starting(battery) probs

This should be an easy problem to solve, but....
I have had hard,slow cranking starting problems lately.
Especially when it's dark and the Automatic headlights
come on as soon as you turn the key.
Always when the car has sat for awhile. Battery is a 4 year old
DieHArd. My charger said it was low, so I brought it to Sears for a new one. Their tester said it had 12.8 volts and 556 cranking amps.
The Alternator is also about a month old.

Could their tester be false (I myself doubt it) or could my starter
be drawing too much power?

I cleaned the battery terminals and checked all connections.

Any ideas?

This should be an easy problem to solve, but....
I have had hard,slow cranking starting problems lately.
Especially when it's dark and the Automatic headlights
come on as soon as you turn the key.
Always when the car has sat for awhile. Battery is a 4 year old
DieHArd. My charger said it was low, so I brought it to Sears for a new one. Their tester said it had 12.8 volts and 556 cranking amps.
The Alternator is also about a month old.

Could their tester be false (I myself doubt it) or could my starter
be drawing too much power?

I cleaned the battery terminals and checked all connections.

Any ideas?

Hook the battery charger up to it and charge it up.

Sounds like a pretty common problem with the new style smaller starters. Seems like they will work a long time even when they get slow. Not a cheap item to replace either. That's about the only thing that could cause this I believe.

Hook the battery charger up to it and charge it up.


I'll try that again.
I charged it up the other week overnight.

I'll try that again.
I charged it up the other week overnight.

When you hook up the charger, does it show that the battery is drawing amps?

It's a cheap Sears charger that reads % charge.
It was on the 10 amp setting and read 50%.

Here's another piece of info. MY check engine light has been on. I know my air pump is toast.
I changed it out yesterday and the check light was still on. I went to Auto zome and got 2 codes.
P1416 and P1345. (1345 may be from my intake manifold gasket project last month. I had
typical distributor install probs.)
Should I post a new thread on these Codes?
This may be my real problem....

It's a cheap Sears charger that reads % charge.
It was on the 10 amp setting and read 50%.

Here's another piece of info. MY check engine light has been on. I know my air pump is toast.
I changed it out yesterday and the check light was still on. I went to Auto zome and got 2 codes.
P1416 and P1345. (1345 may be from my intake manifold gasket project last month. I had
typical distributor install probs.)
Should I post a new thread on these Codes?
This may be my real problem....

Well, your battery is definitely low if it is only at 50% charge. Let the battery charge up.

Let's focus on one problem right now instead of complicating things by adding more issues.

Let's work to get this fixed first before we continue.

O.k good advice. I'll put the battery on the charger
tonight. Then report back Monday.

I guess I'm jumpy cause my car is due for inspection this month and I'm splitting my time between problems.

O.k good advice. I'll put the battery on the charger
tonight. Then report back Monday.

I guess I'm jumpy cause my car is due for inspection this month and I'm splitting my time between problems.

Also, start the truck up and hook a voltmeter up to the battery and see what the alternator charging voltage is.

I feel like an idiot.
The Battery is now better than 50%. closer to 90%
drawing 4 amps, if I am ready the gauge right.

This morning I did go through and clean all the connections at the block and the big 175 amp fuse
under the battery shelf.

I'll still leave it on tonight and see what happens Monday.

I feel like an idiot.
The Battery is now better than 50%. closer to 90%
drawing 4 amps, if I am ready the gauge right.

This morning I did go through and clean all the connections at the block and the big 175 amp fuse
under the battery shelf.

I'll still leave it on tonight and see what happens Monday.

You have to keep on charging it until it is only drawing an amp or so.

Also, do NOT leave a manual charger on over night like that.

You will ruin the battery.

Thanks, I'll unplug it before I turn in.

One other question, does disconnecting the battery
for 10 minute+ always erase all troubles codes?

It should.

I always pull the ecm fuse and the backup fuse in the fuse panel as well.

I charged up the battery last night. It started at
a 4 amp pull and it was down to 1 when I took it off.
The blazer turned over normal, both this morning and after work. I still need to measure voltage when the trucks running. Need the meter we have at work.
I still have the codes P1345 which from reading past post, I know what to do.
But the P1416? can this be the vaccum solenoid near the Air Pump. Air pump fuse is not blown.

P1345: Crankshaft/Camshaft Correlation
DTC P1416 Secondary Air Injection (AIR) System Bank 2

While cranking the engine, it doesn't sometimes come to an abrupt stop, and then start cranking again, does it? Does it ever "kick-back" while trying to start?

I think my battery is all set, 13.5 volts alone
and 14.8 volts while the blazer is running.
I will check it in a few days to make sure it's stable.

To fix P1416. I was going to replace the vaccume
soleniod and inspect the check valve and the diaphram valve that the solenoid controls.

Does this sound good or should I be focusing on the passenger side O2 sensor?

I think my battery is all set, 13.5 volts alone
and 14.8 volts while the blazer is running.
I will check it in a few days to make sure it's stable.

To fix P1416. I was going to replace the vaccume
soleniod and inspect the check valve and the diaphram valve that the solenoid controls.

Does this sound good or should I be focusing on the passenger side O2 sensor?

Does any of the codes have anything to do with the O2 sensor?

The code is for the air pump.