1998 Mountaineer will not start

[inpatfan]

I have a 1998 Mountaineer. It ran fine yesterday. When I went to start it today all I got was a "clicking" sound from the dash area. I at first thought it might be a battery issue, so I placed a charger on it. After a short time I tried to start it again and had the same result. After removing the key I noticed the interior lights weren't on and I was hearing a "click" from the brake pedal area. I pressed the brake and it stopped. I released and it came back. For some reason I pressed the Hazard button and they didn't come on, but I got a "buzzing" sound. I giggled the switch a bit and the hazards came on and the buzz stopped. I then turned the key and received the same "clicking" from the dash. After trying to start, the interior lights again didn't come on. If I leave the vehicle alone for a bit the interior lights sometimes come on. There is some corrosion on the terminals and I will clean that as soon as the sun gets a bit higher in the sky. Any help would be great.

 

[swashbuckler]

If it's a repeated clicking, it's not coming from the dash, it's coming from the relay in the power dist box under your hood, and means the relay itself is probably good. If you've got at least 12.5 volts from the battery, then the battery is probably good. Next look to the starter solenoid, and then the starter. If you're lucky, the solenoid will be on the firewall, and you can easily check to see if you're getting 12 volts through the solenoid when you turn the key (you'll need a helper, and a multimeter). If you're unlucky, like me, the solenoid is integrated with the starter down on the bell housing and accessing the wires on top of it to check the voltage is pretty near impossible.

And that's as far as I've gotten - see my "starter solenoid?" thread.

 

[inpatfan]

I went out and tried to see where exactly the sound was coming from and noticed that I am getting a click from the dash are and the interior lights come on and go off right along with the click. At about the rate a turn signal would happen.

 

[99SportX]

I would start with removing and cleaning the terminals. When things get corroded, real weird stuff can happen due to large voltage drops.

 

[inpatfan]

Also, when I turn the key I noticed the tach goes up to 2k. Have never seen that before.

 

[inpatfan]

If the door is open the interior light flashes at the same time as the theft light. Same thing happens with door closed and light turned on.

 

[corkey]

it has a bad connection at the battery, or the battery is way down, not enough to power all the lights and such,
charge it , clean the terminals and try again,,

 

[inpatfan]

I cleaned the terminals and then replaced the negative cable end. Charged the battery to 100% and then the interior light worked like normal. When I turned the key, same clicking in the dash. I also noticed that when I turn the key the Theft light flashes rapidly. Anyone have any thoughts on my next step?

 

[mountaineerbeast]

Sounds like the anti-theft relay is having issues. I've heard that it's a common problem. I would say that you should take the starter off and have it tested at autozone or something. It also sounds like you may not have enough power going to the starter solenoid.

 

[inpatfan]

Would the starter or selenoid cause the other problems I'm having? If I try operating the rear wiper, I get a clicking/buzzing sound from the rear of the vehicle. If I trip the power locks, I get a clicking/buzzing sound from the rear of the vehicle after the doors lock/unlock but before the rear end lock/unlock trips. Along with the things I mentioned before. Also, noticed the speedometer rose to 30mph and the tach went to 2k when I tried setting the charger to the "Jump-start" function.

 

[99SportX]

I would make sure there is a clean connection at the power distribution box as well. The main battery red + cable goes through a large fuse right there. Make sure that is not corroded as well. So many things are acting up at once that it seems like it is something related to the main cables.

This is the box right next to the brake booster or brake fluid reservoir (drivers side, near firewall). You can open the main door to access the fuses, but there is also a small hinged cover that will expose the large fuse (50A?). Check those terminals for corrosion.

I once got stranded in the woods at a cabin in winter because of corrosion on the starter solenoid terminals down at the starter. Nothing funky was happening like you mention, but when the key was turned to start, everything just quit and there was a click. All I had to do to fix it (after freezing my bum off) was just remove the nuts, cables, clean the connections with emery cloth and reassemble. It started right up. I have also had this happen with my V8, right after the engine swap Same procedure to fix.