88 7.3 IDI Slow start with fast battery drain and heat

A couple of days ago i went to start my truck after work and found I made the rookie mistake of leaving the lights on and killed my batteries completely. Since then truck has a slow crank but drains the batteries faster then normal and creates a lot of heat (enough to make jumper cables start to glow). The truck already has the gear reduced starter which is still not too old and has worked great up to this point. My first thoughts were either a bad starter/solenoid, corroded cables, or bad batteries. I replaced the battery cables in hopes that better flow would help but it still sucks way to much power and even makes the vehicle jumping it start to bog down. Next I was going to get a new starter solenoid but don't want to keep throwing money at it in hopes it will fix the problem. Any ideas on what could be the problem?

You have a short in the starting system. Check the starter for zero or low ohm. OR have the parts store check it out.

Have any idea where the short could be? I tested the starter and it doesn’t have any resistance. I replaced the batteries and now the starter engages as soon as there is power. I have gone through three different solenoids. I even bypassed the solenoid and checked the starter straight from the battery.

You wrote "it doesn’t have any resistance" that means zero ohms or a short. The starter is your problem.

You may have the above problems....
but if you completely drain the Batteries,
best to put your battery Charger on them
to get them totally charged to what ever
level of charge they will take, depending on
their age.

If you do need a Starter, the Power Master 9050
Is a good one. Made in the U.S.A.
They are around $225.00.


Goat