Why wont this bloody truck start

Asked by Dana Feb 18, 2020 at 08:49 AM about the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab 4WD

Question type: General

OK so we have a 2001 chevy silverado( my Husbands favorite automobile of all time evadentally)5.3l, 4wd,     4L60e transmission
Transmission messed up the middle of last year and it has been parked since,
We replaced the transmission , replaced the starter, alternator, Battery etc
Truck will not start from the key, can cross the solenoid and it cranks.
OK  everyone is gonna say Neutral safety switch on the tranny, Done changed it.
Now here is the kicker...someone explain this
It will not start from the key, all dash lights are on and reading, the  key bell is dinging away...nothing
However, if you open the hood, remove the cover of the fuse box and wiggle the Starter relay...the truck will crank....
I know...where is the short...We have checked wires , fuses, grounds etc etc and can find nothing wrong, so why is the bloody truck still not starting?
Have a good mechanic working on it, and spoke to other mechanics about it, our mechanic spoke to other mechanics, noone can figure this one out.
So any help would be appreciated

1 Answer

103,415

Have you checked voltage at starter with key on? If wiggling relay causes voltage to drop then you know you have a bad relay, wire harness, or connector somewhere. The problem may even be in the ignition module or switch. Corrosion in older vehicles can wreak havok on electrical systems. Open up your fuse boxes, remove all the fuses and relays, and look at the back plane of the box, they can rust out from the back making intermittent shorts and opens with the fuses. Any wiring near the exhaust headers should be inspected, as they can become brittle from the heat. All connectors on the wire harness, same thing, inspect and test. May even want to test ECM & ignition modules. I know this is generic advice, but it's impossible to give you specifics without being able to look at the vehicle.

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