Explorer Will Not Turnover

[rjac]

Explorer wont start

hello-i have been working on this for 3 days and cant figure it out. I went out after work and the explorer would not start just a clicking in the selonoid on the fender well. i drove it at lunch and it started just fine. tried to jump start thinking it was the battery same result had to have it towed home. this is what i have done. had the battery checked its ok, pulled the alt and had it checked its ok, friend insisted it was the starter so i replaced the starter same result. replaced the starter relay on the fender well same result. pulled the steering wheel and inspected the ignition switch looks ok. when i turn on the key i have lights ,power windows ,power locks and radio. i shorted across the relay on the starter and it does nothing no click just dead . short across the relay on the fender well and the relay on the starter clicks. if anyone has any suggestions i would appreciate it. just to let you know my despiration i do have the explosive charges set. thanks

 

[88vert]

are you getting any spark?

 

[rjac]

I do not know how i would go about testing spark if i cant get it to turn over. i dont think there is a problem there that would prevent the car from turning over. i dont know yall tell me. thanks for your reply

 

[rjc]

To test spark, pull a plug wire and place near the frame or other steel body panel. Then you have somebody crank the engine and you will see the spark jump and may get a little zap yourself if you are touching the car. At night without lights this is easy to see just make sure your hands are not in danger of getting caught up in anything and stay away from the battery and engine with the spark. You can use an old rag to insulate your hand from the spark. If it cranks and have spark then I would say you have bad sparkplugs or a fuel delivery problem. rc

 

[rjc]

P.S. Start by checking your air filter and replace if it is very dirty. rc

 

[rjac]

Maybe i am not being clear in my explanation. The engine will not turn over all that hapens is the starter relay switch clicks.

 

[zensius]

rjc, I don't think you're getting it. The clicking sound he's getting is instead of cranking not in addition to. Rac have you tested voltage and amperage at the solenoid? You could have bad battery cables. I know the pos on mine split open and corroded really badly. To the point where no juice was getting through. If this is okay, check voltage/amperage at the starter. It sounds like there's a bad cable somewhere. Good luck.

 

[rjc]

Sorry I shoud have read more before posting. An intermittent start with clicking is usually the starter if it starts cold but not hot (more resistance). Since you changed the starter I guess it's not the problem and you don't need to worry about spark if it runs sometimes. I have seen the negative battery cables on several fords fail where they bolt to the engine. They take a lot of vibration unlike the positive cable that goes to the relay on the fender and the wires break where they tie onto the bolt bracket. If you can start the car and have a voltage tester you might see if the voltage changes as you wiggle the negative cable. If you have a spliced cable with "new" end installed I would suggest replacing it with a regular cable. rc

 

[rjac]

well i am still having problems getting the explorer to turn over. I have as of today replaced the following battery, battery cables, relay switch on fender, starter(has been bench tested), ignition switch on steering column, the only thing i have not replaced is the key switch. when i turn on the key it just clicks at the starter relay on the fender if i short the two posts on that relay it clicks the relay on the starter but the starter will not spin. i am at a total loss as to why this is happening this vehicle has been running just fine with no troubles untill after having been driven two hours earlier with no problems it now does what i have described above. is there any possible way that the engine could have siezed with out any warning and the starter will no longer turn it over. (engine is not low on oil or water and had normal power when it was parked) is there any way to check to see if the engine is turning freely?
i would appreciate any suggestions . Thanks again to everyone who has been answering my posts

 

[rjc]

When you say your starter was bench tested did you actually change it or just test and put the original one back in? I had one bench tested that passed from a 5.0 LTD engine but it still sounded funny so I replaced it and had no more problems with intermittent start. If you have high milage and have not CHANGED the starter even if it bench tested good then change it out and see if that helps. If you have bypassed the ignition on the fender well and nothing happened I would leave the ignition switch alone for now. Also how is the condition of the hot wire going to the starter? I would also suggest you check your fuse box for burnt fuses. If you bench tested your starter but did not change it your problem may still be with your starter. The bench test is not 100% reliable because they can still spin cold with the armature deploying but not perform under a load. rc

 

[rjac]

Sorry i must apologize i posted this the first time in the wrong forum. Here is the problem. Drove the explorer to work on wed. everything was fine went to lunch came back two hours later went to leave and it would not turnover just the clicking in the starter relay on the fender well but i have power to everything else lights ,windows, door locks , radio, blower motor. tried jumpstarting no good had to have it towed. I have been working on this for four days and this is what has been done battery replaced, starter replaced(bench tested prior to installation), starter relay on fender well replaced, battery cables replaced(checked &rechecked all connections are correct), replaced ignition switch on the steering column. The only thing I have not replaced is the key switch. still all i get is the clicking in the starter relay on the fender well. if i short across the relay on the fender well it clicks at the starter. What else could keep the starter from engaging I do not know of anything else in that loop that would stop the thing from turning over. i would sure appreciate the help and any suggestions you may have or if you have had similar experiences. thanks. sorry this was so long.

 

[rjac]

the starter was replaced new starter was bench tested prior to installation. all cables have been replaced along with all items as listed in the previous post. there is no intermittent starting it does nothing starter will not spin it makes no noise.

 

[JDraper]

To check if the engine is siezed, put a socket wrench on the center bolt of the crankshaft pulley and try to rotate the motor. If it doesn't move with a moderate amount of force, the motor is seized. If it does rotate then it's not siezed (kinda obvious )

If the motor does turn, go back to looking for electrical problems. If you have access to a multi meter, try tracing the voltage down the line. With an assistant running the key, start to see if you are first getting voltage at the battery side of the solenoid, then at the starter side of the solenoid, and then at the starter itself. If you don't have a volt meter, you can try the following: Put the key in the on position, and then using a jumper cable directly from the battery to the starter side of the solenoid. If that doesn't work, try directly from the battery to the large terminal on the starter. I've done this before, and it can help isolate where the problem occurs.

WARNING!!! Be VERY careful doing this that you don't touch the cable to the body, frame,etc. You can short stuff out that way. Best bet is to attach to the battery last after you are absolutely sure that you are only connected to the proper terminal.

Also, did you buy all new parts, or are they used/reconditioned??? If they are used, check to make sure you don't have another bad cable. You can tell this by looking at the resistance along the cable. If it's in the kOhms range, the cable is bad.

 

[rjc]

I believe rotation of the main pulley should be clockwise. That's a good idea to see if it's turning but I doubt that's the problem based on your symptoms. You should note that it takes a bit of force to rotate an engine by hand due to compression in the cylinders so use 1/2" rachet or larger. It's easier without plugs but they are a pain to remove. I would think when an engine freezes it's usually on the highway with no oil. Was there a lot of gunk when you took out your old starter? I believe it grounds to the engine so clean surfaces need to contact. I hate to say it but you may have to take it in the wallet and have a shop trace your problem. Let us know that it turns out to be because this ones tricky.........rc

 

[rjac]

thanks for your replies. all parts were brand new except the starter which was a reconditioned motorcraft(that i had them bench test before installing)my only regret was i did not have the starter that i took off tested to see if it was bad because i was so sure that the starter was the problem.

i can hand turn the motor so i know it is not locked up i can feel the compression.

i have power at the battery side of the starter relay and the starter side with the key on. i have power at the battery side of the starter and power at the starter side of the starter with the key on. i have not tried to jump directly from the battery to the starter relay or directly to the starter it is now dark here in dallas so that will have to wait untill tomorrow. glad its a holiday.

i am extremely baffled with this problem even if the $#@%$#^%$# truck wont start at least the the starter should turn ,engage and crank the motor. i may also take the starter back( even though it bench tests ok) and get another one just to be sure.

well after ordering this truck new in sept.of 1991 i have had very minor problems with it other than routine maint. so i guess i am due.

 

[jeems]

Ok, mine did this the other day. I had to replace my power relay and had to get a new battery too.

 

[rjac]

thanks for your reply. when you say power relay what are you referring to the EEC power relay?

 

[Braden D]

This probably won't help but on my old Chevy p/u I could test the starter by having my key on and jumping across the solenoid terminals using a screwdriver. Probably not the safest method but it was cheap and did the trick. But again, I'm not sure if this applies in your case. Good luck.

 

[jeems]

yeah I think that's the relay that i'm talkin about. i'm not positive but i just know it was a power relay. sorry for the lack of info.

 

[rjac]

thanks for your reply. now i need to locate the EEC power relay I find it in the haynes wiring diagrams but the wire colors that they show dont match up with mine so i have not been able to track down the location. i have a good friend that lives in nacadoches. could someone tell me where the EEC power relay is and would that prevent the exp from turning over.