Archived Battery died - now won't stay running

[SConklin]

I accidentally left the lights on inside the cab last night, and the batteries were nearly dead this morning. I hooked up a portable jumpstarter and tried to fire it back up. The truck will start now, but will shut off as soon as the clutch is let out, or the key is turned back from the start position. Everything else seems to be working otherwise.
Truck's an '02 with a built 12v in it and a 6-spd.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Skyler

 

[FourBarR]

Not a 12 valve guy, but matbe not enough voltage to keep the fuel solenoid open. Just a thought.

 

[JFaughn]

When batteries are run completely dead , they need a lot of amps [ about 70-100 amps ] , to get a charge started , thats if they did not get killed completely , how old are they ?
You need to put them on a large charger [ 100 amp + for up to 20 min , before they will take a charge at lower current ] .

 

[DPellegrin]

SConklin- Try leaving the jumper battery connected until the grid heaters go off. The jumper battery should be able to supply more than enough current to excite the field windings in the alternator and begin it charging those dead batteries. If the batteries are good they should come up pretty fast.



Regards,

 

[SConklin]

I'll try fully charging the batteries externally. I could see the batteries not being able to keep the shutdown solenoid locked up, but what confuses the issue with that is that it will run as long as the clutch is in, and the ignition is turned to start... as soon as I pull either of those back, it dies.

 

[Hoefler]

When the key is in the start mode, it bypasses voltage to unnecessary items needed for starting, when returned to run position, they all come back on. The grid heater is one of them I believe, with its high amp draw, it will draw all the power and drop the voltage below the minimum needed to keep the solenoid open. As far as the clutch thing, I have been in situations where I have had to hold the clutch or put a bar in between the seat and the peddle to hold it, for some time for the engine to warm up to be able to take on the load of spinning the transmission over because of the lube being so thick for frigid temperatures.

 

[SConklin]

Got a little further - got the batteries charged up - managed to start it again, but still no dice pulling the key or clutch back. My guess now is it's a relay or fuse somewhere fried. I can check the fuses, and haven't noticed any killed, but some of them are kinda dirty and/or hard to tell. As for relays, I can't tell on that one - I'm not one to try messing with a micrometer on the circuitry if I don't specifically know what I'm looking for in the first place. Anyone have any guidance for which fuse or relay may be the cause of this? Or am I still looking in the wrong direction? (shutdown solenoid itself? I don't know, but it does stay up with the starter and clutch in, so I'm guessing it's fine... ) Any ideas?
Thanks,
Skyler

 

[SConklin]

I swapped around the relays, it started and stayed on once. After shutting it down - same problem again. So, I swapped around relays again (I don't know which one is affecting things, so I moved them all), and the same thing - starts and stays on once, then the problem is back the 2nd time around. Now, I'm either out of relays, or I was coincidentally dealing with an intermittent problem. I'm going to check power to the solenoid tomorrow.

 

[Skydiver]

Sounds like a relay problem or loose wire.



Check the simple things first. Make sure your alternator is at 13. 5 - 14. 4 volts while running. Tie the solenoid up to keep it running.



Ohm the "running" side of the solenoid. I don't know right off hand what the ohms should be.



It dieing when disengaging the clutch has me stumped.



I would dissconnect the grids to reduce current draw.

 

[SConklin]

Well, now I hot-wired up the solenoid wires with a switch direct to the battery, and nothing. Now today, all of a sudden it won't even start while cranking and power direct to the solenoid. So... I guess that makes the solenoid the problem. Is there a better-quality replacement out there? Or is the only other option a cable? That still doesn't answer why swapping the relays made any difference. The clutch thing can easily be explained, since the starter circuitry isn't activated until BOTH the clutch and the key are turned, but the relay thing still has me confused if it really is only the solenoid.

 

[SConklin]

Any chance there's something going on with the starter solenoid that's frying components (i. e. relays and/or the solenoid coils) each time I switch it around?

 

[MMeier]

When you charged the batteries,did you disconnect them? If not , try that, maybe something needs to be cleared out of the computer. I would disconnect them, check all connections for cleanliness, charge them back up, hook them up and cross my fingers!!

 

[Joe G.]

Truck's an '02 with a built 12v in it and a 6-spd.

I think we need to know how you did the wiring necessary to get the 12 valve working in your '02. If you used a 12 valve engine harness, what year truck did it come out of?



Depressing the clutch pedal makes a connection that allows the starter to work. When you let it out it breaks the connection again, so if the starter is running the engine that will kill it.

 

[DCreed]

YUP! JOE G. nailed it, I think . There must be a short in the main power "in run" that the starter circuit is feeding. when the starter is taken out of the circuit, power is lost. Good call! had that happen on a furd before.