I bought my runner about a month ago and recently got it running, started up just fine every time and runs great no long crank or anything. Today I went to start it not even 12 hours after the last time it ran and when I turn over the key nothing seems to happen, though the lights come on and everything like normal but no crank or even relay/solenoid click. I have checked fuses and none of them were blown and battery is fully charged at 12 volts. Quite confused was hoping to find help here.

 

One easy thing to try: tap on the starter with a small hammer fairly hard. I had a starter with a dead spot on the coils for several years and would frequently encounter the problem you describe. A few stiff taps with a small ball peen hammer would always fix it. The starter is one of many possible problems you may be having, so the hammer trick might not work for you.

 

I have definitely tried the hammer trick haha but still nothing when I turn the key over. Beginning to think possible bad ignition? Still not sure though.

 

Unplug the starter from the rest of the system, hot wire to the battery, safety third.. Make sure it's in park or neutral.

Now you know if it's wiring or the starter solenoid or starter contacts.

 

OK, here's the schematic for your year truck's starter system. As you can see, it's a very simple, if poorly designed, system. Easy enough to trouble-shoot, with a decent multimeter.

You said you checked the fuses, so a fair percentage of the system is covered already. If it were me, I'd go to the plug for th key switch. Find the wire that feeds power to the start contact (ST1). In this case, it's the white wire (W) from the 40A fusible link. You can slip the multimeter's positive lead into the plug easily, and check for the +12 from the battery.
If it's there, plug the key-switch plugs back together, and find the wire coming from the key's ST1 contact. In this case, the black wire with the white stripe (B-W). You can slip the meter's lead into the back of the plug, or if it's too fat, like me, you can use the expensive test lead extender. Most people call it a paper clip. Turn the key to start, and see if your +12 is there. If it's not, bad key switch, which is replaceable without replacing the keyed portion.
If it IS there, go on with tracing the voltage down until you get to the starter. I would guess that either the key switch is bad, or the wiring to the starter. Like I said, having the "hot" wire feeding the starter go through the key-switch is a really bad design. The key switch SHOULD control a relay, which controls the high current feeding the starter. That way, you can keep the high-current wires isolated, and much shorter, instead of going from the battery, all the way to the key switch, and then all the way back to the starter. Bad design.

This isn't to say there's not a problem with the starter. Not at all. But these starters are pretty tough. Both mine are still the factory original, and still work great. To verify if it IS, or IS NOT the starter, you can pull the wire off the starter, and check it for voltage when the key is turned to start. It's that single, black wire (auto transmission), or the single BW (black white) wire for manual trannys, that plugs right into the starter solenoid, in the front of it. Easy to check, just place the meter lead into the plug, with it disconnected, and have a friend turn the key to start. Make certain you stand to the side of the truck, the transmission is in neutral, and the transfer case is too. Make sure the parking brake is on too. The starter shouldn't turn with the wire pulled off the solenoid, but hey, why take any chances. You SHOULD see +12 VDC with the key in the start position, and the clutch depressed, the Clutch Cancel switch depressed, on a manual transmission. Or with the gear lever in Park, for an auto transmission vehicle.
Make certain the key switch is in the OFF position before you reconnect the wire to the starter. Check it yourself. Don't take anyone's word for it. Go LOOK for your self. Better yet, pull the key out and put it in your pocket. No way, that way, for anyone to go turn the key on for some reason when you're connecting the wire. When it comes to my precious hide, I don't trust anyone. Not only an the battery voltage bite HARD, the starter could turn by accident, and maybe, just maybe, cause the truck to move. I'm a chicken about things like that.

If the +12 is there, starter, or the starter solenoid, is bad. Not there, you can go start checking the wires, looking for voltage at the key switch, etc. The starter solenoid can be rebuilt with after market kits available online. I've also heard that the contacts in the solenoid can develop a build up of carbon on them, preventing operation. If so, you can just use a small file, or some fine-grit sand paper, to remove the carbon build up.

Given the current flowing through them, I'll wager the contacts in the key switch can develop carbon build up, too. If soo, clean them, and see if it works.

I'm sorry, I ramble. I'll be quiet now.
Good luck!
Pat☺

 

Thanks a bunch Pat the diagram you sent and the explanation is very detailed and was very helpful. Once I get a minute i’ll poke around at the stuff you listed and see if I can get it to turn over.

 

Flawed test methods, these aren't loaded circuit voltage drop tests and will give inaccurate results. You need to check the voltage with things plugged in and in the work state (key in start position).

You can clearly see this with a simple experiment. Take a relatively high power bulb like a headlight, three equal length wires. One of these wires you're going to strip a section of insulation off near the middle and cut half the strands. Take one intact wire, connected to battery +, measure the voltage between the free end of the wire and battery negative. Do the same with the severed wire. Now with your light grounded with that third wire. Attach it to power with the two previous wires, first the uncut one then the cut one. Take note of the apparent brightness. Measure voltage between the bulb end of + wire and + terminal of battery, this is the voltage drop of the wire. For a more dramatic effect, cut more of the strands but beware of fire and short circuit.

Now I'm not saying you have wires that are partially broken, you may and may not. However the carbon buildup in switches, like the reedswitch in the ignition switch, the reedswitch in a relay, or even the contacts in the solenoid, act in exactly the same way to increase resistance and cause voltage drop.

The same thing happens in dirty connectors. Unplugging and reconnecting harness plugs, which sometimes scraps a clean spot on one or both ends, will temporarily mask issues with loose dirty connectors but it will eventually/likely happen again.

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