1998 Explorer Theft light

[Coby]

i am hoping someone can help. I have a 1998 Explorer V6 SOHC. About 2 weeks ago, my truck lost all power and the theft light came on. I found on the Internet, that by tilting the steering wheel up and down it might restore power, and it did. yesterday when I tried to start it, it lost all power and the theft light came on again. Tried tilting the steering wheel but still no power.
I tried to jump it with a friends car. It would turn over but not enough power to start. I put a charger on the battery and it started with no problem in 2 seconds. I got to my destination and when I turned the truck off, I lost all power again. The battery is only a year old and the truck only has 68000 miles on it. Any advice or ideas how to fix it is welcome. Thanks

 

[Turdle]

Welcome to the forum. You came to the right place for help.

1, clean the battery terminals even if they "look" ok.
2, have your alternator checked. ( do you see a "check engine" or" check gage" light while the engine is running?)
3, Have the battery checked thoroughly by the dealer who you purchased it from. even if it is only a year old it could still be bad.
4,check fuse number 14 (mini 30 amp) in the power distribution box under the hood
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...eration-power-distribution-box-layout.180814/


5 Be sure to post your findings.

 

[koda2000]

Follow Turdle's suggestions. "What do you mean by "the theft light is on?" How is it on? Normally it should blink about every 2 seconds. If it's blinking faster it could be PATS issue, but from the symptoms you're reporting it souds like you have a charging system problem.

 

[Coby]

i cleaned terminals and cables. I put them back on and it started right up. No more theft light. Thank you for the help. I feel pretty dumb that it was just dirty cables.

 

[Turdle]

It could be the guy before you put some sort of grease on the terminals, which is often done to prevent corrosion.

However, I have found it is a big no no. The starter circuit needs all the current it can get.

Glad you got it fixed. Don't feel bad, I know of at least one person that has fallen for this.