Jan Scott

@ DeePa - Thank you--so I don't feel like I'm losing my marbles because the junction box seems to be the peanut that allows me to start my truck! @ SupremePizza - Thanks for the suspension test suggestions and the photos. It made me laugh to see the photos you sent. I'm also slightly comforted to hear your opinion that everyone is screwed equally at dealerships--I still feel like an easier mark, unfortunately. "Duh" on my part for not including in my original post.: As others have mentioned in their similar stories: the dash, lights and radio all come on as normal until the key is turned to the start position. I turn the key to the 2nd position and then everything goes off/black. Taking out the key and trying again--no dice. As I mentioned in the original post, I open the hood, tap on the junction box of the battery and jiggle some of the wires near the battery. Voila--the truck then starts. No readily apparent rhyme or reason for the truck to suddenly start, but likely not a good approach for ensuring that the truck will start 100% of the time.... Based on numerous earlier posts on this website about the "fix" being replacing the starter with associated positive and negative battery cables replaced as well, I'm really tempted to go that route.

Thanks--I was hoping I could edit my original post but..... I'll do as you recommend

duh on my part for not including in my original post. As others have mentioned in their similar stories: the dash, lights and radio all come on as normal until the key is turned to the start position. I turn the key to the 2nd position and then everything goes off/black. Taking out the key and trying again--no dice. As I mentioned in the original post, I open the hood, tap on the junction box of the battery and jiggle some of the wires near the battery. Voila--the truck then starts. No readily apparent rhyme or reason for the truck to suddenly start, but likely not a good approach for ensuring that the truck will start 100% of the time....

Symptoms: (1) Driver’s side window sometimes (infrequent) will not stop going up and down when I want it to just go up or just go down--until you hold the up button position for several seconds--then it's ok; (2) Mystery pinging/chimes while driving with no warning light illuminated on dash (infrequent—no consistent conditions and no known cause or issue) (3) Intermittent starting issues. Tapping on the battery junction box and jiggling battery wires seems to solve the problem so truck starts. Intermittent starting issues don’t appear to be related to driving weather, humidity, ambient temps where truck is stored, or number of miles driven. When truck finally starts, system resets as if a new battery was just installed (e.g., clock changes time). Status: New battery was just installed by dealership when I took truck in for routine oil change. Mechanic said battery was dead and truck wouldn’t start (yeah—probably the same intermittent starting problem I had been experiencing but forgot to tell them about--I also neglected to ask them if they actually checked the battery cells to see if the battery was indeed "dead"). Old battery had not been giving me issues relative to being “dead” although I did have a few start issues, so I never thought there was a battery problem. So the battery does not seem to be the root cause since the start issues are still happening even with a new one installed. I’m afraid the dealership will ream me for checking everything and insisting that I buy 5 new parts in the hopes that one of them will “fix” the issue. As a female, I'm already at a disadvantage for being lied to (it's happened in the past). Things to Check?: Starter? Starter solenoid? Wires to the starter? Water infiltrating negative battery cable and rotting it out? Replace both the positive and negative side battery cables? I checked the fuses including relay and all appeared to be ok. Would a bad junction box be something to check? Worried to even drive the truck at this point for fear it won't start even with my tinkering with it in a parking lot. Found these things to check on another blog--maybe get these things checked? Blown 57 or 62 fuse in underhood fuse box; damaged wires or bad ground connections to various switches (e.g., P/N switch; IMS; TCM); bad switches... If I go to an auto repair place, can I ask them to check specific things or do I have to be at their mercy for checking everything and them guessing but telling me something has to be replaced--based on their guess?