u/DsrptvGames

Truck battery is good, alternator is good, TIPM is good, Starter Relay is good, neutral safety switch is good, key fob battery is good, literally everything on this truck is working as it should except for the center display of the instrument cluster (stopped working like a year and a half ago, pretty sure a solder connection broke loose), and the “START” position of the ignition switch.

All the electrics that are supposed to to come on when the key fob is in the “RUN” position.

Truck does start and run when I touch the starter relay contacts together to push power to the starter and starter solenoid.

Literally the only problem is that the ”START” position on the ignition switch doesn’t start the truck.

I’m assuming a bad “START” position in the ignition switch, the ignition module, or a wire between the ignition switch and the TIPM or starter relay.

If someone could confirm I’m looking in the right spot and offer any advice on diagnosing or repairing/replacing the possible bad parts, that’d be super.

Likewise, if I’m looking at the wrong parts, let me know where I should be looking.

I’m ready to start it on fire and push it in the river.

Allow me to preface by saying my wife has had the truck since before we met, so getting rid of it isn't up to me, unfortunately.

Over the course of the past 3 years or so, every few months the truck would refuse to start. No click, no crank. I'd have to crawl under the truck and wiggle the starter signal wire to get the truck to start. About a month ago, my wife had it refuse to start at the gas station. I figured same deal, I was incorrect. I jumped the starter relay off to get the truck home and parked it. Before it refused to start at the gas station we hadn't had any issues with the truck starter for probably 6 months or better.

Since then I've replaced the last 6-8 inches of the starter wire with new wire, heat-shrink solder connections and a new female spade connector, as well as cleaned up the male spade on the starter itself, because the spades were pretty nasty and with the wiggle I used to have to do I figured it was either a short in the wire or contact failure on the spades. Truck still won't start with the key.

Keyfob still has battery power, so I don't think it's an RFID issue (I hope).

The truck will start if I jump the starter relay in the fuse box, and it ran for 45min after I did an oil and coolant change two days ago.

I'm not particularly well versed in the starter circuit territory, so if anyone has any ideas on where I should be looking, that'd be super.