1994 Chevy truck won't start.

[aquariuscsm]

Friend of mine wanted me to look at her truck. 1994 Chevy 1500 V8. Here's what she told me.

She'd gone to go pick up her daughter from school. A few blocks away from home she stops at a red light. It started to shake. She arrives at her place, pulls into her driveway, and it stalls. She gets it started back up and reverses into her parking spot and it dies. It sits about a week undriven.

I go over there last night to look at it for her. When you try to start it, nothing. But all interior lights and dash lights work. We took the battery to AZ to have it checked, they said it was dead and charged it over night. We pick it up tonight and they said it now has a full charge (battery is a Duralast,two years old), install it in the truck, it does the same thing. When she turns the key,I can hear what I'm guessing is the starter relay clicking, but doesn't even try to turn over. It has an aftermarket alarm that was installed back in 1994 when it was purchased, if that makes any difference. I checked the oil, looks clean and is full.

Any ideas what to check?

 

[OVERKILL]

Bad ground to the engine would be a good place to start. You could try shorting the starter, assuming the solenoid is the onboard type to determine if it's the solenoid or starter.

 

[clinebarger]

Make sure the engine isn't locked up. I know it sound weird.....But I've had many vehicles come in on a hook with a supposed stater issue & the engine was seized. Though it makes more of a "Clunk" sound.

Aftermarket alarms are a PITA, Remove the drivers knee bolster panel & you'll see where the wiring is hacked to death by a 10 thumbed idiot.....Splice the big Yellow wire back together (It might be Purple depending on the model)

 

[spasm3]

Check grounds as mentioned above. Check the voltage of the battery. Dont just go with autozone saying its good. Look for at 12.4v or higher. Check the connections at the starter.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Make sure the engine isn't locked up.

That was honestly my biggest fear. I asked her if it was making any weird sounds or noises (ticking or knocking) and she said none at all.

 

[Dinoburner]

The side terminal battery connections are the first to check. Once a year or so I clean them on the 95. The plastic covering must be pulled back to access all the connectors. If this doen`t do it then going thru the grounds is next, It`s interesting that the engine stalled, which may be a bad alternator causing the dead battery .

 

[ripcord]

Yep, don't like those screwy Cheby battery connections.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The side terminal battery connections are the first to check. Once a year or so I clean them on the 95. The plastic covering must be pulled back to access all the connectors. If this doen`t do it then going thru the grounds is next, It`s interesting that the engine stalled, which may be a bad alternator causing the dead battery .

That's what she said, she thinks the alternator went bad.

 

[Chris142]

I have seen a locked up AC compressor stop a 5.7 dead in its tracks. Remove the belt and see it it starts

 

[JT20]

I have seen a locked up AC compressor stop a 5.7 dead in its tracks. Remove the belt and see it it starts

Even a seized up alternator or water pump. I had an LTC that's Lincoln Town Car for those that don't know. Bearing was going bad. Car sounded like a rod knock. But ran perfectly. One day, it snapped a belt . Pretty sure the water pump seized up. Got car towed so as not to overheat engine... Got pump replaced, ran good as new.

Hopefully the starter died and not the engine.

19mm wrench on the alternator ? if you can turn it, you'll know if you are dealing with something seized up or not.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I have seen a locked up AC compressor stop a 5.7 dead in its tracks. Remove the belt and see it it starts

I'll definitely check that out tomorrow.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Even a seized up alternator or water pump. I had an LTC that's Lincoln Town Car for those that don't know. Bearing was going bad. Car sounded like a rod knock. But ran perfectly. One day, it snapped a belt . Pretty sure the water pump seized up. Got car towed so as not to overheat engine... Got pump replaced, ran good as new.

Hopefully the starter died and not the engine.

19mm wrench on the alternator ? if you can turn it, you'll know if you are dealing with something seized up or not.

I'll try that too. That was my first thought tonight, but I'd only brought a socket and ratchet to reinstall the battery.

 

[Nick1994]

Good suggestions above. If none of that works, try to jump start it. Bad batteries can appear good but have no power.

Crawl under and whack the heck out of the starter too.

 

[ripcord]

Also, check the voltage while someone tries to start it. If the starter is getting juice when the key is turned, then the voltage should drop to around 9 or 10 volts. If it drops much below 9 volts, the battery is too weak.

 

[kc8adu]

Make sure the engine isn't locked up. I know it sound weird.....But I've had many vehicles come in on a hook with a supposed stater issue & the engine was seized. Though it makes more of a "Clunk" sound.

Aftermarket alarms are a PITA, Remove the drivers knee bolster panel & you'll see where the wiring is hacked to death by a 10 thumbed idiot.....Splice the big Yellow wire back together (It might be Purple depending on the model)

i see so many issues from aftermarket alarms that removing the dammed thing is the first step.
about 90% of intermittent stall/no starts are junk alarms.
i have even found dealer installed remote kill systems activated on paid off vehicles.
got a boxfull of those here.
10 thumbed idiot. ROFLOL!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Thanks everyone for all the replies!! I'm taking the battery with me this morning to have someone else check it. I'll begin checking all the possible causes you all have suggested I check.

 

[aquariuscsm]

One detail I just now remembered when cline brought up the aftermarket alarm issues, she'd said after it started shaking and died when she pulled into her driveway,the alarm started going off after she got it restarted. She backed it into the parking spot and turn off the engine, and had to pull the negative terminal on the battery to get it to turn off,and then that's when the truck sat for a week or so.

Can old aftermarket alarms keep vehicles from starting if they get issues?

 

[aquariuscsm]

i see so many issues from aftermarket alarms that removing the dammed thing is the first step.
about 90% of intermittent stall/no starts are junk alarms.
i have even found dealer installed remote kill systems activated on paid off vehicles.
got a boxfull of those here.
10 thumbed idiot. ROFLOL!

That was my very first thought when we put the battery back in last night, that the stupid old aftermarket alarm is somehow keeping it from starting.

 

[zzyzzx]

I have seen a locked up AC compressor stop a 5.7 dead in its tracks. Remove the belt and see it it starts

So have I. The clutch AND compressor were both locked up.

 

[Anduril]

Can old aftermarket alarms keep vehicles from starting if they get issues?

Yes. They will prevent the starter from engaging, just as appears to be the problem.