alright, so today i gave her a jump, didnt start. tested the volts at the battery and alternator, off postion at the battery was 12.3, off at the alt was 12.2, on at the battery was 14.5, on at the alt was 14.5. still wouldnt cut on. so i came back tonight thinking maybe im a dumb *** and its out of gas, so i put some gas in. when i tried to start it, it was barely turning over. like struggling just to turn. so now im thinking battery is dead and/fuel pump is done, starter is done or maybe even the fuel filter is clogged. my cousin said it might even be the rotor on the distributor cap. guys im at a loss for words. HELP!

 

Barely wanting to turn over sounds like a dead or drained battery.

Might need to bring out a battery that is known to be good and see if the truck will start with a fresh battery.

Need to have your current battery load tested. (Not quite the same thing but the battery on my riding mower always tests at "acceptable" voltages, but it can't turn the motor over itself, I always have to jump it off with another battery.)

 

yeah a dead battery makes sense and maybe this mornign when i jumped her, was outta gas, so now its got gas maybe a jump will work. man i dont know. but thanks for your comment buddy

 

It would seem to me either the battery is toast or the alternator crapped out which drained the battery.

If the battery is drained enough (even if the voltage looks good) it may not start with a jump.

 

how do i figure out which is defective?

 

If you can take a good battery out and see what it does that may give you the answer.

2nd option is to have either the battery load tested or the alternator tested, most auto parts stores will do this for free, the battery is easier to get out for testing purposes than the alternator.

I'm sure there's an easier way to test the alternator, but I'm not sure how to go about that...

If it were my truck I'd start with the battery.

If the vehicle you're using to drive out to your truck has a battery that will work in your truck you could swap them, shouldn't leave you stranded to try a start or two...

 

alright ill give that a try tomorrow. thanks allot man

 

Stewie01 is on the right track. Start off with a known good, AND CHARGED, battery. Check voltage on battery before trying to start so you have a reference point (should be around 13 volts). Starter should spin like you're use to. If it doesn't you probably have a starter issue, along with whatever else is acting up.

Now if the truck starts, check your voltage again like you did. You should see between 13.8 and 14.8 volts with it running (This kind of depends on how discharged the battery is). If the reading after starting is the same or lower, or 14.9 volts or higher, then alternator is bad.

Definetly have your current battery tested. If possible make sure it is fully charged when you take it in. A battery with a low charge will give false readings, and some countermen just don't understand that concept (or understand it too well... IE- low battery= bad test= "Hey, you need a new battery because this one tested bad.").

Best of luck and please keep us posted.

 

im taking my battery to an advanced auto parts tomorrow for testing/charging. go from there. i will keep you posted buddy. thanks for all the help

 

If the battery is dead, it will automatically fail any test. Needs to be fully charged first.