OregonJeff
Member
- Joined
- June 19, 2025
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 4
- City, State
- Bandon, OR
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
Ok, been working on this two weeks.
Like Inigo Montoya, I decided to go back to the beginning. I skipped the drinking binge part, although that's an option for later.
First thing I had done was replace the starter solenoid/relay. I checked it.
A friend had done the work that while I was checking fuses. He put the new starter solenoid/relay in backwards, running the starter wire to the "i" post not the "s" post. Easy mistake to make, as the ring connector on the starter wire fit the i post and not the s, and that i post is closer to the where the starter wire emerges from the wiring harness. My fault, I should have checked.
I caught it when I testing the solenoid and it was not cranking when I was jumping 12v from the battery directly to that post. I pulled it, and saw the mistake. I got it wired correctly, and the solenoid now works with that 12v jump to the proper s post.
Vehicle still won't start, of course.
The wrong way solenoid was the 2nd issue. The 1st issue remains, and I essentially have to go back through a lot of my work over the last two weeks as the 2nd issue would have prevented any other solution from working.
But when I eventually get that voltage to that starter wire, at least that solenoid will work.
I am starting all the way back toVizizini the gremlin thread checks and rolling forward from there.
Jeff
Like Inigo Montoya, I decided to go back to the beginning. I skipped the drinking binge part, although that's an option for later.
First thing I had done was replace the starter solenoid/relay. I checked it.
A friend had done the work that while I was checking fuses. He put the new starter solenoid/relay in backwards, running the starter wire to the "i" post not the "s" post. Easy mistake to make, as the ring connector on the starter wire fit the i post and not the s, and that i post is closer to the where the starter wire emerges from the wiring harness. My fault, I should have checked.
I caught it when I testing the solenoid and it was not cranking when I was jumping 12v from the battery directly to that post. I pulled it, and saw the mistake. I got it wired correctly, and the solenoid now works with that 12v jump to the proper s post.
Vehicle still won't start, of course.
The wrong way solenoid was the 2nd issue. The 1st issue remains, and I essentially have to go back through a lot of my work over the last two weeks as the 2nd issue would have prevented any other solution from working.
But when I eventually get that voltage to that starter wire, at least that solenoid will work.
I am starting all the way back to
Jeff
