Hey been awhile since I have been on here.........heres the problem.......thought radio was hooked up good......good connections and such......went to get the truck inspected and found out my brake lights were in op.......got a rejection sticker....went home.......checked the bulbs and wires as best I could.....found a cut wire under the dash...... reconnected and wah la brake lights are back....... then engine start draining battery...... charged a few times..... started ran for awhile..... then dead again........checked battery after recharging again and noticed no bubbles at all during charging...... so got new battery........ started one time......after that the lights were dimming to nothing and would not start again....... charge new battery......quick it wasn't dead....... took off starter relay and had it checked...... it was good..... reconnected relay and tried to start nothing.... and with new battery there is no power going to lights..... tried bypassing the ignition swith by using battery cable to starter post.....it crancked....talked to people at advance they said the relay tested good.... and the starter was cranking..... so something in either the ignition or wiring to or from there..... I removed the ignition switch and tested with multimeter...it tested bad..... replaced it but still same problem...... any idea where to start trying to trace the wires....... Thanks

 

First find your short. Disconnect the negative battery cable, and attach a 12 volt test lamp inline between the cable and the battery post. If it lights up bright, you've got a short. Start pulling the fuses one at a time until the test light dulls or goes out. That will tell you which circuit has the short. Solving this may solve your starting problem.

 

Hey when I am doing all tjis checking with the voltmeter....is the ignition need to be on or not? Can I use the multimeter as the same as the light to read for voltage being drawn off the negative battry terminal to the negative cable and try to pull fuses until I have no volts reading? And when I do this.....does the key need to be int the ignition switch and on postion? Thanks

 

You can use a voltmeter, but it's much, much easier with a test lamp. The ignition should be off, and all accessories, lights, etc. should be turned off. The doors should be closed as well, or at least have the door jamb switch for the interior lights set so that the interior lights are off.

 

Well, I tried on of those testlights that look like a screwdriver with the light inside.......nothing.......not even a dim light.........I went with the multimeter approach set at 20 VDC the same when I check the volts for the battery......most of the readings were -.04 to -.08 except 2 that showed .08 positive.......is that enought to drain the battery from 12.74 to 12.55 in a few days? and still will not start........also found a connetctor not connected near the starter relay.....a small connection that was running in the wire bundle that goes to the alternator........I called Advance Auto to see if they knew for sure which connector it went to on the starter relay........after some pause and other questions they said it went with the little post right next to the post going to the starter......like this....... post 1 goes to positive battery......big post.......post 2 is a small connector that slips on ......next connector is small but is held on with a small nut......it has a small connector with a fusible link.......is this where the other wire from the alternator bundle goes? the fourth post is the big one that has the cable going to the starter....

 

12.74 to 12.55 in a few days is normal, you don't have a drain.

If the little wire you're talking about is brown, yes, it goes on the second little stud, and is held in place with a nut. connecting this should solve your starting problem.