I've noticed something strange with my truck when driving back and forth to work/home recently. It seems that when my truck gets up to running temp I notice a tapping sound coming from under the hood. When I get to work and turn the truck off and then try to start it again it won't turn over. It sounds like a bad battery or something but then after sitting and I go to leave work at the end of the day the truck fires right up and runs fine. When I get home I notice the noise again and it also wont start again, just like before.
In the morning when I head to work the truck starts right up and runs fine but about halfway there I hear the noise and the whole process starts over.
If I drive a short distance, like to the store or something, it doesn't happen.
Only when a drive a longer distance.

 

Check the battery cable connections and have the battery tested for a start.

 

To clarify - "won't turn over" = won't even crank or just won't fire?

 

It won't turn over. The sound it makes is as if the battery is nearly dead but after sitting a while, (either all day when I'm at work or over night when I'm home), it fires right up with no problem at all.

 

If the battery and cables all check out as healthy, it could be the starter or its related parts (check the cable to it, too). More specifically the starter solenoid could be going bad.

On some vehicles, the solenoid is attached to and replaced with the starter. On others, its a freestanding part under the hood. Not sure about your vehicle.

FWIW, some electrical components will first show signs of failure when hot.

BTW, the tapping noise when hot could be the solenoid clicking when it shouldn't.

 

Well, about a month ago the starter solenoid, (under the hood), was replaced. At the same time I had the battery checked and it came back as good. I also replaced both battery cables at that time. Since then the starter has also been replaced.
It seems that when one thing gets fixed another problem pops up.

 

There are more than two battery cables. Which did you change?

Adrianspeeder

 

The 82 V8 Camaro/Firebird had a hot start problem because the starter was undersized. When I replaced mine, the replacement rebuilt starter that was sold to me was longer than the OE and it eliminated the hot start issue. FYI

 

Both.

 

1. Positive to fender relay,
2. Positive fender relay to starter,
3. Ground from battery to frame to the block...

Adrianspeeder