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02 Silverado won't start = no power

Wicked70

By Wicked70
in Ask A GM Technician

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Wicked70 New Member

Wicked70

Posted
Posted

I have an 02 silverado. I just went out to start it. Here is the sequence of events. Got home from work about 2 hours ago with it. (no prob). I just went out to start it now. I open the door and the interior lights come on. I shut the door and try to start the truck. The starter never engauges but all the interior lights go out and now there is nothing (I mean nothing) no interior lights, no power anywhere. There is a clicking from the fuse panel that sounds like a flasher or relay breaking points. I felt around in there to see if I could feel what was clicking but couldn't feel anything. I open the hood and got out my multimeter. I tested the battery and it was showing 1.5-3 volts. I throw the charger on and that didn't change anything so I took the - cable off and tested the battery again and it shows 12.5 volts. That's when I came in to get some advise. What do you think?

plainvanilla Enthusiast

plainvanilla

Posted
Posted
I have an 02 silverado. I just went out to start it. Here is the sequence of events. Got home from work about 2 hours ago with it. (no prob). I just went out to start it now. I open the door and the interior lights come on. I shut the door and try to start the truck. The starter never engauges but all the interior lights go out and now there is nothing (I mean nothing) no interior lights, no power anywhere. There is a clicking from the fuse panel that sounds like a flasher or relay breaking points. I felt around in there to see if I could feel what was clicking but couldn't feel anything. I open the hood and got out my multimeter. I tested the battery and it was showing 1.5-3 volts. I throw the charger on and that didn't change anything so I took the - cable off and tested the battery again and it shows 12.5 volts. That's when I came in to get some advise. What do you think?

 

 

 

A mulit meter can only show voltage and can't load test the battery.

It sounds to me like your battery, if it is factory it is now 4 years old, is shorting out. A battery can have enough volts to run interior lights and not enough amps to engage the starter.

 

Pull the battery, take it somewhere and have a load test done, like AutoZone or Advance will test it for free. If the battery is weak it still should take a charge on low amps like 2 to 10.

 

Good luck.

Wicked70 New Member

Wicked70

Posted
  • Author
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The battery is about 4 months old. It hasn't even started slow. I have no interior lights or anything. The interior lights worked when I got in. I hit the key and everything whet dark and I can hear the clicking in the fuse panel area on the side of the dash.

plainvanilla Enthusiast

plainvanilla

Posted
Posted
The battery is about 4 months old.  It hasn't even started slow.  I have no interior lights or anything.  The interior lights worked when I got in.  I hit the key and everything whet dark and I can hear the clicking in the fuse panel area on the side of the dash.

 

 

 

 

Don't be too concerned about that sound. There are motors under the dash that work the blend doors on the HVAC and also relays that click with power.

 

I would pull the battery post off and reinstall them snuggly. sometimes they can be making contact but not good enough to get the ground. You can also have a broken terminal up inside the battery causing a short. Do you have another GM battery to switch out with? I still really don't think you have a problem with the wiring, like a fuse link burnt, but you never know. Check the battery connections, should be a 5/16th.

GM-Tech Senior Enthusiast

GM-Tech

Posted
Posted

I also wouldn't be concerned about the clicking. There are relays and assorted items you may not normally hear when the vehicle starts and runs okay.

 

As mentioned, it takes very little power to run lights and accessories but TONS more to start the vehicle. Total loss of power when/after attempting to start is classic sign of a poor connection.

DanMan_S Enthusiast

DanMan_S

Posted
Posted

I had a similar problem on my 98 sierra. Turned out that the battery cables actually came off the battery posts! Surprised me since I had just tightened and checked them when putting a new battery on not too long before.

  • 2 weeks later...
mikethehammer Enthusiast

mikethehammer

Posted
Posted
I had a similar problem on my 98 sierra.  Turned out that the battery cables actually came off the battery posts!  Surprised me since I had just tightened and checked them when putting a new battery on not too long before.

 

 

 

 

dude i had the same prob last nite, battery cable and battery was fine, what the hell

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