Truck failing to start periodically

LucaGP

New Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
1
Location
United States
Car(s)
99' Ford Ranger
99' Ford Ranger
142k miles

Hello all, first let me say that if you are reading this I truly appreciate your time.

My truck occasionally will not start. I can hear the engine cranking when I turn the key and my check engine light will flick on and off (the check engine light is never on when it does run). This has happened three times in the last couple of months. The first time my cousin left the truck for a day, came back with jumper cables, but turned the key and had a strong start without using cables. The second time I had someone jump the vehicle and was fine. The third time, has me stuck where I am typing this. I do not have anywhere I need to go so I will try again in several hours just to see what happens.

The battery is a little over a year old. When it first happened I went to two separate auto stores who claimed that both the battery and alternator were fine after testing.

4/5 times the start is immediate and strong
1/5 times the start takes a couple of seconds
Occasionally no start at all, just the rr-rrrr-rrr noise of engine turning over.

I dont really know what could be the culprit behind a parasitic draw, as the 99' Ranger does not have many bells and whistles on it. But I suppose that will be the first thing I will look into when I can get it to a mechanic.

Does anyone have any input?
 
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