Intermittent No Crank/No Click/No Start

[LifePilgrim]

Earlier this year I bought a 2005 Ford Explorer 4.0/V6/2-wheel-drive with upwards of 200k miles (maybe about 170k or so). In very short order I discovered that the vehicle would sometimes not start upon turning the key. When the issue presents itself NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENS: the starter neither turns nor clicks. However, the radio, lights, windows all work just fine.

Sometimes we may go days or weeks without an instance of this problem; other times it almost never wants to start on the first try. Sometimes opening and closing a door seems to fix the problem.

So far... The starter and alternator have been replaced. The battery has been tested good. All fuses are good. The neutral safety switch and the shifter cable have been replaced. (My mechanic told me that the shifter cable was split which he noticed when replacing the neutral safety switch. Boy was that expensive!)

Someone on this site pointed out a Ford TSB dated 6-9-14 which identified the problem as "an open circuit in the starter relay to starter motor circuit at the starter motor connection." Ford recommended installing their "new starter terminal wiring pigtail kit". Anyhow, I order that part from Ford Motor Company and had it installed. For a full day I thought the problem was fixed. But yesterday the problem repeated itself again, semi-severely.

I've also noticed that sometimes my turn signal freezes while flashing (at least on the dashboard). Also, while driving down the road there is an intermittent (but sometimes constant) clicking that can be heard from somewhere in the dash area. I have no idea if any of these things are related.

Well you grand band of Explorer aficionados what thoughts have you about this issue. (Thanks in advance!)

 

[LifePilgrim]

*Bump*

 

[pet575]

First place I'd check would be the cables running to the starter. I had mine rot internally a few years back and I didn't know it. Looked just fine but started whenever it felt like it.

 

[thunder92]

First place I'd check would be the cables running to the starter. I had mine rot internally a few years back and I didn't know it. Looked just fine but started whenever it felt like it.

sounds like a good idea. Its possible the starter itself is bad or was installed wrong too. Unless theres another electrical gremlin hiding somewhere signs still point to starter to me. But if someone else did the work I'd take it back and make them figure it out.