97 Sierra No Crank

[Scfdbc9]

Good morning, I humbly come to you with what I hope is a simple fix for my first post.
97 5.7. Sat for longest time with a dead “clunk” on the starter when key was turned over. Pulled battery and alternator and both were confirmed good, installed a new starter and it fired off 1st crank…. But then clunked on 2nd crank. Replaced negative terminal bolt because there was a slight play in cable…. Fired off all day long after that, prob 10-15 times. Came out this AM and gave it one more shot and it hit dead again.
When it was running yesterday it would initially show around 14 volts on dash but would settle down around 11-12 at idle.
Any ideas?

 

[movietvet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

How was the battery confirmed good? Was it put on a trickle charge for 3 to 4 hours and then load tested? How old is the battery? How was the alternator tested?

 

[Scfdbc9]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

How was the battery confirmed good? Was it put on a trickle charge for 3 to 4 hours and then load tested? How old is the battery? How was the alternator tested?

Both battery and alternator were tested at O Reillys. Battery is less than a year old

 

[movietvet]

So, you have no idea how the battery was tested? How long did the truck sit before this problem?

The new starter install and then cranked and started on first attempt and then would not crank on 2nd attempt, points to a battery or connection problem.

Have yet to hear you say if battery was ever charged and for how long, except for however the engine was running and assuming the alternator and regulator are working properly.

 

[Scfdbc9]

O Reillys checked it with hand held unit, not sure the correct term for that.
Truck has sat in my shop for years with these symptoms.
Battery was charged overnight last night and produced dead crank this AM.

 

[movietvet]

So, the old battery sat for years and then a new battery was put in about a year ago and then it sat for close to a year? I am assuming, I hate doing that, the 1 year old battery was installed and the start attempt was tried, the engine would not crank and then you just gave up. The "hand held" that O'Reilly's used was likely a load tester.

I never trust testing equipment and who is using it, with components that I would bring in. I want to test the component in the vehicle.

What happens if you charge the battery in the vehicle, trickle charge for 3-4 hours, and then attempt to start?

 

[Scfdbc9]

Same result. Dead clunk on the starter.

 

[Scfdbc9]

Pretty sure I’ve had the same result when trying to jump it as well. Memory is foggy if it was this truck or my sons.

 

[Keeper]

If it were me, and I was satisfied that my battery, alternator and starter were good, I'd be swapping out the cables and cleaning up the connections.

 

[Scfdbc9]

If it were me, and I was satisfied that my battery, alternator and starter were good, I'd be swapping out the cables and cleaning up the connections.

Connections for grounds?