odd no start issue

[flips87c30]

 I'm having a reoccurring issue. my truck starts fine in the morning. I plow for a few hours and then the truck starts to get a surging idle, the plow motor will start running continuously. I usually take it home when it does this, if I don't It will eventually stall out. After taking it home and shutting it off it wont start again for a few hours or more. It acts like a dead battery no clicks no fuel pump noise. But the next day it starts fine.  It seems like starter heat soak but the starter is new and has a heat shield wrap on it. I replaced the fusible links when I replaced the starter. Im thinking it is an issue with the battery cables themselves although they look new. Or possible a bad ground or a missing ground. Im still trying to fix everything the PO did to this poor truck. Any Ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.   

[rich weyand]

You're on the right track.  If the battery cables are more than 10 years old, just replace them.  And clean and remount all three grounds (or install them if they're not there): engine to battery, engine to cab, and engine to frame rail. 

Clearly it's temperature related, and intermittent, and so those two things are a good place to start.

[rich weyand]

Here are the two grounds you may be missing.  Personally, though, I'm betting battery cables.

Engine to firewall:


Engine to frame rail:

[flips87c30]

Thanks for the pictures Rich. I will have to check but I believe I am missing at least one ground And what I do have Is almost certainly corroded I will hit the parts store tomorrow and pic up new cables and grounding straps. Thanks for validating my suspicions.

[rich weyand]

Well, we don't know that that's what it is yet, but that's the easiest answer, and the easiest one to fix.

Look first where the light's best, and all that.

We have had 3-4 cases of bad battery cables on the board so far this year, plus a bunch of grounding issues, including one right now in an adjacent thread.

[bake74]

     Besides carrying a volt meter with you and searching for trouble as it acts up, I agree with rich, that course of action is easiest and it would not hurt to check all your ground straps and replace if there is any doubt, as with the battery cables if they are 10+ years old.

[rich weyand]

bd reminds me in private message that better than the valve cover bolt is to use the 3/8-16 threaded hole on the back side of the head, which is the twin to the one on the other side head where the frame rail strap connects.  Better long-term electrical contact.

And I agree with him.  I am aware of the issue, and keep an eye on it, but I should have mentioned that the valve cover bolt is second-best to connecting it to the head.

[flips87c30]

     Besides carrying a volt meter with you and searching for trouble as it acts up, I agree with rich, that course of action is easiest and it would not hurt to check all your ground straps and replace if there is any doubt, as with the battery cables if they are 10+ years old.

Thanks Bake. that's good advice. I actually have started carrying a voltmeter with me. however we have stupid amounts of heavy wet snow here at the moment. That makes it miserable to check anything under the truck.   

[Mario]

I had a similar issue a while back.  It messed with me for a few days checking everything.  It was intermittent like your issue.  It was more likely to work when it was cold.  It turned out to be a bad starter solenoid.  It was near 13 years old.  Good luck, Man!