Electrical Starting Issues...maybe a ground issue?

[bigwiggs]

Ok, so here is a rundown on a starting issue that I have been experiencing. Hopefully I can get some help!

2011 Ford Explorer XLT with about 70k miles. New battery that is about 3 months old and has a full charge.

This only occurs on random days. When getting into my car, all normal lights come on and when I put my key into the ignition they stay on and everything looks normal. Then the issue occurs. When I turn the key, everything turns off and all power is gone. No clicking, turning over, or any power whatsoever. Seems like battery is completely dead, but I know that it is not. To get the car started (discovered by accident), I can take out jumper cables, attached to both + and - and run the - to a ground (piece of metal on my car). This causes the radio and lights to come on inside the car, without the key in the ignition. Then I get in the car, and turn the key and it will start. Sometimes it works the first time, other times I need to mess with the cables a bit to get it to work. What is happening?

I would be very grateful to get any advice on how to fix this, and my car is outside and I am willing to try out any suggestions or take pictures if that would help.

Thank you!

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
There are others who have had various grounding issues. Are all connections clean and tight?

Peter

 

[bigwiggs]

Thank you!

Yes, I have double checked the two battery connections. and everything is clean and snug. Is there something else that I should check first? I do not know where the ground would be to check that.

Luke

 

[Odrapnew]

I know 2 people had had similar issues and had 2 different resolutions.

First question: did this just start happening with the new battery?

My brother's car turned out to be a loose battery cable. Sounds like your cables at the battery are tight, so I'd try to trace them to where they connect to the vehicle. You may want to disconnect and reconnect at the battery just to be sure they are tight.

My coworker had this happen on his 2014 Jeep. Same exact thing, but his turned out to be a bad battery. It was original, so it was probably on it's last legs. He'd leave the car for about an hour and it would work again until he tried to start. I know you stated your battery is new, but it still could be defective. Do you have a multimeter available? If so, check battery voltage with vehicle off, again with accessories and then one more time when you have the issue. See if it changes with each step.

 

[KayGee]

My coworker had this happen on his 2014 Jeep. Same exact thing, but his turned out to be a bad battery. It was original, so it was probably on it's last legs. He'd leave the car for about an hour and it would work again until he tried to start. I know you stated your battery is new, but it still could be defective. Do you have a multimeter available? If so, check battery voltage with vehicle off, again with accessories and then one more time when you have the issue. See if it changes with each step.

I've seen this happen twice. Once to me and once to a neighbor. Never did determine the exact issue (perhaps soft short or plate misalignment).

Car would work fine and then it would be no crank/no start, but radio and lights would work. A quick jump and it would start and run fine for some period of time. Once batteries were replaced, all was fine.

Check your connections and grounds and if all else fails, see if you can get a test and warranty exchange on the battery.

 

[peelman]

Definitely fails when you introduce a load. Check the ground cable from the battery negative to the body. Look for damage or green corrosion.