No Crank No Start Issues On A 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 HD

This cherry-red GMC Sierra rolled into my shop with some major electrical problems. The customer reported no crank or start issues and that the dome lights wouldn’t turn on when the doors were open. The dashboard lights also did not turn on when the key was turned in the ignition. Could this truck just need a new battery?

First, I connected a jump box to the battery, and the truck started up right away. Using a multimeter, I started by testing the voltage at the battery. Charging voltage was 12.93 V. This reading was fine, so it was time to test the alternator.

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The voltage at the alternator read 14.63, marking a 1.7-volt drop between the two, meaning that this was most likely not an alternator issue. It was time to look for a damaged or loose connection. There was slight damage to the positive cable between the alternator and the battery due to built-up corrosion.

I hooked the negative lead of my multimeter to the positive post of the alternator with an alligator clip and connected a probe tip to the positive post of the battery. The voltage drop was only 0.5 volts, which was not drastic enough to cause a problem.

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Next, I connected my negative multimeter lead to the alternator case and the positive lead to the negative battery post. The voltage drop was 1.7 volts. I then moved the positive lead to the negative battery terminal and got a voltage drop of 0.5V. I moved the probe back to the negative post, and again, I saw a 1.7-volt drop.

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As it turns out, this whole problem was caused by a poor connection between the negative battery post and the terminal end of the ground cable. After installing a new, OEM negative battery cable and replacing the five-year-old battery, this truck was back up and running, good as new!

Bonus Tip

Do not assume that testing at the battery is correct and then use it to diagnose a bad alternator. Also, when testing the battery voltage, touch the terminal ends and the posts themselves. A poor connection can lead you in circles if you always test at one or the other. Best to test both since it only takes a few seconds.

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