1998 Mountaineer Won't Start

[myata92]

My 5.0L awd Mountaineer won't start. I was at work, drove home and then later that night when I went back out it will not start. The only thing it is doing is when you turn the key it make one loud click coming from right inside the engine bay area in front of the drivers seat. Is it a bad starter?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the battery, terminals, and cables.

 

[Schobanger]

when i went mudding both the cables from my ground terminal slipped out, so make sure those are tightened down enough.

 

[myata92]

I checked all the cables and cleaned them all with a battery terminal brush and still nothing just one loud click when I turn the key over. The click is coming from the (what I think is) the ground located on the inner fender on the drivers side right by the ABS and battery. I tried jumping it after cleaning the cables and still nothing.

 

[crunchie_frog]

Have you tried hitting the starter with a hammer. Sometimes when the starter is starting to go bad, you can hit it with a hammer to get a ferw more starts out of it. I am guessing the brushes are on a bad spot and hitting it changes the location of the brushes to the rotor just enough to allow it to engage and start. I have done this and seen this done several times.

 

[myata92]

Ya I hit it a few times with the hammer and it did the samething as before with the one loud click. I did not hit it very hard though. Do you hit it pretty hard or not?

 

[jevchance]

Have someone turn it over while you listen and figure out where the click is. If its coming from the ground, clean the contact point.

The click usually means the starter is not getting enough juice to turn over, usually bad cable or connection.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Stupid question for you - when it goes click do you loose all power in the truck? Try leaving a door open and see if the dome light cuts out when you hear the click.

 

[shadowless127]

Sounds like a corroded cable. This happens on my brothers 01 corolla a few months back.

 

[myata92]

Ya the click is for sure coming from that block attached to the inner fender well. But it's only one loud click and then nothing if you keep holding the key. I haven't looked at the lights yet. I will try that when I get home from work. I'll take the block apart attached to the fender and clean all the connections. I did the battery ones with morning so those are good. Is there any other connections I should try and clean?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Jump the starter relay on the fender wall with a screwdriver, and see if the starter turns over. Make sure that the vheicle is in park. Another way to test it is to connect a test light to the starter output stud on this relay, and see if the light turns on when you turn the key to the crank position.

 

[myata92]

There is power going to the starter so I am trying to get the starter out and replace it but now the damn top bolt of the two starter bolts stripped off and i'm trying to figure out how the hell to get that out...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Use a bolt out socket.