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'94 won't start, no power

owkia

New Member
Joined
July 1, 2009
Messages
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City, State
Portland, OR
Year, Model & Trim Level
1994 XLT
So the other night, I was able to use my '94 XLT with no problems. It didn't show any symptoms of anything going wrong. The next day, I went to start it up and I had no power. It didn't even try to turn over.

I tried jumping it with my GF's car, which allowed dash lights etc. to turn on and also got the (door open/key in ignition) dinging, but it still wouldn't turn over. At this point, I noticed that the Anti-Theft light in the dash was now flashing, something that I'd never seen before. Every time it flashed, I could hear a slight ticking sound from the module in the back. AFAIK, the 11 wire plug in the back panel is already unplugged (there is a plug undone, I assume it's the one mentioned in other threads regarding Anti-theft issues).

The reason that plug is already undone was apparently due to an old issue with a possible alarm of some sort. I don't know if this had a stock or aftermarket alarm as it was undone long before I owned the truck. I've never had a fob and have only used keys to unlock and operate the truck. Also, the power locks don't work at all, which I've been told has something to do with this issue as well. When the truck did have power, plugging that cable back in would yield a whine from the module it's plugged into. While trying to operate the locks with it plugged in, you would hear the locks make noise, but they still never fully worked. I never felt like messing with it and just left it unplugged, which showed no issues.

Since I figured my GF's car might not have had enough power to get the Ex going, I borrowed a charger from a family member and let it run for a while. The needle on the charger never moved over a long period of time and it never showed the battery as being fully charged. Note that the battery is less than 2 years old, probably closer to 1. I again tried starting it, which yielded some dash lights and the dinging, but again nothing from the starter. Now, the Anti-theft light is off, but my aftermarket head unit is constantly flashing, with or without the key in the ignition.

Whew, I think I got everything down that I can think of for now. I'd appreciate any ideas at all. I'm not super handy, but I'll try what I can and I do have family members that can hopefully help some and if all else fails, I can get AAA to tow it to a shop.
 



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Do you have a volt meter? Try measuring the voltage of the battery, post to post. It should be in the neiborhood of 12.8-13.3 volts just sitting there at full charge. If its below 12.0 its dead and possibly damaged.

Have you tried swapping batteries from another vehicle yet? This may tell you alot. Obviously, if your explorer starts you know where the problem was.
 






It was the battery. I took it in and since it was under 36 months old, they basically just gave me a new one without even testing it. I tossed it in and she fired right up. My anti-theft light still flashes when I turn it off, which is still new to me, but as long as it keeps working I don't really care about that.
 






It was the battery. I took it in and since it was under 36 months old, they basically just gave me a new one without even testing it. I tossed it in and she fired right up. My anti-theft light still flashes when I turn it off, which is still new to me, but as long as it keeps working I don't really care about that.

Yeah, I went through the exact same experience. I tried jumping it with my 3.5 Altima and it still wouldn't turn over either. Funny when something as simple as a dead battery throws you for a loop.

Also, I came here just because I saw your thread in Genmay too (after that guy trolled you and you locked it ;).
 






Yeah, I went through the exact same experience. I tried jumping it with my 3.5 Altima and it still wouldn't turn over either. Funny when something as simple as a dead battery throws you for a loop.

Also, I came here just because I saw your thread in Genmay too (after that guy trolled you and you locked it ;).

Yeah if it weren't for that stupid anti-theft light flashing I wouldn't have been quite as confused as I was. That and the fact that I had used it like 15 hours earlier. I'm just glad I was home when it happened and I had access to another car as I was taking off for a doctor appointment when it wouldn't start.

Lol, yeah dude should have butted out of the thread, especially considering what his motorcycle thread revealed about his intelligence.

On a quick seperate issue, if my heater/ac fan only blows at low speed despite what setting I put it at, would that still be a resistor issue? Most threads I've seen say it will blow at high if the resistor has gone bad. This thing's chock full of random electrical issues so it's all loads of fun to figure out.
 






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