Awww crap...

[mightyhead]

91 EB v6 explorer 110,000 miles

last night i was out and had no problem starting my explorer. when i got to my apartment i put the explorer in park and shut it off, opened the door to get out and hit the power locks to close her up for the night.

nothing happened. all my electrics are dead. no lights, no power locks, can turn the car on, completely dead.

this can only mean two things to me. battery or alternator. if it is the battery then i must be getting a power draw from something to have wasted the battery after only a year.

any suggestions? i am going to go get the battery tested this afternoon but i really dont think that is the whole problem...

thanks in advance

 

[Ira]

First step is to get a voltmeter and check your battery voltage. Chances are it is alright. I would also disconnect the cables and clean the posts and terminal ends. Next thing, get a set of jumper cables and connect one of the positive ends to the pos post of the battery and the other to the solenoid of the starter where the battery cable goes to. When you do this, hit your key and see what happens. Your problem is probably in the battery cable from the battery to the starter. They tend to get corrosion built up in the wire a couple of inches from the battery and since it is inside the cable itself, you will not see it. If this jumper cable trick works, replace the battery cable.

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Ira
91 XLT 4x4
What do Playboy and National Geographic have in common? Just a couple of the places I will never get to visit

 

[BGN]

I've had the cable in my 91 go bad where I actually got stuck twice over the years. I just had it cut off and redone again just in case as it had been a few years since the last time.

Barry
91 Explorer Sport

 

[sgoodwin]

I had the exact same problem in my '91 Navajo. It was the battery cable. It would just loose all power all of the sudden. It stranded me twice before I figured out it was just the battery cable.Hope this helps!
Scott

 

[ExploreMinnesota]

Mightyhead,

A couple things to do to narrow it down.
First, put a volt meter on the battery to see if it has a charge in it. If it does, have someone turn the key while you watch the voltmeter. You should see the voltage drop, but now lower than 8 or 9 volts. If it drops below that, it's a bad battery.

If the battery is dead, jump-start the engine. While it's idling, put the voltmeter on the battery. You should see 14.5 volts, or very, very close to that. If not, the battery is not receiving the proper charge from the alternator. If this is the case, try the same test, but with the coltmeter on the battery cable ents rather than on the battery posts themselves. I've see it where the post is corroded to where the cable no longer makes a connection.

One last thing before you decide it's the alternator (or regulator). I had a problem on my Explorer with the + battery cable end; the cable, although inside the cable end, was not making contact with the cable end. This showed up as an intermitent problem . . . tugging on or trying to move the battery cable would cause it to connect again.

Hope this helps!

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ExploreMinnesota
91 EB 4x4 Stock

 

[MikeP]

Mightyhead (College Station, home of Texas A&M). I had similar experiences, twice (both happened luckily about 1/2 mile from my home). First time replaced battery & starter motor. About 2 weeks later happened again. Then replaced battery cable (corroded). There is a Ford Technical Service Bulletin on this problem (but I did not find it till after cable was fixed). Suggest getting a listing of all the Ford Explorer 91 Tech. Service Bulletin titles (maybe their abstracts) from the internet as they are good warning about weaknesses in the 91 (and there are a few of them). Ira's description above looks good. Mike, 91 XLT, Seattle (home of U of Wash Huskies).

 

[mightyhead]

i had no idead that the battery cables can get so bad...

well it turned out to be the 6 mo. old battery. everytime i jumped it it would start like a champ and everything would run fine. shut it off and the same thing happened. what threw me off is the battery has a light that tells you if there is something wrong, and it was green (good) the whole time. after jumping it so easily and everything working fine, i figured it had to be the battery so i took it back to the place that i bought it from and they tested it and said it was bad. so i got a new one free of charge...

not too bad but i wouldnt want that to happen on a road trip out in nowheresville...

thanks yall and i think that i am going to check out those cables as soon as i can...

 

[Gigantor]

I saw some where before I purchased my Explorer that the battery cables are known to be defective. Try a search? Have we ever looked for a recal about this? Id be intrested to look into it. But I gotta find some time. Keep us informed if any of you find anything,


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Nick
'93 XLT 4 Door 4x4
Bosch Plat+4's with SplitFire Dual Core wires and a
K&N Air Filter with a Modified Air Box

 

[Ira]

I did the footwork for you. Just click here and it will give you more details. Dead Link Removed

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Ira
91 XLT 4x4
What do Playboy and National Geographic have in common? Just a couple of the places I will never get to visit.

 

[Syder-1]

Well I fixed the problem. Luckily the corroded portion of the positive cable was really close to the terminal. Even though I removed the whole darn cable (negative one to) which I found was really a chore. I only had to fork out 3 bucks for a new clamp. Got lucky this time Dead Link Removed

Syder-1

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doo doo happens

 

[Syder-1]

My cable just went kaput today while I had my truck up on the ramps (oil/lube). I went to turn the key and nothing happened. I left the ignition on and wiggled the positive cable which then completed the circuit. You can hear the fuel pump pressurizing the system. So it's off to the parts store (again). Good luck. Dead Link Removed


Syder-1

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doo doo happens