Electrical problem

[Gerald Bostock]

So I started my 95 explorer yesterday morning, went to work, did some
mid-day errands, after work went to store, came out of the store and
it wouldn't start, no power. So I'm thinking it's that dodgy battery
terminal (-) connection. I get something out of the back, tap it a
little bit and the power comes back. I try to start it, but when the
starter engages the power goes out again. I repeat this thing and it
happens again. Thinking the cable is bad, I get the jumpers and
connect the terminal to the power steering bracket in the hope of
getting a better ground connection. It doesn't help. A guy comes to
help and gives me a jump. It starts with the jump, but when we
disconnect the jumpers it dies, the whole system goes down. A tap on
the terminal powers up the car again but still no start. The battery
is a few weeks old and seems to be fully charged. The alternator was
replaced last year. Anybody have any ideas what to do? I'm thinking
that this could just be the battery cable, but once the car is started
shouldn't it keep going even if the battery is disconnected?

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Tbars4]

..take the battery back and have it checked....i am thinking something else too but will wait to see what the verdict of the full battery test shows...

 

[Gerald Bostock]

I think the battery itself is good since it had enough power to run all the accessories (including the headlights) when the terminal connection was fiddled with. Also, once the engine was started it should run even with a dead battery, so I don't thiink the battery is the problem. I'll certainly take my tester with me when I go to work on it tomorrow and test the battery myself, but I doubt the problem is with the battery.

 

[Tbars4]

...let's start at why you recently got a new battery...:scratch:

...as for the battery, i have seen new ones faulty before, like a weak or, disconection at a terminal post...my thoughts would first be on both battery cables due to corrosion in the sheathing....we are on the same page but a little history before the battery change would help...

 

[Gerald Bostock]

I recently got a new battery because the old one was getting really old and having problems holding a charge.

The battery was fully charged. I replaced the obviously poor ground battery cable and it fixed the problem. I am however left with the question as to why it was behaving the way it was. I'm guessing that some computer sensor was telling the computer that there was too much resistance on that cable and was shutting everything down in an effort to prevent a fire? Any ideas on that?

You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get a cable though. At the first auto parts store. I was handed a very short cable.

Me: "This can't be right, the cable is pretty long, it has to go down to the starter".
Clerk: "No you can't connect the ground to the starter; it will short out. It's just a short connection to the solenoid and to the firewall to ground it to the frame."
Me: "No, no, every Ford I've ever worked on has the ground cable connected to one of the posts that mounts the starter to the transmission. It's grounded that way so that won't cause a short."
Clerk:"I've worked on Fords from '84, '88, '92, '97 and '05 and I've never seen one have a battery cable connected to the starter like that."

So I take the short thing he sells me and get under the hood and under the car and sure enough there's a long cable there that connects to the mounting post of the starter. So I take back the short cable and I get a different clerk so there's no opportunity to tell the first one "I told you so".

Then I go to the local Ford dealer. "That cable is $123.00 and I don't have it in stock, but I can have it here later today".
Me: "Are you kidding? It's just a wire! How can you charge $123 for a stupid piece of wire?"
"I dunno, maybe it has some other wires or special connection."
"Forget it."

Next auto parts store "We don't have it".
Next auto parts store "It looks like the best we can do is a universal"
Me: "This cable is too short and the extra wire is a crimp connector while the old one is a round washer, bolt on job".
"We have longer ones, just cut the old extra wire, crimp connect to the new wire and then bolt on as before"
Me: "OK"
The cable and some clippers to cut the old wire cost $13.
I put in the new cable and the problem was solved. I don't like the way the new cable fits the terminal and a couple other issues, but I was working out there in the freezing cold with snow coming down and I wasn't going to quibble about that stuff, the car was starting and running.