Truck won't start:

Battery? alternator? starter? I heard the click click or tick tick tick sound only. Took the battery (07 Optima Red Top) to AutoZone. Only at 11 volt. Have to leave it over night to see if it is the battery. Any ideas? Starter?

 

Click/tick would be your starter making that sound. Most likely you need a new battery. 6 years is pushing it for a battery.

 

clean your contacts and make sure they're actually getting tight on the battery posts. I had this happen a few years ago, I had to replace my terminal connectors on both the positive and negative cables.

 

I'll wait till am to see if the battery holds a charge then see. Tried jumping and nothing.

 

the only way to know for sure is to check out the battery, solenoid and starter. If you hear a clicking noise, it means voltage is getting through to the solenoid. But there may not be enough voltage to spin the starter. So start with the battery and cables.

 

Probably battery. Sometimes they're so dead they cant even be jumped.

 

11 volts should be enough to get your starter to turn... Verify the connections at the starter are tight and corrosion free, verify power is crossing your starter solenoid. If it is you have a dead spot in your starter windings. Some times it can be freed up by giving the starter housing a few light taps with a hammer. Not always though.

 

I will have to check it tomorrow. In the meantime...wait for it...sad face:

 

11 volts is not enough. It should be around 14 volts. Probably a shot battery.

 

In a non use condition optimal batter charge is 12.6v. 14v is what the alternator puts out to charge the battery and keep all the truck functions powered.


Load test the battery with it disconnected, if you have access to a tester. The battery will need to be at full charge when you test.

 

2007 Optima Red Top took a dump and replaced it with this...fired right up:

 

Glad to hear it was an easy fix. Yep, batteries can be relied on for about four years. After that you are on borrowed time. Before I got my Tacoma, I had automatic tranny rigs and I replaced my batteries at four year intervals since I get back in the woods a ways. No fun to have a rig that won't turn over when you're 20 miles up the back roads (ask me how I know)!!

 

For wet "Maintenance Free", AGM, or Gel Cell batteries with the surface charge removed and at 80 degrees F, the approximate State-of-Charge open circuit voltages measured with a digital voltmeter are:

12.80 VDC @ 100%
12.60 VDC @ 75%
12.30 VDC @ 50%
12.00 VDC @ 25%
11.80 VDC @ 0%

For more information on testing batteries, see Section 4 in the Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ on www.batteryfaq.org.

 

Bringing up old stuff again, but I tried to start the truck up and all I heard was the starter clicking. Oddly enough, this happened right after I finished replacing my fuel injectors, so I thought I really botched something up somehow because of the timing but...

Lifted up the positive boot cover.


Gave her a bath and started right up.


I am pushing almost 6 years on the battery, but I'll drain all the juice I can out of it.

 

The corrosion on the battery post and lugs form a high resistive barrier that prevents the high current to activate the starter motor and the alternator from properly recharging the battery. The battery, alternator, and starter are all codependent on each other and need to be healthy for engine starts. I would recommend fully recharging the battery to get rid of any sulfation build up and have the alternator voltage tested and battery conductance tested, so you will not get stuck someplace requiring an expensive tow.