after not running my truck for 8 days, i get in and start and all it does is click once and no start. the second try it starts right up with little hesitation to none. i figured the batteries were low. i drive 25 miles to work and let it sit for 2 days. i try to start again and it took me 5 trys to start it. it only makes a click noise once each time it won't start, but when it does finally turn over it sounds normal. could it be my starter??? thanks for any help. also, after it starts i re-start a few times to see if it will do it a again, and it won't. thanks.

still have the orginal batteries?

Starter solenoid?

You will need someone to help and test the Mag Switch to see if you are getting power to it consistently, if the starter doesn't activate then you need a mag switch. If the Mag switch is OK and the power goes threw the Mag switch and the starter is intermittent then you need a starter. First thing to do is to clean you battery cables and grounds Always start at the beginning PLAY SAFE!

mag switch?

Batteries Are Interstates Which Are 19 Months Old. The Terminals Are Clean. I Need To Check Grounds I Guess. If It Is The Solenoid Or Starter, How Hard Are They To Change Out? Also How Common Is This? Its Kind Of Odd That It Only Happened After I Let It Sit For 8 Days. Thanks

does seem odd, I have only had a couple starter failures on dmax's.

Anything is possible I suppose. Did the orginal batteries leak acid? May be corrosion build up in the cable itself.

No Leaks That I Remember, But I Should Check That Too. Is It Hard To Change Out The Starter? I Can Not Beleive How Expensive They Are.

Its not a great job, a little tight to work in. Some like to use a long extension to get to the bolts, but personally i have found using a wrench to break them free, the bolt can usually be spun out by hand pretty easily. Start with the bottom bolt first taking it all the way out, since its the hardest one to get fingers on, leaving the top bolt in holds the weight of the starter up.

What Is A Mag Switch?

thats what i wanted to know

Solenoid!:)

i realized that my voltage is around 7-8volts untill the truck runs for a minute. im going to test my batteries tomorrow. is there any specific way to do it being that are 2 batteries? should one be disconnected from the other as if they are run in parrallel, will one take power from the other? also is it possible that they ran low from sitting for 8 days and my 25 mile drive was not enough to re charge them? thanks for any advice.

I had the same problem when the truck was 1 1/2 years old . One battery didnt have a green ball showing but the dealer said that doesnt mean anything , i said the battery manufacture doesnt put them in for looks . anyway they didnt change the battery untill 2 more visits . After that i got a battery light on the dash cause of one new battery and one that was 1 1/2 years old as the truck knew there was an imbalance so dealer orders a new ipa . Well it took 2 1/2 weeks for the ipa to come in and by that time the batterys must have equalized as the battery indicator went off but the dealer changed the ipa anyway . I told him at the time he should change both battery's but what do i know so it cost gm lots more in the end . I will say it appears you have a bad solenoid or bad ignition switch . Rich

If you have a voltage reading of 8vdc you definitely have a problem.
If you follow these points it will help you troubleshoot the problem.
1. after you have been for a ½ hour drive or more, (batteries should be fully charged) park the truck for the next 18 hours.
2. let the engine idle after parking and place a voltmeter across either of the battery terminals (pos. and neg.) you should see between 13.6 vdc to 14.6 vdc. If you don’t, turn the voltmeter to AC (ALTERNATING CURRENT) if you see any ac voltage on the meter the alternator voltage regulator is defective. (one of the diodes is short circuiting)
3. next turn the engine off, place the voltmeter across either battery, you should see no less than 12.6vdc.
4. if you have less than 12.6vdc, this indicates that one or both of the batteries is not holding the charge or you have a defective battery cell.
5. disconnect the ground wire on each battery and then check the voltage on each of the batteries, you are looking for 12.6 volts. The defective battery will have less than 12.6 volts.
6. If both batteries have 12.6 vdc batteries are good.
7. Let truck sit for 8 to 12 hours with the grounds disconnected.
8. Repeat voltage check across batteries, again looking for 12.6vdc. If either battery has less voltage, then it is the defective battery (12.3vdc is the lowest acceptable reading).
9. If both batteries read 12.6vdc then there is a high resistance circuit in the truck wiring, which is draining the batteries.

good luck

drive safe

if i use a autoparts store type battery charger (advance autoparts rollout machine), do i need to seperate some connection between the two batteries to test them individually? also how much power will the factory alarm drain the batteries? this pretty much(8 days) the longest the truck has not been started in a while. i can't help but think that this has something to do with this problem. if it is one of the above electrical problems what kind of a pain is the fix? thanks for all the help.

Yes you have to separate them to test them-- only have to remove one cable from one of them. There is a constant drain on all vehicles, but the alarm and computers should not drain them down in 8 days -- if they are in good condition. :D