Like I said...I hate electrical problems. Just to let you know, I have not checked anything yet on the truck. I wanted to get some opinions on where to start, along with all the fuse panels and most obviously, the battery.

On my way home, the engine cut out completely on me and I coasted into my driveway. I turn the key to the off position and then on again and I get no dash lights at all. I cannot even get the engine to turn over. The motorized antennae will not retract, the power door locks will not function. Everything is dead. The weird thing is that when I hit the switches for the fog lights, which are wired directly to the battery, not only do they NOT turn on but I hear a rapid-fire popping sound coming from the fog switch relay.

This has happened before, but it was temporary. I waited 5 minutes, turned the key and the engine statred right up. I think it's time to nip this in the bud. Hopefully my truck will stay broken while I try to diagnose.

Things to test...this is where I need more opinions...Thanks.

Battery
Fuses / Relays
Igniter?
Ignition connections?

 

Maybe your alternator is toast so your battery is getting killed while driving?

Rob

 

Or maybe it's your battery? I had a battery short itself out on an older car, and everything starting acting strange.

 

man I'd be messin with the battery posts and clamps for starters and check to see if it starts working again. Sounds like you lost some main + or ground. Is the defog switch "on" when you hear the clicking after turning the fog lights switch on? If so turn it off and see if it still clicks. Could be everything is trying to ground through the defog relay. Just a quick thought. Keep us posted sounds like a FUN one!

 

As scrid says, battery contact to the posts, or less likely from the battery cable to ground.

Learn to use a volt meter (DVM).

 

I had that exact thing happen to me in one of my previous vehicles, it ended up being a bad ground.

 

something very similar happened to me and it was the battery. it even showed 12v on the voltmeter but when I took it to pepboys to get tested, the machine said bad battery. brought home a new battery and it was all good.

 

Battery will be the first thing check in the morning. Hopefully something will reveal itself before I have to hassle with taking the alternatorout to get it tested. I'll posted some prelim results later.

Oddly enough, the last time the truck wouldn't start was due to a faulty AFM. There goes 300 bux. Go figure.

 

Bad battery or a sensor, but I say its your alternator tbh.

If you can jump it take a reading for the alt using a voltmeter, should read 14V or around that.

If it wont start after you try and jump it, bang your fuel pump or starter to make sure its working.

Generally a bad alt will allow you to start the car but everytime you take your foot off the gas it will die.

 

ground or the wire from power to fuse box if the runner has it my 86 p.u did

 

like many have already said, check your batterey connections. and then also check the ground wire on the intake plenum. (pictured)

 

Like others have said it's a bad connection. The first place to look is the battery posts. Then the ground end of the negative cable. If you can get it to run for a while then check the posts they will most likely be warm to the touch if it is the posts. This is likely the case since after they heat up due to the bad connection they would expand and give you the problems you're describing. Then as they cool off, reconnect.

It would be smart to cut off those terminals and replace them if you can't get them cleaned up and connected well.

 

there is a 10 gauge wire running from the battery to the power distribution box. this basically powers the whole truck. mine actually broke and left me looking for bad grounds and whatever else, but i was lucky enough to brush against it and see it fall into two pieces.

 

when i had my electrical issue that sounds a bit like yours (https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116/94-battery-electrical-failure-103311/), i'd start by getting your battery checked. read up on some of the posts in that thread and maybe you'll find something.

 

Well, the battery checked out, 12V. The ground connection on the post was loose, so I tightened that up. And judging by what holmtech said, this could definitely be giving me the intermittent problems.

A few fuses were fried, but other than that, nothing else seemed to be out of place, except for all the squirrel crap and shells I found on top of the intake. WTF. As far as checking the alternator, should I just be placing the meter probe on the post that leads to the battery? 14V, right?

 

if the ground was loose, that coulda been it. how did you check the battery...with a voltmeter? my battery checked out to 12v on the voltmeter but was STILL bad according to the machine at pepboys and putting in a new battery solved 100% of my problems. with the ground tightened up though i'd check it out and see how it runs.

 

The loose ground post connection could well be the problem. Better than tightening it, you should take it off and scrap clean the inside of the connector and the post with at least a wire brush.

This is because to explain the intermittent, there had to be partial connection, otherwise it would not have started. But a partial connection will give you corrosion which you should get rid of, especially if the problem comes back.

As to the quick check for the alternator, check from post to post, inside the connector. Before you start the engine, it should read 12-12.8v. After starting the engine, make the same check. Should be 13.75-14.25v. This tells you the alternator is adding charge to the battery, even at idle.