So I thought it was just my starter that was bad since when I would turn the key about 2 hours ago, all it would do is click, and I was able to push start it to get home. I just went out to my truck to see if it would start, and the electrical is going crazy! just opening the door causes about 4 (from what I can hear) relays to be clicking on and off about once per second in the engine compartment, the door ding is going at a faster rate, random lights (blinkers, dash lights) are blinking and its just going nuts. I can't even tell if the starter is getting any power now over all that noise. This goes on for 5-10 seconds after I close the last door then it all stops. Where do I start? It's possible the electrical components somewhere got wet from wheeling today, if that helps.

 

Check for bad grounds or shorts. Maybe a ground wire got ripped off while wheeling over some sticks or something.

 

Get a new battery. You would be amazed on the strange things a bad battery can do to your truck.

 

?

Instead of automatically running out and buying a new battery (I know you gotta be poor like me), try resetting everything by just disconnecting the battery and recheck your grounds like everyone else said.

 

i never quite know what everyone means when they say "check" your grounds and whatnot...they're all connected and stuff. anyway, took my battery to pepboys and the machine said it was bad so i got a new one but DOH, the posts are on opposite sides from the old one and my wires dont stretch like that, so im going to take it back. i also removed my starter and STUPID me, took apart the MOTOR and not the SOLENOID, so i also bought a new starter...i just put it in but i still need a battery. ill update this if it worked

 

fixed. new battery was it. i also replaced the starter though in retrospect, the stock one could have been ok...

 

WOW he must Not be Poor like Us if he can afford to replace his starter without checking to make sure its not just something simple in it. like the solenoid contacts.

 

you can talk TO me in my thread, you don't have to talk ABOUT me. im just a poor college kid, so dont go thinking i have money to blow. i took out the battery and the starter and THEN i found out the battery was bad (bumming rides off of friends isnt easy when most dont have cars here). i could only afford one trip to pepboys from my friends. i also made a stupid mistake and took apart the motor of the starter instead of the solenoid. i was able to wrestle it back together, but i dont know if it was put together again properly or not. not wanting to risk my having screwed it up OR it being bad to begin with, i simply decided to get the core refund on it and get a new starter. it makes perfect sense to me, why risk screwing something else up with something i put back together myself and wasnt sure about at all?

oh and i didnt replace the starter for nothing. i might have monetarily but i learned a lot about the starter and how to replace it and how to check its contacts and whatnot, so even if the original was still good, i dont consider this a total loss.

 

Glad you got it fixed and everything is working for you now.

And All_terrain17 thought i was talking out of my a$$.

It's amazing what experience will do for ya.

 

the only battery that pepboys had with my specifications and size (i dont know anything about battery size and how much bigger i coulda gone, i was just matching with my current one) was an energizer one, and i needed one stat. i couldnt afford the optima yellow top they had (no way im paying over $200 for it!) so i got this energizer. i havent had it long enough obviously to say if its good or bad but it works and has a 2-year warranty so we'll see. im also going to keep up maintenance on it, something i never did on the old one. i finally got a post cleaner and i put felt washers around the terminals to help prevent more acid buildup. we'll see how the energizer works out.

 

Yep.

Figured he'd at least try to diagnose/fix without having to spend any more money.

*Wipes egg from face*

 

Sorry, i should have been more understanding. i forget sometimes that other people dont love wrenching like i do. Hell i would have done it for fun lol. anyway sorry

 

its all good, i was just frustrated over the course that these repairs had to take and the possibly useless time i spent working on that starter

 

Congrats on getting everything back to normal again man! I woulda took you to pepboys....shoulda called.
Oh well, next time. lol.
We need to get together again soon.