Help! Ford Can't...

[karstenboy]

OK, this is a "code" that the Ford techs at my local say is not Ford. One afternoon I was doing errands and my truck was running as usual.
(99 Exploder XLT 4dr SOHC 4.0)
I stopped the engine to go inside to pick up my son, and when we went out to leave, it acted like a dead batt. Called the auto club for a jump and liked to never got it started. So I limped home, about 8 miles. Shut down in the drive and tried to restart. No way, she says. Electrical system shut completely down. Perplexed, I'm looking around and notice that when I open the door, the INTERIOR lights cycle on/off three times, then the entire system shuts down. The techs have no clue, since no power to the box, no diagnostics. The system resets each time you open/shut door and does the whole thing over. It acts exactly like a dead battery for the obvious parts.
Does anyone have any idea what might be going in here???
I really can't afford a new vehicle right now

 

[Donner]

Welcome! Always check your battery cables to be sure they have no movement at all, not corroded or rusted. Check to be sure your battery isn't moving around either...

 

[karstenboy]

I should be so lucky.....nothing in the obviously simple category.

 

[parad1mg]

something very similar happened to me once at a gas station.. all of a sudden it would'nt start and there's no power to any electrical component even the interior lights.. i couldnt push the car alone and even with help from the 2 gas station clerks, we only managed to push it a few feet.. anyway, i started troubleshooting starting from the battery and it turned out that the positive battery connector had corrosion between it and the post and acted like an insulator cutting the power from the battery..

like Donner said, check your connections..

 

[karstenboy]

Like I said guys...all connex are clean, not a simple fix.

 

[mawrazen]

Try a different battery.

 

[04mach1]

Check the engine ground and the body ground not sure where to look
on your truck.

 

[Cobraguy]

Like I said guys...all connex are clean, not a simple fix.

Did you remove and clean the cables? At all ends? You won't know for sure until you do. Did you check connections at the mega fuse? (That is an assumption on my part that a SOHC has a mega fuse) Did you check the battery and see if it has a charge? Did you charge it and then check your electrical system?

You say it's not a simple fix, but in many cases, problems like this are just that...simple. Actually, it's usually a ground problem. But start with the simple tests, take nothing for granted (like clean connections) and move from there.

 

[karstenboy]

Oh for crying out loud...Did any of you READ my entry??? I am not some 18 year old kid who doesn't know what to look for in the obvious areas.
The FORD TECHS say they can't figure it out. Does this mean anything ? They said to check with you guys who tinker with Exploders for fun and see if any of you have had this problem. Could it possibly be something to do with the security system?

 

[Donner]

1. You were asked to check/change your battery cables. That IS the first step. A battery cable can corrode from within. We are telling you from our experiences what has happened to us and how the situation was resolved. If you don't at least change negative cable connector, you might not figure out what's happening..

This is the cheapest and easy way to eliminate problems. You can't SEE the problem, so it's time to start a different approach... have the head of the negative cable replaced.

 

[Cobraguy]

I'm done with him. He asks for help, we offer it, and he refuses to listen. Since we have no idea what the dealer has done, or how competent the tech was, or what a non-Ford code is, (ever heard of that one???) there is nothing we can do to help him.

 

[Donner]

Oh for crying out loud...Did any of you READ my entry??? I am not some 18 year old kid who doesn't know what to look for in the obvious areas.
The FORD TECHS say they can't figure it out. Does this mean anything ? They said to check with you guys who tinker with Exploders for fun and see if any of you have had this problem. Could it possibly be something to do with the security system?

I'm done with him. He asks for help, we offer it, and he refuses to listen. Since we have no idea what the dealer has done, or how competent the tech was, or what a non-Ford code is, (ever heard of that one???) there is nothing we can do to help him.

That's where the issue is... everyone is willing to help, but we are not all 18 year olds either. And an 18 year old would have went at the cable first, typically. I'm over 40 and wouldn't be telling you to check a cable just to check it... As you can see you are losing support; and Cobraguy knows the ins and outs of vehicles... if there is an answer, he can find it.

 

[karstenboy]

I'm done with him. He asks for help, we offer it, and he refuses to listen. Since we have no idea what the dealer has done, or how competent the tech was, or what a non-Ford code is, (ever heard of that one???) there is nothing we can do to help him.

Look pal, I have been through all of the wiring. If you have no ideas, go away. You obviuosly have never seen this problem and so your limited experience with this situation leaves you to treat others as idiots. Well guess what?

 

[Donner]

I'm done...

 

[techieman33]

Look pal, I have been through all of the wiring. If you have no ideas, go away. You obviuosly have never seen this problem and so your limited experience with this situation leaves you to treat others as idiots. Well guess what?

Your the idiot. Plain and simple. How can you expect people to help you when you respond to their questions with insults? When all you had to say was something like: I've already cleaned all of my connections and that didn't help, any other ideas?

 

[IZwack]

Guys its too early in the week to quarrel.

 

[CDW6212R]

Your the idiot. Plain and simple. How can you expect people to help you when you respond to their questions with insults? When all you had to say was something like: I've already cleaned all of my connections and that didn't help, any other ideas?

I am post #17 and this question has not been answered yet. Have the four battery terminal surfaces been cleaned since the trouble began?

I also would start there, I have a rarely driven Lincoln that every few months will not start, or the interior lights will go out. The positive battery terminal keeps corroding, and I clean them properly.

Check the mega fuse next, yes it has one, a bar type between the alternator wire and the power distribution box.

BTW, do not ever cut the terminal off of a battery cable, unless it's an absolute emergency(wreck). That ruins the cable, 99% of all of the bolt on terminals will corrode internally at the wires, and you end up with the symptoms of this poster. Clean them only, or replace them. Good luck,

 

[Donner]

Don, Ford knows what the problem is... they just wanted the customer off the lot. And if they told him to come here, and he's ripping at other members, and NO apology to Cobraguy?? That was just mean spirited... If the poster's car isn't running, so be it.

 

[CDW6212R]

I know, it's just that someone else will read this and may not understand that the terminal question must be clearly answered before going forward. This may help someone else who will listen better. Regards,

 

[ZBlackBeast]

.....im 18... i know more than alot of older people i know. i went to ford once and confused the tech with what i was saying.. There was a tech there that took one look at a SHO motor and said "we cant work on aftermarket engines"... ?? chances are there are people here who know more about explorers than the ford techs do.. You have an electrical problem plain and simple.. if you've been "all over" the system, you MUST have missed something.. go over it again. if you have to, replace your cables from the battery to the starter.... My SHO had a similar issue. it wouldnt get enough juice to turn the motor, i replaced the cables and connectors as well as cleaned the battery terminals and problem solved....