'96 Chevy K1500 keeps blowing the ignition fuse when I try to star

[jim535]

My K1500 was having this weird problem. I would turn the key and ... nothing. No starter motor noise, no engine turning over - nothing. I would turn the key again, and again nothing. After several attempts at turning the key, finally it's as if the starter motor decided to get out of bed and go to work. The starter motor engages and the truck started right up.

 

So I changed the battery, thinking it was a weak battery. Did the same thing. I called my mechanic. He said to put a battery booster on it. I did that and the starter motor engaged on the first key turn and the engine took off, no problem.

 

I took it to my mechanic, who replaced the starter motor. It was fine for the rest of the summer (this first started happening last winter).

 

Now it's started doing it again. I've been putting the battery booster on it to get the starter motor to engage. Until this last time. The ignition fuse blew with the battery booster on it. I replaced the fuse. The new fuse blew. I took the battery booster off, put in a new fuse ... and the ignition fuse blew again, just on the battery power.

 

Any thoughts on what might be the cause, and the solution? Right now I can't get the starter motor (which is new, keep in mind) to engage to even turn over the engine.

[8.1HD/ALLISON]

Check and clean all battery cable connections. Then going to need a wiring diagram and start tracing wires. Check for any continuity to ground and trace power flow for that fuse and circuit.