92 explorer wont start

[jakegator]

Help! So i got in my car today and it started fine, went to drive down the road and it drove (barely shifting as usual). I forgot to close the rear window so i pulled over shut it then tried to start it and it wouldnt crank. Im in the process of doing a auto to manual swap and this morning i added a clutch pedal, only the pedal no electrical. Im assuming this didnt cause anything to go wrong since it started fine at first. This is exactly what happens when you start it, you here the proper servos and fuel pump, the check engine light comes on, and thats it. Also when the key is in the on position the gauges work and some of the alert lights come on, however the 4 way light wont work now. So if anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

ps. I tried starting it in Park and neutral niether make a difference.

 

[arco777]

If you turn the key to START and the starter motor doesn't engage, check your battery, battery connections, solenoid, starter, and starter connections. A multimeter is your friend when trying to determine where the power is stopping.

One thing you can try is turning the key to ON, then jump the solenoid by momentarily bridging the two posts. Obviously, don't do this with a manual trans unless it's in Neutral. This will spark so use a crummy screwdriver or wrench that you don't mind damaging. If the starter engages when you jump the solenoid, then you have an clue that your problem is between the ignition switch and the solenoid. If jumping the solenoid does nothing, look at your connections to the solenoid and starter, and the starter itself.

 

[jakegator]

OK i tried that and nothing happened, does that eliminate any switches associated witht he brake pedal? Early today i added the clutch pedal and to do so had to remove the brake. Could I have bumped something in there?

 

[arco777]

The Explorer doesn't require the brake to be pressed to start, though it does want the auto trans in neutral or park.

If nothing happens when you jump the solenoid, check if the solenoid is getting power. If it is, see if the starter is getting power when you turn the key to START. You can even try manually powering the starter with jumper cables (carefully) or remove it and bench test it.

Sometimes connections fray or come loose over time. I have had starter connections fray down to a few strands of wire and it would only occasionally make a good enough connection to start. Another time on a car I bought recently, the starter seemed very weak in general and was sometimes too weak to turn over the engine. Turned out the starter's ground cable wasn't even attached, and was dangling against the side of the starter - it was barely grounding the starter's housing enough to pass a little current to run the starter.

 

[awood]

Have someone try to start it and check for voltage at the small wire on the fender mounted relay. If there is voltage there, then all that stuff (including the triple function switch and clutch switch if installed), is good. Then I'd suspect something wrong in the starter circuit.

A fairly easy check you can do is the "Voltage Drop" test to isolate your wiring and components on either the "+" side or the "-" side of the battery. Grab your meter, turn the dial setting where it will read 12v across the battery, and begin the test. First, read your battery. 12.6 volts (at rest) is fully charged. Anything less than, say, 12.2 or so (at rest) may indicate battery problems. If it drops below 10.5 during cranking, suspect a bad battery. Next (and this may sound weird), put the red meter lead on the positive battery terminal, and the black lead on the battery side of the relay (on the fender). Try to start. If you have a voltage reading of more than 0.5 volts DURING CRANKING, your battery cable is bad. Next, try the same thing between the battery "+" and the lug on the starter itself. You'll have to remove the plastic cover on the starter lug. You may also need to make an extension wire for your meter to reach that far. Again, if you have more than 0.5 volts DURING CRANKING, then that cable is bad. Do the same thing between the "-" post of the battery to the engine block. Again, if you have more than 0.5 volts DURING CRANKING, the negative cable is bad. If that is all good, (and you've already jumped the fender mounted relay with a screwdriver), then your starter is bad. Here's a link to a great article about voltage drop testing:
http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/com...cleCategories/Electrical/DiagnoseVoltDrop.htm