Sorry but this will be long. Bought a 2000 Dakota last week. The truck sat for appx 1.5 yrs. I expected little stuff, no worries. Today I ran errands and started and stopped the truck at least 8 times no problem. The last stop I locked the truck from the drivers door and when I came out I got the selinoid click on the starter then nothing. I figured a dead battery. Nope. Full charge. No lights, buzzers or anything in the cab. Ignition key is as if the battery isn't hooked up at all. I have power to both fuse panels. I have tested each fuse in the bus and have power on both sides of the fuse. I have replaced the motor to body ground and removed, cleaned and replaced the battery to body ground. I have power on both sides of the 140 amp alt fuse. WTF. Please help. Not sure where to look now.

 

Do you hear the starter relay click, not the solenoid, but the relay in the PDC?

Manual or auto? Could be the clutch switch or the neutral safety. Try starting it in neutral.

 

a lot of stuff on dodges goes through the ignition switch. ie air conditioning.

 

Ok it's an automatic. It is the dead battery rapid click of the selinoid. And there is no electrical at all when I turn the key. Thanks

 

Put a meter on the battery and have a friend turn the key. What happens to the voltage? Where checking for voltage drop.

How are all the battery connections? The cables can corrode internally and appear to be intact.

 

Thank you everyone. Turned out to be a bad ground strap.