any* voltage measurement here indicates the voltage lost due to resistance of the cable itself. A reading of .1 volt or higher indicates a problem that should be addressed. Start by ensuring clean terminals/connections at both ends. If that doesn't eliminate the voltage reading, replace the starter cable due to high resistance.

If no issues with the starter cable are indicated in the previous tests, it is time to test the continuity of the grounding system.

To do this, you will need an ohm meter.

First, connect both leads of the ohm meter together, and note the reading. This is the internal resistance of the wires used for the meter itself. Should be practically zero. If analog ohm meter, no movement of the needle should be noted.

connect one end of your ohm meter to the negative terminal of your battery, and the other to the engine block. reading should be 0.00, +- .05 ohms. Frankly, if you get a noticeable measurement here, you've found your problem- time to start physically inspecting the various ground points on your engine- engine-to-firewall, engine-to-frame, etc. Any one of these could be the culprit.

If you don't own a volt/ohm meter, do yourself a favor and get one. Seriously, at less than $15 for a workable model, there's no excuse NOT to have one.

 

[prginocx]

Enginebuilder,
Dude, you are seriously dating yourself with that analog ohmmeter reference. Last time I used one was in high school, and I'm almost 50. Great instructional post though...