The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Turn Key - no cranking - all gauges go to 0

I'm going to jump in here, if the gauges are still going to zero when you hit the starter, then you still have a connection problem.

If the battery voltage is staying the same and the gauges go to zero, that's a pretty good sign a connection some where is bad. Since you've cleaned the ground straps, another place to look might be the connection on the starter. Perhaps the connection there is what is bad.

Get in at dusk, turn the head lights on, then hit the starter. If they black out, not just dim a bit, then you still have a connection problem with the cables or the power into the amp meter.

Also, sometimes you can find this bad connection by having some one try to crank the truck at night while you watch under the hood. Should see a spark when the connection gives out due to the starter load.

There's also a chance you have a bad battery cable going to the starter.