Truck won't start. Rapid clicking noise.

yep, had to hammer the starter on our old suburban..so ghetto

 

I'll try that, too. Should be able to borrow a voltage meter from work tomorrow.

 

I had this same thing happen to mine around 90k miles. Turn the key and rapid clicking noise and wouldn't crank. Push started it for the rest of the week and took it to the dealer. They replaced the solenoid and its worked fine ever since.

 

Tried knocking on the starter this afternoon without any luck. Also cleaned up the battery terminals and when I tried starting it I saw some smoke coming off the negative terminal. What does that tell us?

Thanks again all for the help. I'm getting a lot of people saying battery and a lot saying starter/solenoid so I just want to try to at least eliminate the possibility that it's just the battery before taking it somewhere.

 

take the battery to an autoparts store. they can test it to see if its bad. if you feel like pulling the starter out then they can test it too..

 

If it smoking from the negative terminal chances are the terminals are not tight enough. Remember high current requires tight connections.

Again possibility it's actually the starter relay. In the fuse box there is a group of five relays. There is a row of three on the bottom with two above. The center relay in the group of three in a line is the starter relay. If it's goofing up there might not be enough power going to the solenoid. Older truck though so it indeed could be the starter. Banging on it did not help though so it may not be that. That usually works at least once.

I did write out a few days ago how to test the starter relay with a meter. On a thread about Truck will not turn over.

 

I had this happen on my 1st gen and was able to get it working again by disconnecting and cleaning the terminals where they attach to the starter and the ground strap where it attaches to the frame. Happened @ around 100,000 miles and it was still working when I sold it with 150,000. Cheap fix if it works.

 

I'll start this way:

Question:
--How are your electronics. Do they work?. Does the vehilce tick but the radio/interior & exterior lights work 100% normally?

#1. Check the connections then test the freakin battery anyway. (if you're getting lights and radio, you're getting power so your problem obviously lies elsewhere)

#2. The starter. You don't have to rip it out, quite yet. Find your starter. Get a smaller screwdriver...with a plastic handle...and arc your starter. Hows it sound? Whine? Probably should take that out now and get it tested. (More than likely the problem)

#3. Cover #'s 1 & 2 before you really start worrying about anything else.

Have a V6? I'd say test the Alt while you're at it, but the Alts on those things S.U.C.K.

 

I had a ZR2 with a weak battery (same sound described ) with daytime running lights
when I pushed the emergency brake in, no DTRL and started right up
only did it a few times and got a new battery !!

 

OP, sounds to me like it's the battery.

 

You can't test a battery with a voltage meter. It will tell you nothing. You need a load tester. You want to test the current not the voltage. If two batteries can't start it it is probably not the battery.

 

Had the EXACT same thing happen to me, it's the battery. Even though the battery would still hold a charge, it was just time to replace it it just couldn't crank enough juice out to turn over the motor. Went to Auto Zone, got a Duralast Gold which I have had excellent experience with in all my cars and boat, and picked up a new battery for $89. Just to be sure, they tested the battery and sure enough it just was just time to replace it especially after sitting years outside long Texas hot summers with no garage.

 

Whenever you were driving around before the problem occurred did you notice if the battery light lit up on your gauges?

Whenever I killed my alt I ran off the battery for like 40 min...battery light came on about 20 min prior to it completely draining itself (couldnt even roll up a window).

I know what those clicks sound like, and they suck!

 

^ Mine NEVER came on, one day I just tried to start it and got the CLICK OF DEATH.

 

It seems like every time I go wheeling and break something, somebody on this forum has the EXACT same problem THE DAY AFTER I come back from wheeling.

I took my Tacoma fording about 2' deep water and then up a hill with a giant lip that bounced my front end several feet in the air when I hit it, and after that starting the truck sounded like a low batt. so I disregarded it as I had my lights on parked for awhile. When I got home turns out something was up w/the starter because it clicked. I have a dual battery setup, and both seemed full after the 20 min. drive home, but I threw another battery on there anyways, and after a little hesitation it started (these engines can start with the tiniest crank from the starter - Go Toyota!). After shutting it off and restarting it 2 times it went back to normal.

Either the giant jolt messed with the starter, or the water did something to the terminals. Regardless, After a couple starts, it's totally back to normal.

Just thought I'd share because it was quite an odd experience.

 

I'll add my vote for the battery.

I had the same thing as you. It wouldn't even take a jump from another truck. Had it towed to the shop where all they could find was a very dead battery. They said it probably had a broken plate inside (whatever that is)>

 

When someone asks where the starter is on their truck I think they need to take their vehicle to a shop and have a mechanic take a look at it.

 

Check your starter...had this happen on a 68 super bee with a 440...that was embarrassing, having to load this beautiful car on a flatbed and haul it back to my shop...it was like being the lead car in a funeral procession...just so depressing. But $50 and 15 minutes later she was back up and running like a champ.

 

Not to thread jack...but here's a pic of the Super Bee after she was all fixed up and back in decent running order....oh and I'll throw in a pic of my other project in the shop.









Anyone have an idea of what this is?