I guess this is the low turn as I have spend well over $1,000 in the past couple months and today when i get in my truck to head home from work she had struggled to start. So I turned the truck off, checked the oil and its full as it should be. Went back and tried starting the truck but this time it wont start. Sounds like may be a weak battery or alternator but not sure. When you turn the key you can hear the truck attempt to start then it gives up and all you hear is clicking. I replaced the battery less than 2 years ago with a duralast gold battery and had the alternator tested and it passed with flying colors. Up until today there has been no indication of weak electrical and no issues starting. Im stuck at work and ill have to leave my truck over night. Any thoughts? Anything I can do while im here to test out the alternator and battery? Could it be the starter?

 

Likely the battery. You can check the voltage with a voltmeter if you have one. Should be well over 12 volts if it's charged. Check all of your cables at both ends. Make sure the terminals at the battery are clean and snug and also check the ends at the starter and the ground at the motor. Also double check the connections right next to the battery to see if any of those are loose.

 

Also check you starter leads

 

Do you have an Ultragauge wired in. If you check the UG voltage, that reads pretty much the battery voltage, if you don't have a multimeter to hand.

Sticky starters can drain battery like that. But you normally have it happen over a period of time.

An interior light or some other power drain which took the voltage away.

 

Try to jump start it and take it back to autozone. They're not bad batteries, but batteries in general are not what they used to be. They'll test the battery and charging system for you and probably just warranty the battery. If you can't jump it, well then you've got other issues.

 

A second attempt at jump starting was successful be it with a different vehicle. Immediatly drove to nearest autozone and it died again. Turns out after just about one year of ownership my duralast gold battery **** the bed. The rep said it must be a dud battery because they normally last a long time. Had my warranty information still in the system and since its only a year old battery I got a replacement for free. Threw it in and the truck starts right up as it should and no more dying. I guess my warranty starts all over as of today so im happy about that.

After autozone we went out to eat, when i got back to my truck and inserted the ignition I noticed that the red alarm light in the dash was blinking and thus I was unable to start the truck. Removed key then tried again and the truck started. Then I got a pending code P1668. Cleared it when I got home so hopfully the code was just due to the battery. Hope my BCU is not bad.

In any event Im so glad it was the battery and not the truck that was the problem. I also had them test the alternator once they installed the new battery and it passed so for now the electrical is still good. Hopfully this battery outlasts the previous.

When I do move to Alaska in April I think Ill be switching to a cold climate dual battery setup. Cant risk being stranded again because of a year old battery.

Thanks all

 

I'd skip the dual battery setup and opt for a decent booster pack instead. They're cheaper and you can keep it indoors charging where it is warm so it's ready to go when you need it. A block heater is a good idea also. Running synthetic oil is better in cold climates too because it will still flow when conventional oil won't.

 

I will switch from Rotella T 15w-40 to Rotella T6 5w-40 full synthetic once I move to AK. Previous owner had an engine block heater installed ^^ (Lucky me). I do intend on adding the SD rack, driving lamps, rear work light, ac compressor, cb radio and navigation systems so I think the dual battery setup will actually be a good thing in light of these plans I have down the road.

 

i was working on removing the passenger exhaust manifold and i hit the black box in the firewall and the rover wouldnt start- also the flashers came on and wouldnt turn off. i had to press the button thing and everything worked fine after that- first thing i was going to do was remove the battery and take it to autozone to get checked haha

 

2.2v per cell x 6 cell = 13.2V nominal on multimeter. Fully charged batt. 12.85 or better considered normal in use batt...