My truck won't start. Makes a clicking noise when you try to turn it over. The security light comes on for a few seconds when you first turn the key and i don't think it ususally comes on (i have never seen it before).

today, I got LED bulbs to replace the 6 incandescant bulbs in the dash underneath the guages. I had to plug in/unplug the wire harness at the top of the gauge cluster a few times checking to make sure the bulbs were in the correct way. i would turn the key on (not start) to test the lights, after a few times of doing this the security light flashed a few times. i took out the two center needles (Tach, Speedo)to remove the orange coating on them. i put them back on the exact wayi took them off. when i replugged the harness in for the last time, the needles all sweep across real fast and then return to where they should be. that is, all except for the fuel pressure gauge.

i am unsure if the dash lights have anything to do with the actual problem but i figured it would be best to include as many details as possilbe. the fuel pressure gauge doesnt move at all. when i turn the key to start, i can hear that noise the fuel pump makes. when you try to actually start it up, the lights across the top of the dash (SES, airbag, security, e-brake, seatbelt) flicker along with a clicking noise. at this point the lights behing the gauges arent lit up (not until you turn the lights on)

does anybody know what the problem could be? is this just a coincidence or could the non-start issue be related to switching out the lights? also, i havent searched for this yet but im going to do that as soon as i submit this post, but what causes the security light to come on and how do i get rid of it?

THANK YOU! for any help. my blazer is my only mode of transportation and im not sure what will happen if something serious is wrong with it.


EDIT: my searching has shown that the passlock/security thing will allow me to start the truck in 15 minutes and that this could possibly be the start of a faulty ignition switch. ill go test try again in just a few minutes so hopefully, it works

 

Have you checked the battery voltage?

 

havent checked the voltage but all the lights, stereo work and the gauge looks to be alright.

after retrying about 25 minutes later last night, it still didnt work, i used my cell phone to take a short video but for some reason my computer doesnt recognize the file type any more.

 

I would start off by hooking up a battery charger. Even if the battery is low, the rest of the items will work. If the battery is too low to turn the truck over, it will still have enough juice for the rest of the things to work. You might find that you had the interior lights on long enough to drain the battery down. And if the battery is 3 to 5 yrs old, it takes less time to drain it as the battery is already weakened. Avg. life of a batter is about 4 yrs even though I have seen some of the Older style ones last 10 yrs plus. They just don't build things to last like that any more.

 

Matt, I'm going to go with the bad battery idea. Here in Texas, a battery that makes it more than 5 years is a thing of wonder. Pull the battery and have somebody take you to AutoZone if you don't have a tester or charger so they can check it. If it is a dead duck, I recommend either AZ's Duralast Gold or Wal-Mart's top line battery since they are both made by Johnson Controls.

 

truck works fine now. it was the battery. i guess it wasnt as big of a problem as i thought it would be, i guess im just kind of paranoid and any little thing makes me worry.

the battery (interstate battery) is about 8 months old. im not sure what caused it to drain. the only light i had on were the lights in the dash. i hooked it up to a charger before i went to work this morning and let it charge all day.


my next problem is, i thought i put the dash needles back in correctly. at idle, the tach shows less than 0 rpm. usually its between 700 and 800. anybody know how to get the needles back in correctly? they're just stuck to a little pin. i suppose i could just pull the needles out and move them about 700 rpms higher but im sure theres a more "correct" way of doing it.

thanks for your help

 

Figured it was the battery. Can't help you with the gauge question, Matt, but I will give a heads up on that battery. If it drained completely down, it probably shortened its life expectancy considerably. Keep an eye on it because you will most likely be using the warranty at some point.

 

Glad you fixed the battery issue, now as for the guages what I would do is turn the truck off and take the needles off again then adjust them up a lil bit, this is why before you pull the needles off you have the truck idle and you write down were the needles are at!!

 

Even if the battery is only 8 mths in your truck, it can be on the shelf longer then that. So who knows. Look for the MFG date on it. That will let you know how old the battery really is.

You would be surprised at how much drain can be caused by lights from just inside the truck. Also look at how long you had it that way. I have seen brand new (shelf of less then 6 mths and in truck less then 2 mths) do the same thing. This is why when even having the hood up for more then an hour, I hookup the charger at 2 amp trickle to keep it full, even if I disconnect the light under the hood.

Glad it was just a low battery and nothing worse

 

see thats the thing, i only pulled off the speedo and tach needles. they have a little peg at 0 to stop them from going any further. the other needles can spin freely when you have the cluster out. i made sure to push the needles all the way to the peg and then pull straight out. i figured, without the weight of the needle, the inner pin probably wouldnt spin around. when i put them back on, i made sure to push them straight down next to the little peg. i dont really have any way of making sure the speedo needle is correct but when i first started it up and saw that i was idling at 0 rpm i knew i had done something wrong

as far as the battery, the dealer i bought my truck at (3.5 years ago) gave us a "fresh" interstate battery because the one that was in it was dead when we went to test drive it. i had a little problem with my brake pedal a year or two ago and sometimes, the pedal would stay down a little bit causing the taillights to stay on all day, draining the battery.this is actually my 4th interstate battery (all free) since i bought the truck.when itake it in and they cant recharge it, they just give me another one.

as much as i would like to spend the money on a nice Optima, if i keepup this dying-battery thing, i might be able to squeeze by without havingto spend moneyon a new one