[madpogue]

Check it in stages. Do you experience the hot positive:
* Whenever the batteries are connected
* Key in the RUN postion
* Key in the START position

Answers to the above will narrow down the suspect list.

 

[madpogue]

Whenever I turn the key, I just get a click like the batteries are dead and they're brand new.

"Turn the key" doesn't tell us much. This happens when you turn the key to RUN, or to START? Makes a BIG difference.

Have you tried turning the engine by hand?

Is the click from near the starter relay, or near the starter? (Yeah, hard to tell from the cab; you may need an assistant to narrow it down.)

 

[madpogue]

^^^^^ +1; classic bad main power connection scenario.

Actually, if connections are good now, you have to narrow down whether it's the relay, the starter, or a locked-up engine. The wires still getting hot suggest one of the latter two.

 

[madpogue]

Did you try turning the engine by hand yet?

 

[madpogue]

If it's extremely low, obviously yes. But it would have to be nearly absent from the dipstick for it to be that low. And if you're getting smoke, you're getting injection.

 

[madpogue]

I voltage drop tested the glow plug relay just now and I'm getting over 12 volts with key off then about .35 volts once the key is turned to run.

On which terminal(s)?

I know my ICP sensor and camshaft position sensor are new.

What brand? "New" is not equivalent to "good".

I don't know much about it but do any of you think it might be the IPR?

Do you have a Windows laptop/tablet/netbook? If not, do you have an Android device?

 

[madpogue]

Okay, choices:

Laptop - get a $20-ish USB ELM327 device from Amazon (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N18TOFB/ should work) and the FREE ForScan tool - What's new . Should work pretty-much out of the box.

Android phone - get a Bluetooth ELM327 device (sorry, no clue what will work), and the CarGauge Pro and Torque Pro apps (gotta pay $$ for the PRO versions). Then check out the thread in the OBS PSD section on "the Nation", something like "Torque App for Android", it's a sticky thread. A gazillion posts about how to configure it, program in the PIDs for the OBS.

Any serious level of ongoing DIY maintenance on these trucks, even if it means troubleshooting to the point where you know what's wrong BEFORE you take it to a shop (and hopefully save $$$ in the process), requires some form of digital communication. Without it, one incident that might involve a part/sensor that you do/don't need can get REAL expensive REAL fast.

 

[madpogue]

There's another PSD forum known as "the Nation" (I don't think we're supposed to reference other forums by name here....). In their OBS PSD section, there's a sticky thread on the subject of Torque Pro for OBS. Looooong thread.

Re. AE, TBH, I don't use mine anymore. I bought it years ago, older version, a couple minor bugs (menus don't work with the keyboard, for example). They told me it'd be fixed in a later version. That entailed an upgrade cost, and now it looks like the ELM device the originally sold me won't work with the new version, so even more $$$ to upgrade. I found out about ForScan on one of the forums, got a more generic USB device (see above), and it works fine for me. I still have AE, it probably has some features ForScan doesn't have, but so far I haven't needed it.

 

[madpogue]

If it's connected to your phone, it's probably an ELM327, whatever brand it is.

 

[madpogue]

Check that thread. The app does require some tweaking to get it to communicate with our trucks.

 

[madpogue]

What adapter isn't powering up? The one you plug into the truck? Or one connected to the phone? If the device plugged into the truck isn't powering up, check fuses. I wanna say it's the same fuse as the lighter / power point and/or the dome light. But check the owner's manual; I'm going from memory.....

 

[madpogue]

Old oil can obviously make it run BAD, by poorly firing the injectors. Can't say I've ever heard of one completely fail to run on account of old oil. But as a rule, if you can't say when the oil's been changed, it's waaay overdue. So even if it's not the root _cause_ of your no-start, it may very well be a contributing _factor_. Unfortunately, you'll have to change it cold, which means you might consider changing it again once you get it running.

You also said the oil is really low, right? So yeah, just change it, even cold, just to get something fresh in there.

And as said, check fuses.

 

[madpogue]

That isn't a "battery light". The battery is just an icon. It's a charging system failure warning light. Tells you when the charging system is not charging the battery. Well, when the engine isn't running, the charging system is not charging the battery. The light won't go out until the engine runs fast enough for the alternator to start charging the battery. IOW, don't worry about it until you get the truck running.

Sounds like you're now having cranking problems. Have you load tested the batteries? Are you keeping them on a charger between the attempted starts? It could be that your voltage is dropping to the point where the PCM will not fire the injectors, even when the starter is cranking the engine. Or it could just be weak connections at the batteries or the grounds.

Elaborate on the clicking. Is it just one click as you turn the key? Is it repeating? If so, how frequently? Does it click with the key in the RUN position, or only in the START position? This _MIGHT_ also be an indicator of a main power/voltage issue, weak connections. etc.

Keep trying other options with Forscan and/or Torque Pro. At the very least, if you can get one of them to report on RPM, it might be informative to see how fast the engine is cranking with the starter.