1992 Explorer - Zero Electrical Power

[sterlin]

Hello everyone. I just bought a 1992 Explorer XLT Eddie Bauer that has been sitting for about a year. It ran when parked in mid 2020. The battery is from 09/19, and was showing good voltage with my meter. Nothing happens at all when you turn the key on, or try to crank it. When I try to jump it with another car, everything turns on when I turn the key to the on position, but when I try to crank it, it only cranks over once for like half a second, and it does that every time you try to start it. Upon removing the jumper cables, everything is dead again.

I noticed that the terminals on the fender solenoid were looking a little corroded, and the positive battery cable wiring looked nearly green from corrosion. Should I just go ahead and replace the fender solenoid and battery cables, or are there other things I should be checking? I'm currently 200 miles away from it, and I only got to look at it for like 10 minutes after I bought it. I did notice that the tach was stuck at like 4k with the key in the on position, not sure what that would mean.

I greatly appreciate any help. I would add pictures but I completely forgot to take any, but I'll be able to see the truck again in a few days.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Get that meter working for you. Ohm out your connections. The battery cables on these have a habit of failing inside the insulation.
Pull and clean anything that looks corroded.

 

[BKennedy]

I'm thinking battery cables as well. Not much else it could be with those symptoms. Try cleaning all the connections and see if that gets it running.

 

[ChildIdenticant]

If everything goes dead, then your battery isn't making a proper connection , which removes the solenoid as the main concern in this troubleshooting stage. Try spraying the terminals, terminal connectors & cable ends with a baking soda & water solution, and take a terminal connector cleaner brush to it all.

 

[Centaurious]

Just because you have voltage at the battery it doesn't mean your battery is good. Take the battery somewhere and have it tested.

 

[toypaseo]

I would check the battery cables. I had a "crank and instantly dead" issue, and it was from heavy corrosion between the cable and terminal.