Blowing resister

[wthatchsr]

s66 D100 318 Sweptline
Truck had been starting and running good; no issues.
Then I came out to start the old girl and I got a 'click', a thud from under the hood, then nothing.
I had no lights, no wipers, no hazards.
checked battery and got 12.74 volts.
switched ballast. Lights back and hazards working, wiper working.
Tried again and got a big click sound then nothing.
Have traced and checked all wires visually and all looks good.
SO
1. How do I check if starter relay is bad?
2. Could starter Solinode be problem?
3. Since ballast is being blown could anything downstream be causing problem.

??

[712edf]

Ballast resistor, good or bad, won't cause a no crank condition like you appear to be experiencing.
First thing to check is BOTH battery connections. And I mean more than just visually. Take them off & clean where they connect to the battery terminals. Same for at starter relay & at starter if necessary. More than half the time a poor connection is the cause of the click-silence no crank issue.
A weak or dead battery is next on my list.
If cleaning the cables doesn't work & you're sure the battery is up to snuff then I would try jumping across the relay or the solenoid. Other things to check are ignition switch, bulkhead connections, fuses & NSS wiring.

Bucky

[martincom]

You can check/bypass the starter relay by shorting the stud to the 1/4 hex head terminal with a screwdriver.

To add a few more things to Bucky's checklist:

If your battery cable clamps have been replaced with those universal clamp on the wire type, check for corrosion between the wire and the clamp. Often you don't see it with a simple visual inspection.

On the starter, check the tightness of the stud back nut. Often they loosen over time and the stud will have a loose connection to the armature.