92 mighty max won't start

My truck took a dump on me 3 days ago and I thought it was the battery so I got a new one, solved the problem for about 2 days then it turned off on me again. Had to put it in second and push start it to get home. So I took it to O'Reillys and they told me it was the alternator so I replaced it cranked it up and st struggled a bit, but it started! When it kicked over I heard a clunk ? I'm thinking it was the starter ? Anyway I turned it off then tried to turn it on again but it wouldn't. Anyone have any ideas what it could be besides the starter ?

Clunk could be the starter solenoid or the spring in the dog gear.
Do you have a multimeter to confirm the alternator is charging the battery?

When you say it won't go, is it turning over at all? Or is it turning over slowly, or is it turning g over but not starting.

Next check all your grounds, expecially the cables to the starter. These can corrode internally as well. You can Bench test the starter to see if it operates normally with good connections

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Originally Posted by tortron

Clunk could be the starter solenoid or the spring in the dog gear.
Do you have a multimeter to confirm the alternator is charging the battery?

When you say it won't go, is it turning over at all? Or is it turning over slowly, or is it turning g over but not starting.

Next check all your grounds, expecially the cables to the starter. These can corrode internally as well. You can Bench test the starter to see if it operates normally with good connections

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okay noted gonna check the starter solenoid whatever that is lol and the dog gear asap.

Multimeter, What's that ? No I don't think I do.

It does for like two tries and after that it just completely stops making any sounds.

Bench test ? Haha sorry man I'm new to all this

The clunk noise probably isn't the issue, just if the starter is slow you can hear them. If when you turn the key there's just a tick or clunk from the engine bay it's usually the starter solenoid making it. Sometimes they go bad.

The first thing you should do is remove the earth straps from the engine and starter and clean up the faces to shiny metal.
If you have some long jumper cables you can put power directly to the starter. I would also run the black jumper from the battery to the engine block near the starter.If it jumps to life it's ok and the issue is probably the power or earth leads

Yeah I don't think the clunk is the cause either cause I only heard it after the truck turned over. I checked all the wires and everything seems to be good so what I'm thinking is that it's probably the starter or the starter solenoid. I'm gonna replace those and charge up the battery see if that's the culprit. I'll check in as soon as I get this baby up and running again

Before spending money on parts you should whip the starter out and test it direct off the battery with some jumper leads (secure it in a vice or something cos it will jump all over the floor). If you do go grab a cheap multimeter (the one I use on cars was like $12 more than accurate enough for most auto work) you can test the resistance in the starter cables. (And use it in the future to test the battery and alternator).

You might even do well to get new earth cables if you want to give the truck a birthday. Go up to a thicker size and they turn over slot faster.

Parts are more expensive over here, so I'm deep in the mindset of testing and eliminating

I didn't have do do any of that thank God. I went got the battery charged up and it started up ! We're back in business. The only thing now is that clunk when I start it up. It sounds like it's coming from the engine

I didn't have do do any of that thank God. I went got the battery charged up and it started up ! We're back in business. The only thing now is that clunk when I start it up. It sounds like it's coming from the engine

Cool, get the battery checked while it's running to see if the alternator is charging.
Could be going flat overnight?
Could still be that the grounds are no good and it needs the full power of the battery to overcome it.

Good luck

I ran it for about 5 mind and it was fine. I think it was from the old alternator going out that's what drained the battery in the first place. I'm gonna crank it up ad drive it around town tomorrow to see if anything is off. Thanks man