Engine won't crank

[JMan689]

Worth a shot, also one night when getting gas maybe a month ago, my truck wouldn't start. So i just sat there and played with the shifter and eventually it started.

 

[croga001]

thats really weird, i abandoned my truck at the girlfriends house for tonight but i guess ill try it out. thanks

 

[JMan689]

If it don't work take the battery to Autozone and have them test it. Even though everything else works the battery can still be dead.

 

[croga001]

how could the radio, lights, and interior lights be on if the battery was dead?
could it be corroded battery terminals?

 

[cjones101812]

how could the radio, lights, and interior lights be on if the battery was dead?
could it be corroded battery terminals?

running those things take maybe 20 amps tops, the starter could take 200 amps or more.

yes, could be loose or corroded cables. what is the voltage while cranking (or trying to crank) ??

 

[gijoecam]

I had a 93 Ranger that gave me an intermittent no-crank... Turned out it was the trigger wire connection on the starter that was going bad. I could pop the hood and reach down to wiggle it for a few months, but it eventually corroded beyond repair. I simply had to clean the connection with some contact cleaner and crimp the connector a little tighter and all was well again.

-Joe

 

[JDraper]

how could the radio, lights, and interior lights be on if the battery was dead?
could it be corroded battery terminals?

That's a classic symptom of corroded battery cables. Enough to power everything but the starter. The cables on the 1st gens have been prone to this. They look fine from the outside but are shot internally. Best way to check is to test the cable for resistance from end to end. If it's more than a couple of ohm's the cable is shot.

BTW, had this happen to my old '92. Everything worked but it wouldn't start. Stuck a new starter in and still wouldn't start. Checked the cables, and the resistance on the + cable was over 50 ohms....yanked hard on it and it fell apart.

 

[JMan689]

I still say have the battery tested since its free and quick.

 

[waterrider919]

I recently had a situation with my '93 X that I can't figure out. It starts and drives fine, has over 307K on the original engine. Well, recently when I shut it off, to go into a store for a few minutes, it won't fire, it turns over strong, but acts like its not getting fuel.
I cycle the key 8-10 times, and it usually starts after that. One thing, when I cycle the key on I hear the fuel pump come on, but it makes a kind of, what sounds like a, bubbling noise? I wonder if my fuel pump is going bad, or if somehow air is getting in the system.
Curious if anyone else has had this problem.

 

[JMan689]

I'd say check the fuel filter, dropping the tank is probably the last thing you'll want to do to put in a new pump. If at any time you don't hear the pump come on check the relay it might be going bad or i know sometimes the one on my 94 wiggles itself loose.

 

[waterrider919]

JMan- Thanks for the info. I have had the fuel filter replaced, and replaced the plugs and wires less than a year ago. Where exactly is the possible loose relay wire you mentioned? I would like to check it out.
This is a very intermitant problem, but can be frustrating when it happens. I have auto start on my truck, and it starts every morning with no problem. It's just every now and again it decides not to perform.

 

[JMan689]

Drivers side in the black box, can't think of what it says off hand but i think its the relay closest to the firewall. Just make sure its actually plugged in all the way. If that doesn't work then you'll have to move to checking wiring/fuel pump.

 

[onelap]

conection

go to starter remove big cable clean with course sand paper reattach snugly.
follow neg battery cable from battery to place where it mounts to frame or where ever.. remove and clean as stated above.. batterycables seldom go bad without being obvious ( white powder corrosion, swelled cable or cuts. you problem is too much resistance somewhere.best bet are the mounting pionts for your pos and neg cables since these are the largest dia wire used in the starting process.. good luck

 

[croga001]

update... i tried it in drive versus park and it only made noise in park so i know the shifter isnt the problem...got the same click noise. tommarow i am going to start out by cleaning off the battery terminals and see if it helps. if it doesnt then i will try testing the pos/negative wires. if this isnt the problem then ill move onto trying the battery out of the broncoII in it.
what would be the next thing? starter? this really isnt the symptoms of something with a bad starter is it?

 

[Turdle]

update... i tried it in drive versus park and it only made noise in park so i know the shifter isnt the problem...got the same click noise. tommarow i am going to start out by cleaning off the battery terminals and see if it helps. if it doesnt then i will try testing the pos/negative wires. if this isnt the problem then ill move onto trying the battery out of the broncoII in it.
what would be the next thing? starter? this really isnt the symptoms of something with a bad starter is it?

What happens when you jump start it?

 

[croga001]

nothing, just the same click it made b4 it ran completely out of juice.

 

[My2Cnts]

not to dig up the dead but my explorer has an ok battery and i tried starting it in park and neutral the darn thing just will not turn over. i know the battery is ok. the headlights light up and dash lights come on and all i hear when i try to start it is a click*. do you think i can try jumping it like jman689 did?

sounds like the starter its self, or check out the crank sensor.
btw hey dan :


also..ive had luck with this b4.. when ur starting it..have someone else tapping the starter with a wrench..making sure not to hit the positive side on it.. sometimes they just get stuck, haha
(happened on my 93 escort wagon, and the shifter thing too)

 

[gijoecam]

If it won't crank, then you go back after some period of time and it WILL crank, it's not the battery, it's a wiring issue. It could be a crappy connection at one end of the battery cable(s), or it could be an issue with the trigger circuit, but either way, it's not the battery. The battery can't go from being dead to being charged in a matter of seconds.

Also, a dead battery generally can't be jumped. A marginal battery can be supplemented with enough juice from a jump, but a flat-dead one won't take a jump.

It really is a simple system to troubleshoot on a first-gen... Turn the key. If it only goes click, have someone turn the key and hold it while you check stuff with a simple $5 12V test light. Check for power at the starter solenoid both in and out at the large terminals. If you don't have power out, check the trigger wire for 12V in the START position. Test the same things at the starter end. Chase the 12V 'til you lose it, and you'll find the problem in a matter of minutes.

-Joe

 

[croga001]

ok ill try that a little later on if cleaning the connections doesnt work...
i was out playing in the snow the same day it stopped working.... could i have gotten it wet and froze the starter up? i have heard of that happening before.

 

[gijoecam]

ok ill try that a little later on if cleaning the connections doesnt work...
i was out playing in the snow the same day it stopped working.... could i have gotten it wet and froze the starter up? i have heard of that happening before.

Not likely... It probably got wet and the moisture further deteriorated a marginal connection. My money's on one of the two trigger wires being bad. Given what you just wrote, I've got my money on the trigger connection on the starter being green and fuzzy, or at least corroded.

-Joe