Dakota 5.9 odd ground issue starter relay clicks but won't crank.

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YY1

YY1

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My 2000 R/T was fine until I shut it off at the shop a few days a go.
When I went to leave it just clicked.
I swapped the battery with a known good one and it still just clicked.

A couple of years ago, something similar happened, and it turned out to be the ground cable between the body and the back of the block/head.
I replaced that with a heavy gauge lug to lug battery cable between the compressor bracket (where one of the ground cables from the battery goes), to the lug on the firewall where that bad cable attaches.
That resolved the issue.

This time, I jumped that with jumper cables, but still just clicks.

Finally, I used the jumper cables to jump from the starter bolt directly to the negative battery terminal, and it started.
The starter was slow and the jumper cable got hot.

After I had it n the shop, I checked continuity between the body lug, the compressor bracket and the battery terminal.
All beeped, and then I Ohmed them out and all showed .01.

What's my next move here?
Am I missing a ground cable somewhere that could have failed?
Why did my heavy gauge jumper cable get hot between the starter case and the battery?
 
The relay may click, but that doesn't mean it's passing current. Check it. Then check the wire from the relay down to the starter.
All good?
Bum starter.
 
Thanks, but then why would it start with a direct ground to the battery from the starter case?

...and the history of ground issues...

It was working fine earlier that day, just like it did the first time a ground failed.

Today, I'm cleaning the ground connections real good and looking to see if there are any others I'm not aware of or any hidden splices.

I'm guessing the starter will spin/test fine off the vehicle...just like last time.

I appreciate any further input.
 
I guess if giving it more ground helped you might be right about a ground issue. But you might check current draw if you have an amp clamp. Higher than 250amps would indicate the starter is the issue. Or you could do a voltage drop test on your cables and see if you're losing voltage to one of the cables or it's connections.
 
Sounds to me like you found it. The battery ground cable should go direct from the battery to BLOCK.

But some vehicles are a "trick." One of my old Rangers did this very thing, and that ground cable went down with a "T tap" fitting inline in the cable to ground at the frame, then continued to the block. Turns out it had corroded internally there at that T tap--which or course had let road splash in over the years.
 
I think I got it.

That battery cable I installed last time to replace the strap from back of head to body lug was about 3 inches too short.
That's why it went to the compressor mount along with the - battery cable, which used to go to the top stud of the power steering bracket behind the water pump nipple tube (THANKS Mopar).

My temporary fix worked so well, I just left it.
Something must have happened to the connection on the compressor mount.
(Is that bracket aluminum?)

This time, I put the - battery cable back to the power steering stud, but moved the body lug cable to the fuse box, on top of the other - neg battery cable.

Fired right up and starter spun real fast.

There still has to be a splice somewhere for the - battery cable to end up in two places.

Thanks for everyone's input.
 
YY1 said:
I think I got it.

That battery cable I installed last time to replace the strap from back of head to body lug was about 3 inches too short.
That's why it went to the compressor mount along with the - battery cable, which used to go to the top stud of the power steering bracket behind the water pump nipple tube (THANKS Mopar).

My temporary fix worked so well, I just left it.
Something must have happened to the connection on the compressor mount.
(Is that bracket aluminum?)

This time, I put the - battery cable back to the power steering stud, but moved the body lug cable to the fuse box, on top of the other - neg battery cable.

Fired right up and starter spun real fast.

There still has to be a splice somewhere for the - battery cable to end up in two places.

Thanks for everyone's input.
Click to expand...

You do have heavy gauge cable from the battery negative to the block, right?
Hope I’m not just asking a stupid question, but I have seen guys burn up a speedo cable by using body grounds only.
 
^^This here, I will repeat. The MAIN ground from the battery neg should from the batt to the BLOCK. Anything else grounding the body should from (ideal) batt to body or block to body
 
#6 IIRC but could be #4.

Factory cable from batt to PS bracket (original location, but now lower bolt instead of upper).

#6 or 4 aftermarket battery cable from body lug to fuse box.

I don't have a cable from the body lug to the block or head any more as that's the one that failed initially.
It was MUCH thinner gauge.
 
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