I'll try to lay out the history of the problem is as brief form as possible:

-About 6 months ago, once in a while, the truck wouldn't start. This was sometimes on a cold start, other times immediately after a shut down. I was able to push start it a couple of times. Each time, the dash lights would light up, but it wouldn't start. Almost as if the clutch pedal wasn't depressed.

-Last fall, I didn't drive the truck for a couple of weeks, and when I came back the battery was dead. I tried to push start it on a hill. No luck, it woudln't start. I jumped it, and got it started, but it took FOREVER to jump it. I ran the truck for an hour, and when I was done, it started up weakly. The next day, it was totally dead again.

-Thinking the battery was dead, I tried jumping it again. Nothing. So I replaced the battery (which was only about 3 years old). Put the new battery in, dash lights come on, turn the key and get one of two sounds:
1. A very faint "click"
2. A rapid fire ratchet sound, as if you held onto a socket and spun the socket handle around.

-At the suggestion of someone on the board, I assumed the new battery wasn't fully charged. I borrowed the neigbor's jump starter battery. I hooked it up and still got the same sounds as ususal.

-Thinking the starter was shot, I pulled it out yesterday. I took it into Autozone. They tested it, and it was fine. The starter gear extended and it sounded normal.

-I cleaned the battery termials, and replaced the wire termials. I scrubbed all the termial connections with a wire brush. When I checked the electrical system, I had no connection. No dash lights, nothing.

So, before I climb under the truck in the snow again to put the starter back in, does anyone have any idea of what I should look at here?

Oh, just to add other known issues with the truck, just in case:
The 2.8 is about dead. The rings are shot. It still runs, and runs strong.
The clutch is getting old, but it doesn't slip
The clutch slave cylinder is pretty torn up, but hasn't caused any problems.

Joel-

You seem to have the right idea on what to check, but I would suggest looking at the ground wire from the battery and the positive wire to the starter. You can have clean terminals, but very bad wires. At the age of your vehicle and your current symptoms it seems like the starter is just not getting the required juice.

Good Luck,
Michael

Thanks Michael.

If there is one thing I hate when working on cars, it's electrical work. I'm ->| |<- this close to just donating it and buying something new.

Right now, you should be hating snow, not wires. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Don't worry, if the cables are the problem, it is an easy fix.

Good Luck,
Michael

This is the voice of very unpleasant experience...take a really good, hard look at the connection terminal and wires that feed into the solenoid engagement plug on the starter. Everything can look great, you can have a new battery, starter, cables, everything, and if that feed that actually tells the starter to kick isn't right, you're not gonna start. That terminal end is part of the wiring harness, not the battery cables, and SOME of us overlook it for a long time while charging, jumping, replacing, etc. when we really didn't need to...

Just a thought based on several frustrating weeks I once spent... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Robert

Hunter - thanks, noted.
Michael - we only got about 8", it was nothing. My aunt/uncle in CT had 25" midday Sunday.

I had a similiar problem with my trooper. The problem turned out to be a bad clutch switch, I just ran a jumper across the plug and its been fine since.