Sorry, What I meant was. I use a small halogen headlamp bulb and socket as a circuit tester. One wire is ground and the other is the hot lead. Chrysler training center had us make these to test wire circuit for bad wires. In other word, you can use a power probe to test the circuit as well as a test light. But how do you test a wire that may have a few good strands? The lamp will light bright is the circuit is good or not so bright and that lets you know the wire failed a load test.

 

Try this test again:


Put one test lead on the positive battery post. Put the other on the starter post (heavy cable). Read the voltage while you crank the engine. It just checks that one wire, nothing else.


If you show 11.7 volts at the battery when cranking you should still be showing almost that at the starter when cranking, not less than one volt.


The problem is the .25 volts you measured across the cable doesn't agree with what you're seeing when cranking. You should be reading about 10.8 volts on your meter, the difference between the 11.7 at the battery and the .865 volts you're measuring. Which looks like a bad cable.

 

I will try again tomorrow after work. I rolled the engine over a couple times by hand to make sure it wasn't seized.. I was getting worried... haha.

I really hope it is just that cable. This 4x4 truck currently has Spintech long tube headers installed and it's a nightmare wiggling around in there, 7-hours combined to remove/install the new starter.

 

Alright. I didn't have a second hand to crank while I held leads, but I tried on advice of a friend to turn the key to the run position and jump the solenoid and starter terminals which should force the starter to run.

Sparked on the solenoid stud, and nothing on the starter power stud.

Next step, pull the power cable?