04 won't start

[fortworth4x4]

I have an 04 V6 that all of a sudden won't start. I drove it Friday evening and everything was fine. Parked it my driveway and on Saturday morning I went to leave and it wouldn't start.

Battery is fine all electrical stuff works like normal. When I go to start the engine it just cranks but never turns over. The starter just clicks over and over and nothing. I hear the fuel pump when I first turn the key.

I have no idea where to start as I can't find a situation like mine. I've never had anything like this happen before.

Thanks.

 

[A10MileHusker]

I have an 04 V6 that all of a sudden won't start. I drove it Friday evening and everything was fine. Parked it my driveway and on Saturday morning I went to leave and it wouldn't start.

Battery is fine all electrical stuff works like normal. When I go to start the engine it just cranks but never turns over. The starter just clicks over and over and nothing. I hear the fuel pump when I first turn the key.

I have no idea where to start as I can't find a situation like mine. I've never had anything like this happen before.

Thanks.

Not trying to say you dont know or anything like that, but are you sure the battery is okay. I had one instance where I thought the battery was fine because electronics went on and everything but I put my jumper on it and sure enough it just didn't have enough volts to turn it over. Turned on the jumper and it fired right up.

 

[nevada]

I have an 04 V6 that all of a sudden won't start. I drove it Friday evening and everything was fine. Parked it my driveway and on Saturday morning I went to leave and it wouldn't start.

Battery is fine all electrical stuff works like normal. When I go to start the engine it just cranks but never turns over. The starter just clicks over and over and nothing. I hear the fuel pump when I first turn the key.

I have no idea where to start as I can't find a situation like mine. I've never had anything like this happen before.

Thanks.

it cranks, but doesn't turn over? huh. that doesn't make sense. it cranks, MEANS its turning over.


are you saying the starter just clicks? it sound like a dead battery. have you tried jumping it? or throwing a charger on the battery for a bit, then try starting it.


how old is the battery? original? check it, I bet its bad.

 

[fortworth4x4]

Yes, I did try jumping it. It didn't change any of my symptoms.

I'm going to leave the battery charging overnight to see if it helps.

Starter just clicks when I turn the key. It just won't start.

 

[Gatafly]

Could be a bad starter bendix or loose ground on the battery cable. This is of course if I am understanding what you are describing correctly. Take a hammer and crawl under truck and find starter. Look for the bump on the starter where the positive cable from the battery connects. Give it a few good taps with the hammer and try starting it.

 

[radlynx]

looks like your battery finally died. is that the panasonic one? if you are starting it and it just clicks, it's always the battery, not enough juice.

Yes, I did try jumping it. It didn't change any of my symptoms.

I'm going to leave the battery charging overnight to see if it helps.

Starter just clicks when I turn the key. It just won't start.

 

[fortworth4x4]

looks like your battery finally died. is that the panasonic one? if you are starting it and it just clicks, it's always the battery, not enough juice.

I have changed the battery once before. I can't remember when though. I left it charging all night and will see if it starts when I get home from work. I hope so.

 

[cpark_12]

Sounds like a loose battery cable...if it's not that, it sounds like the starter may be giving out.

 

[A10MileHusker]

I have changed the battery once before. I can't remember when though. I left it charging all night and will see if it starts when I get home from work. I hope so.

Trickle charge will tell all.

Do you have accessories attached directly to the battery?

Let us know what you find!

 

[Gatafly]

looks like your battery finally died. is that the panasonic one? if you are starting it and it just clicks, it's always the battery, not enough juice.

Sorry, but that is absolutely incorrect that it is always the battery.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Sorry, but that is absolutely incorrect that it is always the battery.

I think he's implying that if the vehicle "Clicks" but doesn't start, that its always the battery. I would have to agree that it's not always the battery if that is the case; the starter could be shorted out and/or damaged.

The "Click" is the sound of the solenoid plunger engaging, what that tells you is that there's enough voltage to do the following:

-Turn the Vehicle on
-Power up the modules
-Engage the Ignition Switch Circuit
-Activate the Start/Hold Function (Module Controlled)
-Trip the Starter Relay
-Engage the Starter Solenoid

But that still leaves other possibilities:

-Weak 12v Battery (Cannot turn the starter when engaged)
-Damaged/Failed Starter
-Engine Mechanical Issue
-ect.

 

[preacher35]

Wait... I'm confused: OP says in one post that the starter "cranks" and in another, that the starter only "clicks". So which is it? If it only clicks, then everyone is correct, BAD BATTERY. If the starter IS TURNING OVER, but the motor is not combusting, than you have one of a few problems. You mentioned that you hear the fuel pump running at key turn so fuel is probably being delivered to the throttle body. So, either the throttle body is having a serious issue OR your ignition kicked the bucket. I am inclined to believe your battery gave up the ghost and you are just not being very cleary about your symptomolgy.

 

[fortworth4x4]

I got it to start yesterday.

I left the battery charging over Monday night and tried to start it when I got home yesterday evening. Still nothing.

I needed to change the oil so I took the battery with me to AutoZone to have it tested just to make sure while I picked up supplies. They hooked it up and it had 0% charge. So I picked up a new battery and after I got it hooked up it started. So, it was the battery after all.

Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions. I'm glad it is up and running again and didn't decide to mess with anything else before having 100% confirmation on the battery situation.

Again, thank you.

 

[nevada]

I got it to start yesterday.

I left the battery charging over Monday night and tried to start it when I got home yesterday evening. Still nothing.

I needed to change the oil so I took the battery with me to AutoZone to have it tested just to make sure while I picked up supplies. They hooked it up and it had 0% charge. So I picked up a new battery and after I got it hooked up it started. So, it was the battery after all.

Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions. I'm glad it is up and running again and didn't decide to mess with anything else before having 100% confirmation on the battery situation.

Again, thank you.

glad you got it fixed. sometimes it is just the simple things.

 

[radlynx]

you are right. there are other things that might cause it. my bad.

Sorry, but that is absolutely incorrect that it is always the battery.

 

[radlynx]

one last thing you need to do. while the car is running with the battery, check if your voltage is 13v or higher. this is to make sure that it's charging. if not, you'll end up with a dead battery again in a couple of days.

I got it to start yesterday.

I left the battery charging over Monday night and tried to start it when I got home yesterday evening. Still nothing.

I needed to change the oil so I took the battery with me to AutoZone to have it tested just to make sure while I picked up supplies. They hooked it up and it had 0% charge. So I picked up a new battery and after I got it hooked up it started. So, it was the battery after all.

Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions. I'm glad it is up and running again and didn't decide to mess with anything else before having 100% confirmation on the battery situation.

Again, thank you.

 

[m85476585]

Definitely pick up a digital multimeter (DMM) for diagnosing starting/electrical issues. A fully charged battery should be around 12.6 V with no load, and when it's charging it should be at about 13-14V (13.0 is likely too low unless charging a discharged battery, but I don't know precisely what it should be). A completely discharged battery will be around 10V, but ideally you should never let it get that low. When I had the clicking sound my battery measured 11.5V, but a quick jumpstart was all it needed.

For effective jumpstarting I like to hold the engine on the good car at around 2000 RPM to make sure the alternator is working optimally, since some voltage is lots in the jumper cables. Having the heaviest wire gauge jumper cables you can get helps, too. And make sure there is a good electrical connection at each clamp. There are some conflicting opinions on whether revving the engine is necessary, but in my experience it makes jumping more successful. It makes sense that at idle speed the alternator puts out less power so it's not an unnecessary drain on the engine. And in some cars you can see the headlights dim slightly when the A/C compressor is engaged while idling since the engine speed drops momentarily. On these trucks, especially the V8**, the engine spends so much time at low RPM while driving that the alternator probably works all the time.

**As far as I can tell, the V6 and V8 are geared the same, but I wonder if the logic/shiftpoints in the transmission are different.

 

[nevada]

Definitely pick up a digital multimeter (DMM) for diagnosing starting/electrical issues. A fully charged battery should be around 12.6 V with no load, and when it's charging it should be at about 13-14V (13.0 is likely too low unless charging a discharged battery, but I don't know precisely what it should be). A completely discharged battery will be around 10V, but ideally you should never let it get that low. When I had the clicking sound my battery measured 11.5V, but a quick jumpstart was all it needed.

For effective jumpstarting I like to hold the engine on the good car at around 2000 RPM to make sure the alternator is working optimally, since some voltage is lots in the jumper cables. Having the heaviest wire gauge jumper cables you can get helps, too. And make sure there is a good electrical connection at each clamp. There are some conflicting opinions on whether revving the engine is necessary, but in my experience it makes jumping more successful. It makes sense that at idle speed the alternator puts out less power so it's not an unnecessary drain on the engine. And in some cars you can see the headlights dim slightly when the A/C compressor is engaged while idling since the engine speed drops momentarily. On these trucks, especially the V8**, the engine spends so much time at low RPM while driving that the alternator probably works all the time.

**As far as I can tell, the V6 and V8 are geared the same, but I wonder if the logic/shiftpoints in the transmission are different.

taking that one step further:
one should hold the rpms up for a few minutes. say 5.
then turn the vehicle OFF, but leave the cables connected, then attempt to start the dead car.

this will avoid any potential damage to the good vehicles alternator, or charging/electrical system.

 

[Gatafly]

I got it to start yesterday.

I left the battery charging over Monday night and tried to start it when I got home yesterday evening. Still nothing.

I needed to change the oil so I took the battery with me to AutoZone to have it tested just to make sure while I picked up supplies. They hooked it up and it had 0% charge. So I picked up a new battery and after I got it hooked up it started. So, it was the battery after all.

Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions. I'm glad it is up and running again and didn't decide to mess with anything else before having 100% confirmation on the battery situation.

Again, thank you.

So you are on your 3rd battery now? Ouch, that 2nd battery should have lasted longer. Im still on my original Panasonic battery, but it is getting weak and makes me cry thinking about replacing it because they are one of the best.

 

[radlynx]

his alternator is probably not charging the battery properly. his battery will keep dying if that is the case.

So you are on your 3rd battery now? Ouch, that 2nd battery should have lasted longer. Im still on my original Panasonic battery, but it is getting weak and makes me cry thinking about replacing it because they are one of the best.