I am in Phoenix right now, which means pretty extreme heat. I stopped at a gas station a few minutes ago and when I got back to the truck it would not turn over. After a few failed attempts turning the key I popped the hood. About the time I was debating to call AAA it cranked over like nothing was wrong, and ran perfectly all the way home. No low battery gauge or anything. Once I parked in the driveway however, the same thing happened again. It acts like a dead battery, but all the accessories including the high power stereo still work fine. No death rattle, clicking, slow cranking, nothing. Acts 100% dead. I am about to go back and check it out again, and see if the heat has something to do with it still. I am thinking starter since it's the original, but does anyone have a suggestion? ,,,,,98

Update: Just went and it started right up. I let it run 30 seconds or so, then shut it off. Once again, no turnover. The starter solienoid is not clicking that I could hear, so that may be the problem.

 

Hi, I would check all the connections on the starter before buying a new/refurb one, sometimes their is a nut that likes to loosen up. Usually, a starter that's going bad will not have the symptoms your are describing, although anything's possible. If it's not a connection problem, replacing the starter would be your next best bet since it's about due and wouldn't be a bad investment.

 

It was the starter relay. Don't you just love it when a 35 dollar part that takes 15 minutes to change, ends up costing you $175? From now on I will refuse the estimate and replace the parts myself. They also wanted $130 to install a battery which they said was also bad. It starts extremely quick now, and no gauge indication of a problem. I will get it load checked later on, but for now it seems fine.,,,,98