Shot and elk (see this is hunting related), parked the truck outside in the 10 degree weather with the quarters in the back overnight. A day or two later, I go to start it and it won't turn over. I figure the battery is dead. Take the old battery to walfart, they test it, they say it's fine, I begrudgingly buy another battery, because I was pretty convinced that was the issue. Get home, put the new battery in, I can hear the electrical system kick on right way, think we're good to go, get in it, everything lights up, but it won't even begin to turn over. It did the same thing with the old battery.
Message on the dash that says service 4wd. Guess walfart may not be as crooked as I thought.
Thoughts on what to check next?
Probably also worth mentioning that it hasn't gone into 4 low for awhile.
The remote to unlock the doors also doesn't work.
It's almost the new battery has been sitting on the shelf for too long and is dead, but I tested it and it reads 12.6V. When you turn the key on, the whole electrical system lags and doesn't behave normally. It says stabilitrak off, traction control off, service 4wd when you first turn it on.
11/20/23 Update 1 - finally had a chance to mess with the truck. I pulled the starter relay in the fusebox, and hotwired it - the starter turns over. Starter isn't the issue.
There are four "plugs" and "sockets" on the relay, in my uneducated terms. Two of them which you use to bypass it to hotwire it and two which the system normally operates on. One of the normal plug sockets give me 11.3V with an electrical tester. The other normal plug socket gives me a resistance reading, indicating that there is no short in that wire.
I've just been going around the vehicle and checking and cleaning ground connections.
The dash lights are now acting a little weirder - when I first turn the key on, only a few dash lights come on. If I turn it off and then back on, everything will light up similar to how I mentioned above with the traction control and four wheel drive messages. At first I had to turn it off once and turn it back on for it to light up and now I'm having to turn it on and off twice for it to light up on the third time.
Don't know if that helps anyone, but I figured I'd give you all some more info!
11/20/23 Update 2 - I tried connecting the negative battery terminal to the frame to ground it out and it makes no difference.
I checked the fuel pump fuse and it is good. I swapped relays for the fuel pump and Run/crank. No luck.
11/21/23 Update 1 - I checked a few of the grounds on the vehicle and none are in the least bit corroded. Nevertheless, I wire brushed them with a baking soda solution, dried them, and applied Vaseline before reassembly. I don't think it is the grounds. The truck frame hardly has any rust on it - it's been in MT all it's life and not exposed to salt.
I rented a code reader from Autozone - the computer isn't throwing any codes.
I'm going to order a new key from the dealership. A mechanic friend suggested this, along with you guys, so that seems like an easy route for $60. I'll keep you updated when I finally (lord willing) figure it out!
The remote start also might be worth looking into.
11/22/23 Update:
I checked the negative battery cable where it connects to the frame, below the radiator and it is not pinched.
There is no fuse on the positive battery cable, which could have failed.
1/5/24 Update:
-There is a recall for water entering under the drivers seat corroding the airbag control module. This doesn't appear to be an issue - signs of water were not observed.
-Might also be worth mentioning that the rear window hasn't worked for some time.
1/25/24 Update:
Finally got the truck up and running. I broke down and took it somewhere - it was a good move, as I don't think I would have figured it out on my own without some serious legwork.
Turns out the the Body Control Module was bad. Never heard of it. A real mechanic was able to figure it out in a couple hours.
Hopefully this thread helps out somebody in the future.
Thank you all for your help!
Message on the dash that says service 4wd. Guess walfart may not be as crooked as I thought.
Thoughts on what to check next?
Probably also worth mentioning that it hasn't gone into 4 low for awhile.
The remote to unlock the doors also doesn't work.
It's almost the new battery has been sitting on the shelf for too long and is dead, but I tested it and it reads 12.6V. When you turn the key on, the whole electrical system lags and doesn't behave normally. It says stabilitrak off, traction control off, service 4wd when you first turn it on.
11/20/23 Update 1 - finally had a chance to mess with the truck. I pulled the starter relay in the fusebox, and hotwired it - the starter turns over. Starter isn't the issue.
There are four "plugs" and "sockets" on the relay, in my uneducated terms. Two of them which you use to bypass it to hotwire it and two which the system normally operates on. One of the normal plug sockets give me 11.3V with an electrical tester. The other normal plug socket gives me a resistance reading, indicating that there is no short in that wire.
I've just been going around the vehicle and checking and cleaning ground connections.
The dash lights are now acting a little weirder - when I first turn the key on, only a few dash lights come on. If I turn it off and then back on, everything will light up similar to how I mentioned above with the traction control and four wheel drive messages. At first I had to turn it off once and turn it back on for it to light up and now I'm having to turn it on and off twice for it to light up on the third time.
Don't know if that helps anyone, but I figured I'd give you all some more info!
11/20/23 Update 2 - I tried connecting the negative battery terminal to the frame to ground it out and it makes no difference.
I checked the fuel pump fuse and it is good. I swapped relays for the fuel pump and Run/crank. No luck.
11/21/23 Update 1 - I checked a few of the grounds on the vehicle and none are in the least bit corroded. Nevertheless, I wire brushed them with a baking soda solution, dried them, and applied Vaseline before reassembly. I don't think it is the grounds. The truck frame hardly has any rust on it - it's been in MT all it's life and not exposed to salt.
I rented a code reader from Autozone - the computer isn't throwing any codes.
I'm going to order a new key from the dealership. A mechanic friend suggested this, along with you guys, so that seems like an easy route for $60. I'll keep you updated when I finally (lord willing) figure it out!
The remote start also might be worth looking into.
11/22/23 Update:
I checked the negative battery cable where it connects to the frame, below the radiator and it is not pinched.
There is no fuse on the positive battery cable, which could have failed.
1/5/24 Update:
-There is a recall for water entering under the drivers seat corroding the airbag control module. This doesn't appear to be an issue - signs of water were not observed.
-Might also be worth mentioning that the rear window hasn't worked for some time.
1/25/24 Update:
Finally got the truck up and running. I broke down and took it somewhere - it was a good move, as I don't think I would have figured it out on my own without some serious legwork.
Turns out the the Body Control Module was bad. Never heard of it. A real mechanic was able to figure it out in a couple hours.
Hopefully this thread helps out somebody in the future.
Thank you all for your help!
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