Are you actually in the seat?
The seat switch has to see a person. Sit down properly rather than leaning across from the side. On older machines this switch wears out and starts needing your full weight in the right spot.
Troubleshooting
Forklift Will Not Start
Half of these calls end before the truck leaves the yard.
Before you assume the worst, work through the checks below in order. A good share of no start calls come down to something in the seat, the tank, or a connection, and you can clear those yourself in a few minutes.
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Start Here
A forklift that will not crank and one that cranks but will not run are two different problems.
That distinction matters more than anything else you can tell a tech. If the starter does not turn at all, you are looking at power, a connection, or a safety interlock. If it cranks but never catches, you are looking at fuel, ignition or air. Sorting which one it is takes five seconds and rules out half the possibilities.
Forklifts also have more ways to refuse to start than a car does, and most of them are deliberate. Seat switches, direction levers, parking brakes and battery disconnects all exist to keep the machine from moving when nobody is properly in control of it. When one of those is out of position, or its switch has worn out, the machine behaves exactly like something expensive has failed.
Work through the list below before calling. If none of it explains what you are seeing, call 843-920-6959 and tell us which of the two cases you have, because that is where any real diagnosis starts.
Work Through These
Check these before you call anyone.
In order, cheapest and most common first. Do all of this with the forks down, the parking brake on, and the machine somewhere it cannot roll.
Is the direction lever in neutral?
A forklift will not start in forward or reverse. Move it to neutral, then try again. If it only starts when you jiggle the lever, the neutral safety switch is on its way out.
Is the parking brake set?
Many machines require the parking brake applied before they will crank. Set it firmly, not halfway.
Is the battery disconnect on and the battery charged?
Find the disconnect and check it is fully engaged. Then look at the terminals. Corrosion, a loose clamp, or a ground strap that has rusted through will produce a dead click or nothing at all.
Is there fuel, and is the LP valve open?
An LP tank can feel heavy and still be out of usable gas. Check the valve is fully open and the coupling is properly seated. On diesel and gasoline, look at the gauge and then look in the tank, because gauges lie.
Did it sit for a long stretch?
A machine parked for a season has stale fuel, a discharged battery, and dried seals all at once. If it ran fine when parked and will not start now, time is the most likely culprit rather than any single failure.
If it will not crank at all
Silence or a single click when you turn the key points at power or at an interlock. Start with the battery disconnect and the terminals, because a loose or corroded connection produces exactly these symptoms and costs nothing to rule out.
If the battery and connections are good, the interlocks are next: seat switch, neutral safety switch, parking brake switch, and on some machines a hood or compartment switch. These fail more often than starters do, and they fail in a way that looks total.
A starter that spins but does not engage, or clicks hard without turning, is a different fault and does need a tech. So does a machine that blows a fuse as soon as the key is turned. Do not keep cranking a machine that is not catching, because you will flatten the battery and add a second problem to the first.
If it cranks but will not run
Now you are looking at fuel, spark, or air. On LP, the most common causes are an empty or partly closed tank, a coupling that is not seated, or a regulator that has failed. On diesel, stale fuel, a clogged filter, water in the fuel, or air in the lines. On gasoline, stale fuel and ignition.
If it fires briefly and dies, that usually means it is getting some fuel but not enough, or it is getting fuel and losing spark once the key returns from the start position. Both are worth mentioning on the phone because they narrow things considerably.
A machine that starts fine when warm but not when cold, or the other way around, is telling you something specific. Note which it is. That detail alone often decides where a tech starts looking.
What not to do
Do not keep cranking. Ten seconds at a time with a rest between is the limit before you start cooking the starter and draining the battery.
Do not jump start an electric forklift from a vehicle, and be careful jumping any forklift. The voltages and the wiring are not always what you expect, and a mistake here damages controllers that cost more than the repair you were avoiding.
Do not start swapping parts on a guess. A no start with two possible causes becomes a no start with two possible causes and a new part in it, and you have learned nothing.
A Few Straight Answers
No start questions
Still nothing after the checks above? Call and tell us whether it cranks.
Call 843-920-6959My forklift clicks once and does nothing. What is that?
Usually power. A discharged battery, a loose or corroded terminal, a bad ground strap, or a disconnect that is not fully engaged. Occasionally a failing starter solenoid. Check every connection before assuming anything has failed.
It only starts sometimes. Is that still worth a call?
Yes, and it is easier to find while it is still intermittent. Worn interlock switches, a corroded connection, and a failing ignition switch all start out occasional and end up permanent. Tell us what you were doing on the times it refused.
The LP tank feels full but it will not run.
A tank can hold liquid and still not deliver usable gas, and tanks can be filled with the wrong valve orientation. Check the valve is fully open, the coupling is properly seated, and try a known good tank if you have one.
It sat all winter and now it is dead. Where do I start?
Battery first, fuel second. A battery left discharged for months may not recover, and fuel that has sat goes off and takes the filters with it. Tell us how long it sat and whether it was indoors.
Can I jump start a forklift?
Be careful. Forklift electrical systems are not car electrical systems, and a mistake can take out a controller. Never jump an electric lift truck from a vehicle. If you are not certain, call first.
How much of this can you sort out over the phone?
More than you would think. Interlocks, disconnects, empty tanks and flat batteries account for a lot of no start calls, and we would rather tell you than send a truck for it.
It will not start and it is blocking the dock. Can you come out tonight?
Call 843-920-6959. Emergency calls are answered 24/7. Say straight away that it is blocking work.
Still Will Not Start
Tell us whether it cranks.
Call 843-920-6959 with the make, model and what happens when you turn the key.