Electrical issues

[Ipkyss]

Truck is a 2004 f350 140k miles. Picked it up in the spring as a winter beater/ plow truck. Its a nice truck, but has some rust and needed some issues fixed. Over the coarse of the summer I started it every few weeks fixing little issues. Brakes, driveshaft, u joints, exhaust, tune, batteries, ect. Finally started driving it a few days ago. Had a few times the starter would click, and not start. Pulled the starter out to find the previous owner over tightened the battery cable to the solenoid cracking the housing. The terminal literally fell off before I even got the socket on it. Put the new starter in and fired right up. Drove it around tonight with a few stops here and there. Everything was great.

So coming home tonight Abs light comes on. Then the trip meter goes blank, Radio shuts off, Shortly after all the gauges drop to nothing, dash lights go out. Parked it at the shop. Pulled the battery connections, all good. Both batteries fairly new and 11.9v while disconnected. All the lights, radio, dash currently working. Turn the key to start it, starter clicks and everything in the truck flashes like the battery is almost dead. I know its a connection or ground, I just don't know where to look. There were no electrical issues prior to changing the starter, but I cant find anything related to the starter that I touched, pulled, or moved. Gave up for the night

 

[Ipkyss]

Well figured I might as well update this. Batteries had 11.8v but when I load tested them today they dropped to 9v volts so they were actually dead. So basically I started the truck with no issue and it went dead in 5 minutes.

Had the same issue with another truck a few years back. Alt was discharging the batteries so much it actually melted the charge cable. Charged batteries, new alt. all seems good so far.