finally gave up..

[metallica1283]

well i have a few posts on here and i finally given up on my xploder and shes going to a mechanic don't have the time or the tools. not that anyone will care just felt like telling you guys that this sucks.

 

[lifeguard379]

whats wrong with it?

 

[metallica1283]

no clue its not getting juice to the starter, for a while i did the stupid thing and threw parts at it, so i have done
new starter
new bar cables
new fender solenoid relay

so like the whole starting circuit pretty much all i can think of is that the anti theft modal is screwed up and wont let it turn over, all it does is click.

 

[lifeguard379]

you check all the fuses?

 

[2000StreetRod]

antitheft module

Did your new starter include a new starter solenoid mounted on it or did you use the old one?

Is the clicking you hear from the fenderwell mounted starter relay or the starter solenoid? If either is clicking then the problem is not due to the antitheft module.

Is the battery fully charged?

Did the engine run before your starter problem?

 

[Lacky01]

is there a starter relay in the power distribution box other than the fender mounted solenoid? that has kept my truck from starting before. check that and double check interior fuses, gotta eliminate simple stuff.

 

[metallica1283]

the starter did include a new solenoid, the battery is fully charged. i will check those fuses and as to it running my brother was initially going to resell it when he got it and it ran fine got parked for a while and the battery died. he said he used a jump pack to jump it and it "blew up" so i'm thinking he hooked it up backwards. he said he didn't. so it did run before that its been sitting for like 3 years now and i haven't figured it out yet however i haven't had time to spend a whole day with it just to busy. but i will try those things thanks for the advise. any more advise welcome =]

 

[jrjr2u]

What exactly blew up, the jump box or the truck battery? Did you replace the battery? Will the motor turn over by hand?

 

[metallica1283]

the jump pack blew up and i havent really tried turning it by hand just the time issue i guess thats been keeping me from it ill try that too.

 

[Tony H]

What exactly blew up, the jump box or the truck battery? Did you replace the battery? Will the motor turn over by hand?

Yes see if it turns over by hand. You are chasing a Starter issue when ..maybe the block is siezed.

 

[marragtop]

If you are saying that it hasn't run at all in 3 years, then I'd start by running a wire directly from the battery (+) to the starter to see if it will engage. If it does engage, then your problem is probably in the wiring somewhere between the ignition switch and the starter. If it doesn't engage, pull the plugs out and see if the engine will rotate by hand.

 

[2000StreetRod]

engine seized

the starter did include a new solenoid, the battery is fully charged. i will check those fuses and as to it running my brother was initially going to resell it when he got it and it ran fine got parked for a while and the battery died. he said he used a jump pack to jump it and it "blew up" so i'm thinking he hooked it up backwards. he said he didn't. so it did run before that its been sitting for like 3 years now and i haven't figured it out yet however i haven't had time to spend a whole day with it just to busy. but i will try those things thanks for the advise. any more advise welcome =]

I suspect that after 3 years the piston rings have rusted to the cylinder walls. More than likely, there's nothing wrong with the electrical starting system (battery, starter, solenoid, etc.). It's just not powerful enough to break the pistons free.

I can think of only one inexpensive and simple but nonprofessional approach. I did it 45 years ago when I inherited a 1950 Willys that had not been run for several years. I pulled all of the spark plugs and squirted rust solvent on top of the pistons thru the plug openings. I let it set for a few days and then sprayed some more in. After about a week I was able to rock the vehicle back and forth in gear and the engine moved slightly. Then what? You guessed it! More solvent and rocking. Eventually, the engine turned over with the starter. As soon as you get it to turn, change the oil and filter!

The other problem is that there is not going to be any oil on the bearing surfaces. If you start the engine once you get it to turn it will damage the bearings and journals. You need to pressurize the oil galley before starting the engine. You may be able to rent something to do that or rig something up on your own.

By the way, I drove my Willys for four years while going to college and never did anything to the engine internals. I sold it to a friend when I entered the Air Force and he drove it for several years until the clutch went out. We never had any engine trouble.

 

[marragtop]

Pull the plugs and see if you can rotate the engine by the crank pulley. I agree with your suggest about the rust solvent on top of the pistons. Suggest you use PB Blaster. Much better than WD40 or CRC.

 

[Tony H]

I suspect that after 3 years the piston rings have rusted to the cylinder walls. More than likely, there's nothing wrong with the electrical starting system (battery, starter, solenoid, etc.). It's just not powerful enough to break the pistons free.

I can think of only one inexpensive and simple but nonprofessional approach. I did it 45 years ago when I inherited a 1950 Willys that had not been run for several years. I pulled all of the spark plugs and squirted rust solvent on top of the pistons thru the plug openings. I let it set for a few days and then sprayed some more in. After about a week I was able to rock the vehicle back and forth in gear and the engine moved slightly. Then what? You guessed it! More solvent and rocking. Eventually, the engine turned over with the starter. As soon as you get it to turn, change the oil and filter!

The other problem is that there is not going to be any oil on the bearing surfaces. If you start the engine once you get it to turn it will damage the bearings and journals. You need to pressurize the oil galley before starting the engine. You may be able to rent something to do that or rig something up on your own.

By the way, I drove my Willys for four years while going to college and never did anything to the engine internals. I sold it to a friend when I entered the Air Force and he drove it for several years until the clutch went out. We never had any engine trouble.

Very common practice with Outbaord engones.

 

[geoph1986]

I un-seized the engine in my mother-in-law's caddi that had been sitting in a garage since 1979, by pouring diesel in all of the cylinders, then used a 36" breaker bar on the crank to break it loose. From sitting for 30 years, the engine didn't run that good, but it was no longer seized.

 

[Currency]

That car would make a great project car

I have a 94 sunbird with the bottom end seized up in it. Paid $100 for the car with a clean title knowing it needs an engine. I may convert it to a v6 but that's my summer project.

As for the explorer on here, seized engines are best replaced or rebuilt due to obvious reasons.

 

[geoph1986]

Currency,
The plan is to restore the Caddy. The car is complete, except for the headlight bezel on the driver's side, and it is a matching numbers car. But since it has sat for so long it will require a frame off restoration. The car was parked in a garage (the original homestead, converted into a garage) since 1979. Last fall my wife and I pulled it out of the garage, because it was falling in (that's the debris you see on the car), then this past winter the garage folded in on itself, but don't worry the Caddy has been put into one of the barns that's used for storing equipment. One day, that car will get the love it needs. I swear by filling the cylinders with diesel to un-seize an engine that has been sitting. Here's a pic of the garage in the fall, before it fell down.

 

[metallica1283]

thanks for all the feed back. im just trying to determine how much more ii want to put into this i don't have a lot of money to throw at it. if push comes to shove its getting junked but ill look at it before then i really don't want to go that route

 

[geoph1986]

What is the overall condition of the Explorer? If it's no too rough, it may be worth while to drop a junk yard engine into it. I don't know how much they cost where you're at, but around here, the U-pull I go to charges around $250 complete. You can swap an engine with basic hand tools (except the engine crane, you'll have to rent that). When ever I've looked for a junk yard engine, I tend to look for a donor that's been in an accident, that way you at least know the vehicle was running before hitting the bone yard. The biggest thing people overlook when swapping engines, is labeling vacuum lines and wiring. I understand all to well about being broke, that's why I have a "junk yard parts only" rule with my Explorer. One other thing, this may be a good time to think about a 5.0L swap...Good luck.

 

[metallica1283]

well if i can pick up a 5.0 cheap i may do it. but i might also be doing a trade the sploder for a 5.0 bronco thats in decent condition with minimal isses and almost no rust. well see what happens but i don know if its worth the time or money for her shes pretty tired.