Starter problem, cured?

[mannasugar]

I got my new brushes for my starter today. The starter cranked the engine over with a lot of power. The truck still does not start with the key. I drove 8 miles and the radio and heater fan were starving for power. When I turned down the heater fan, the stereo volume went up. The truck started to spit and sputter and died.

When I went to restart the truck the starter would not crank the engine over. I used a sparer battery cable wire to jump from the positive side of the battery to the starter relay on the fender. The starter makes a clicking noise, but does not turn the engine over.

The interior light is now on and will not go off. The check engine light is now on.

When I push started the truck it started. I could not keep it running. I push started it again and still I could not keep it running.

Where should I start tracing the wires?

[mannasugar]

The Oxygen sensor is disconnected.

Will the oxygen sensor being disconnected cause the above problems?

[Selectron]

Sounds like the battery is flat, and needs to be recharged. After it's been charged and reinstalled, take note of what happens to the battery warning lamp (charge indicator) next time you start the engine - that should extinguish once the engine is running. Sounds like you might have a charging problem though, so don't be surprised if it stays lit. You won't be able to diagnose anything until the battery is charged, so make that a priority. The oxygen sensor won't be involved in this.

[mannasugar]

If it is a flat battery, why will the truck not stay running? Why would the interior light stay on? Will a flat battery cause the "check engine light" to be lit?

[Selectron]

The reason why I said it's a flat battery is because the radio and heater were getting weaker, then when you turned down the heater fan, that freed up a little current to power the radio, so the volume went back up again. However, I don't think the vehicle is charging, so meanwhile, the truck's ignition system, electronic control units etc. were constantly draining the (already flat) battery as you were driving, until it reached a critically low voltage where the electronic control units shut down, and the engine finally stopped - you were taking current out of the battery but the charging system was not putting any current back in.

The truck's electrical system is designed to work on a nominal voltage of 12.6V, rising to 14.4V or thereabouts with the engine running at anything above idle. Right now I reckon your battery voltage is way below the 12.6V nominal, and as a result it won't be surprising if you get odd symptoms, because there won't be sufficient voltage to power the vehicle's control systems, relays etc.

Really, I think the battery is flat and you won't make any progress until it's been recharged.

[goretex]

If it is a new truck, the pcm and other computers wont wake up if battery voltage is under 10.6 volts. if you have a dvom or just a regular volt meter you can do an at home charging system test. i could tell you how to do it if you are interested

[mannasugar]

Goretex, thank you for your response!

I believe the battery is fully charged, but that does not mean the pcm and other computers is receiving 12 volts.

I am going to do some tests today and see what I come up with.

[mannasugar]

My truck is a 92 F-150

[mannasugar]

If the battery is flat, What would cause the battery to completely drain after driving 8 miles? Because when I started the truck it had plenty of cranking power.

[Rasp]

Possibly your alternater??? Thats what I would look at.

[rockwood84]

your alternator isn't charging the battery gets drained and the truck dies.the alternator sounds like it needs some brushes too.