1977 K5 Blazer won't start need help

[beastie_3]

ever heard of the screwdriver trick? it could at least narrow down a problem.

[VTK5Mudder]

yup , done that before but i don't think he has tried that could give it a shot . i think he's going to try a diffrent battery in it even though he thinks his is good , will what happens with that !

[1979C20]

My dads jeep had a starter clicking problem. It had full 12 volts, but no amps.

[scorpion]

I'm with 1979CJ20 on the grounding...I had an old 72 blazer that, at one point, did this same thing.  What ended up being the problem was the motor was poorly grounded.  I replaced the old ground and added a second from the engine to the frame and one from the engine to the firewall on the back side of the block.  Also check the battery wires to ensure the battery is correctly grounded and that the wires haven't given up (become frayed, have bad ends, etc).

Two trucks doing exactly the same thing without something in common seems strange to me unless the thing in common is bad luck.

[1980c10]

You can bypass your cables with jumper cables to test for a bad cable.
you could run your jumper pos cable from your battery to the starter.
If that doesn't help run your negative jumper to the engine.
If either helps you know where to look next.
I used to pick up tractors for service using this method and it would work most of the time a jump box wouldn't get it going.

[VTK5Mudder]

Think its just the battery on the pickup (which is what i had told him to try before) i had a good one in my 84 blazer so he put that in and turned over for the blazer not sure yet its been raining most nights when he gets home but i did look at the ground strap and that looks good so think i'll have him swap batterys in that too even though he thinks thats not it he had put my charger on it with it set on boost and it would not do anything but i still think its the battery will find out this weekend since they are saying no rain . if all else fails i'll try to put the power right to the starter and see what happens.

[diphthong]

Does this click affect the secondary side of the starting system?  What I mean by this is, is the problem coming from the battery (large amps) or the 12 volt wiring and components (smaller amps.)  These is a easy way to determine this.  While your trying to start the engine (hearing that clicking) turn on the head lights.  If the lights dim then the problem is the battery, starter (not the solenoid) or battery cables.  If the lights are not effected (by the voltage drop of the head lights) then the problem is a drop in current in the wiring from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid or the solenoid itself.  Save for a completely toast solenoid this latter problem can easily be rectified by installing a Ford SW-3 solenoid between the ignition switch and the starter solenoid.  Many trucks drive off the assembly line wired similar.  If your unsure how to wire this up, let me know and I'll write up something and walk you through it.     
   

[bobcooter]

Was it a rebuilt starter? I have seen rebuilt starters fail soon after installation. Most are ok but every once in a while you get a dud.

I've had that happen to me on a 76 Olds 88. I changed the starter and two days later I had to change it again. There are duds out there some times. That was the only time it's happened to me and I've owned a good deal of GM cars and trucks through the years.

[Irish_Alley]

the only problem i have ever had with our starters is when they get soaked with mud and water that will kill any motor and thats only when mudding. now not saying i have ever had one go bad but get one with a lifetime warranty then your good luckily they aint hard to take out and replace

[VileZambonie]

Nothing gets easier than a 77K5 so start with a systematic approach.

Make sure engine turns manually.
Make sure Battery is fully charged and cables are properly secured. Make sure starter mounting bolts are torqued.
Clutch pedal in key in crank position you should have 12 volts at the S terminal on the solenoid. I assume you do since you say you hear a click.
Using your meter on the DC volt scale, attach one lead to the battery B+ terminal and the other lead to the B+ connection on the solenoid. Attempt to crank - should not exceed .3V
Using your meter on the DC volt scale, attach one lead to the battery B- terminal and the other lead to the ground source on the engine block - Attempt to crank - should not exceed .3V

Report

[Irish_Alley]

This experiment describes how to measure the electrical resistance of several objects. You need not possess all items listed above in order to effectively learn about resistance. Conversely, you need not limit your experiments to these items. However, be sure to never measure the resistance of any electrically "live" object or circuit. In other words, do not attempt to measure the resistance of a battery or any other source of substantial voltage using a multimeter set to the resistance ("ohms") function. Failing to heed this warning will likely result in meter damage and even personal injury.
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_6/chpt_2/2.html
i remember hearing about test that have blown up im people’s faces before. this is basic meter usages 101 first thing the tech teacher "vile" will teach anyone

[rsandusky]

+1  on what Vile has said..

I would like to clarify the voltage drop testing procedure though. 

Place the positive meter lead on the positive terminal of the battery and the negative lead on the other end of the cable and then try to crank the engine. Next step is to place the positive lead of the meter to the engine side of the negative cable and place the negative lead of the meter to the negative terminal of the battery and try to crank the engine. Again neither reading should be above .3 volts.

The only reason I clarified is that if you are testing with a analog meter it will make a difference as the needle doesn't go backwards. lol   If you are testing with a digital multimeter and get the leads reversed it will show as a negative voltage.

I tend to agree that ohm testing a live circuit is a bad idea at best. At worst a smoked meter burned meter leads or other possibilities.

This inference implies a fundamental misunderstanding in regards to how an ohm meter would react to flowing (voltage.)  Simply put, it ignores it.  Another way of looking at this is, the meter is now parallel to the circuit, ostensibly, outside of it.  It's just registering the ohms used across the component.  The poster obviously understands something very different. 

  And what happens when the cable is so corroded that there is very little voltage going through? I tested a mustang one time that voltage drop tested 9 volts on the short cable to the solenoid.... I think in this case the electricity would take the path of least resistance and go through the meter if it was set to ohms

[VileZambonie]

I'm updating the attachments

[Irish_Alley]

im thinking that kind of do what 79 said. but use a jumper cable(this way your not sending 24 volts + the amps) and just bypass the power cable if it starts then its the cable or bad connection if this doesnt fix it problem is the solenoid

[1979C20]

My battery charger is 12 v and like 500 amps for cranking.