Truck not starting please help?

(2012-01-17 15:20:14)

1. Joe Says: Been having trouble getting my truck started. For a while I was noticing that I had a bad connection to my battery and nothing electrical would turn on. Cleaning the terminals restored power inside the truck and later I tightened the connections and everything was fine for a few months. Today the same thing happened, no power inside the truck, cleaned the terminals and tightened the connections power was restored to the inside but still would not start. Even tried jumping the vehicle but all it did was make a rapid clicking noise. Meter on the dash said there was enough juice when I was trying to jump it. Had the relay replaced a while back and recently a new starter. What is wrong? I have a 97 Dakota V6 4X4 manual transmission

2. bandit_60 Says: how are the ends on the battery cables ? if they are getting bad then cut them off, go to auto zone and get 2 replacement ends. it sounds like those ends are just making contact part of the time. how old is the battery ? it could be tired or has a weak cell in it. go ahead right now and replace the ends. if that don,t help then it looks like you need a new battery. by the way the alternator don,t start your car. all it does is keep the battery charged while your driving.

3. bobweb Says: Replace any standard lead acid battery over 4 years old. Don't even bother to have it tested. If you haven't replaced your battery in the last 4 years, your starter motor may not have been bad! Also, an alternator may fail under the excess load of charging an old battery that won't hold a charge.

If your battery is new or "known good" by having had it load tested, then measure the voltage across the battery WHILE the engine is cranking over. It must be greater than 9.6 Volts to power the fuel pump, computers and other critical sensors etc in modern vehicles. Do you have a "no crank" or a "cranks ok, but won't start"?

http://www.samarins.com/diagnose/index.html

4. boater Says: Follow the battery cables to check both ends of them. Positive all the way to the starter and negative to the block. They can corrode and make poor contact at either end.

5. spazz Says: Battery is what it sounds like to me. You did not mention getting a new battery. I have had a battery go so bad that it did the same thing