My 2001 Blazer stopped starting on me a few days ago. The battery and the alternator check good. I disconnected the starter and tried starting and it appears to be doing its job (the gear teeth even look good). Any ideas?
Ignition coil maybe? Where and what wires can I connect a voltmeter to troubleshoot? Any help would be appreciated.

 

So obviously its not even turning over because the starter isnt doing anything? Test the battery, they can go very fast. Mine sure did. Starter good? Do a direct feed from the battery to the starter to make sure its good.

 

So let me get things straight here... Does the engine turn over when you attempt to start it, but it just does not fire...?

 

It seems that I may have jumped the gun a bit on my original description. Tonight I gave my Blazer a jump with the wife's minivan (which has become my primary vehicle.......can't wait to get my Blazer back) and it started up after a few minutes. I left it running and drove it around the block a few times, I noticed a whining sound and the dash and clock had a slight flicker. I shut it off after about an hour and tried to restart it......nothing. It seems as though my battery is being drained almost instantly. I assumed that the battery that I just purchused was good but, maybe not. I plan on taking my battery back to Wal-Mart tomorrow to get it tested. Any thoughts from anyone?

 

BTW, thanks for the previous help. Sorry, I led all astray.

 

Well how do you know its the battery? On your dash what are you getting for volts. I just went through a situation you went through. Although in my situation the alternator died and so did my battery eventually.

 

I really don't know if the battery is at fault or not. I guess I'll find out tonight when I take it to Wal-Mart and have them test it. I already pulled my alternator and had it tested at an auto parts store and it was fine. I'm hoping that the battery is bad because I have no clue what's going on and I miss my Blazer.

 

Verify continuity of Fusable link 'S153' which should be on the wire between the alternator and the 175A Battery Mega(R) Fuse, which is located "In the lower RH of the radiator support, below the battery."

This will look like a piece of wire that is spliced into the normal wire. If they are blown there may be a little bulge on the insulation. The manual is unclear as to if it is shrouded in split loom.

 

I checked the fusable link and it was good; lost a screw bracket thing-a-ma-jig in the process and it dropped down in a place where unless I dismantle the whole front end, it's gone forever.........just my luck. I didn't get a chance to take my battery back to Wal-mart, my work keep me late again. I am still hoping that the battery is to blame, because I have no idea what else it could be. BTW, tried to jump start again after checking the fusable link and cleaning the connectons but, not a thing....so, now I can't even jump it. Stumped!

 

I should note that batteries should be checked with a load on the battery, not just a voltmeter. Turn the head lights on and see how the voltage drops. It has been my experience that if a battery is 5 years old that you should just replace it. Also there is the risk of blowing the diodes in the alternator if trying to charge a dead battery, a phenomemnon comonly known as 'Alternator Death', supposedly batteries must be charged to 12.6V or it can happen. So you may want to check the alternator again after you get the battery replaced.

Also you may want to verify how well the engine is grounded to the chassis. Put an ohm meter from the engine to the battery negitave terminal. If it is over like 0.5 ohms you may have a problem there.