wont turn over - click coming from box under dash

[Harpua216]

Sitting here waiting for a tow so i can get into it but for the life of me cant figure out why it wont turn over.

Not the starter. I feel an electrical click on a grey or black box under the dash drivers side right near the console. I wanna say electrical or brake? Related.

Does the brake light come on when you try to start it?

Thanks

 

[Harpua216]

i guess my question is... will a blown brake fuse or whatever fuses are in that black box under the right hand side dash, will it give a no crank?

the brake light goes on when i try to start it and i cant remember if it does that all the time or that is an indication of something wrong.

the first time i crank it i can hear the starter click, but not hard. its always follows the click around that fuse box or maybe anti theft system although i feel its brake related.

 

[Harpua216]

since no one is "around" this joint anymore, at least i will talk it out with myself so that someone else lurking may be saved a few steps.

so maybe its the starter. if i leave it for a while and then turn it over i get a click from the starter but not again after i try again, and only a click from near that fuse box i mentioned. (right drivers side by console under dash)

threw another battery in there to see if the battery was bad. no luck. battery tests out at 13's too (use a multimeter, very cheap and amazing tool)

pulled codes B1347 B1834 and P0500

PATS passed test

why do i have the feeling its my brake switch? does that even matter with these trucks?

not that i truly suggest this but I am going to probably hit a junkyard and grab a starter on the cheap to rule it out. the last one does have 185K on it and may have been hit from some oil while my rear main was leaking a bit. it surely didnt bother me to put in a half quart every blue moon, but i am sure a drip or two over the course of 25K may piss off the starter a tad,

tapping it did nothing, fyi. i wonder what the voltage is or is supposed to be down there. I am gonna use this to try and find out

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/sdcrowder/2010-09-07_043819_pats_diag_01_explorer.pdf

but i am tired of reading and this board has become way too slow to converse unless its a debate, of course :/

so I am just gonna start ripping things out and make a mess. I am good at that.

gosh i love this truck. maybe she saw the chevy tahoe i picked up to tow cars with and she got jealous. now she doesnt want to give it up. grrrr women....lol

 

[Glacier Explorer]

By grey/black box under the dash by the fuse box, do you mean the ignition switch? If that is fine, the battery is fine, and PATS is fine; it probably is a dead starter/solenoid. Also, have you tired testing the starter relay? Look for corroded wires too. If I remember correctly, it is normal for the brake light to pop on when you try to crank the engine on.

 

[Harpua216]

Ahhh. Thats what that is. Yes the ignition switch. I have no idea if its good or not. Once the click from the starter goes away, i hear a click in the ignition switch and none by the starter.

But the first few times the starter clicks. Thanks for the battery info. That was my main concern.o

 

[Harpua216]

so. it was the starter, but i found out something while diagnosing the electrical in my limited capacity.

I used a multi meter while turning it over and found that on the first 1 or 2 tries (it varied), 12v was thrown to the starter. after that, the ignition switch (or something) would decrease the volts to between 6-8v (also varied).

my guess is there is some kind of pass through or push-back so that you dont damage the battery or ignition, maybe,

so if you are having an issue where you cant detect whether its the starter or ignition because the starter click goes away, its most likely this issue and most definitely the starter.

A very good way to tell if its the ignition switch which also gives you a no crank situation is to jiggle the column while trying to start it. there is a known problem within the steering column. I havent had the pleasure of facing that yet, but when searching and such, this was popping up as something to check.

other things to check if you have any fluids or funny smells, or a previous condition with your engine would be to try and turn the flywheel with a cheater bar and ratchet. if it doesnt turn, your engine could be locked up. you can never count it out with these trucks, but this is less likely the case.

Thanks to Glacier for humoring me.

note: the cash dash has affected this sites relevancy on google and you have to go through a bunch of junk to find what you could have found on the first 3 search items. I am all for a better CMS and the author potentially making some more loot, but not at the cost of a slow board and lower search rankings. I am always happy to help in this area.

Thanks