So, I went to leave for work and my truck turned over a little and then did no more. I thought "huh, dead battery" and put it on the charger. No result. Then I tried jumping it with my landlord's van. Also no result. The battery showed 12.5 V and 13.6 V when connected to the running van. I put the truck on the charger and took the already running van to work. When I got home I tried to start it and no result. I'm pretty sure it's not the battery at this point, which means it could be the clutch interlock switch, the solenoid, or the starter itself. I'm pretty sure it's the starter, but how do I rule out the other two before I drop the money on a new (rebuilt) one?
Smack the starter a bit and see if it "unsticks" the bendix drive? I had that sort of thing on my RS after it sat for X months, and a guy on reddit suggested that, sorted it right out. Probably not it at all, but figured it's worth a mention.
I maybe outdated as I've not worked on cars for over 20 years, having said that have you tried giving the starter motor a whack as sometimes they can become stuck/jammed and a gentle tap with a hammer can unstick them. Ninja edit: Boy I'm a slow typer.
Yup, I third the notion of firmly tapping the solenoid/starter with a metric adjuster (hammer or whatever you can get in there with).
You guys are both faster than me! I went out and tried it and there is a definite click from what I believe is the solenoid and the panel lights go out, which I would expect if the solenoid were working. I also tried it with and without the clutch in and no click with the clutch out which indicates it's not the interlock. I'll try banging on it with a hammer in the morning. Appreciate the suggestions!
Not that anyone cares, but it appears to have been the starter. Replaced said starter and it made engine noises. I did try banging on it with a hammer, but that did nothing and I couldn't manage more than a light tap. The engine on my pickup is small and the engine bay huge, but the starter is the one piece on the whole thing that is a pain to get at.
Guessing from what hes saying it did after the started was replaced. On hard to reach ones we used to have a metal rod rest it on the starter and use the manual adjustment stick to help reset the starter by applying it to the rod.
