I have a 94 pickup 4cyl 4wd was sitting with the truck running, and it just cut off by itself. We thought it was just that I needed a new terminal, put that on there, jumped the vehicle and it cranked fine. Cut it off, cranked fine again. Went to pull off and vehicle shut off when I gave it gas. Now it starts to turn over, then it just stops, while holding the ignition. When I turn my lights on they are dimming, and the lights inside on dash are getting dimmer then brighter. Any ideas where to start checking things?

thanks in advance!

 

Holding it in the start position is bad don't do that it will damage the fusible link. Once the FL is damaged you need to change it as it's the primary source of power for everything except the starter motor.

The rule of thumb is five seconds of starter activation every 60 seconds, that means five seconds on fifty five seconds cool down. This provides time for the starter solenoid, the fusible link, and the starter motor to cool down and return to at rest resistance. Once these heat up you loose more and more power exponentially..


Anyways start with a charged battery if you can. Do a resistance check between the battery positive and the 80 amp main fuse.

 

As soon as it stopped I stopped holding the key! Could it be possible fuel pump//starter problems? My uncle is my mechanic, he knows a lot about vehicles, he suggested these things

 

Charge the battery and load test it first, before anything else.

 

Okay! Thank you. Just think it's something else because we tried jumping it again after that and it wouldn't crank.

 

You said that the lights dim when you try to crank. It might be a bad starter, or cable, but...

A battery load test is simple and costs nothing, it can eliminate lottsa maybes....

 

I agree check the battery out and the battery terminals and the cable ends that goes to the battery terminals. Could be a bad (high resistance) connection to the battery.

Dim lights suggest low voltage or high resistance. If it's only dim while trying to crank, it suggests a weak battery. A bad starter could cause a little dimming but with a good battery it shouldn't dim much.

100% no cranking could be a fuse/relay problem besides the possible starter.

 

If it intermittently cranks but loses power again, more likely bad connections like in my experience here.
Electrical connections should have bare, shiny metal contacting bare shiny metal. Grey metal does not make good electrical connection.
If not, have battery tested.

Also check alternator/charging. How it works and suggested test points are here.

 

Dimming and not cranking is absolutely not a fuel pump issue.
Not likely a starter issue as symptoms suggest.

This problem only requires our senses and a multi-meter.
Need a multi-meter if you plan to work on your truck yourself. Harbor Freight is your friend.

 

Well?? Any progress???

We would like to know what fixes it, and what does'nt. The forum works best as a two way street.