Jumping the Starter

[wipeout]

What is the propper way to jump the starter. I have read a few different posts about it and some of the ways said conflict eachother and I"m a little confused about the right way to do it.

Thanks

 

[jimbo74]

why do you need to jump the starter?

 

[wipeout]

I just bought a 94 ex and I have had it not start twice so far. Just clicks once when the key is turned. First time I was able to connect the posts on the solinoid to get it started, but the seccond time that didn't work. I put a new solinoid on it and it starts now but I think part of the problem might be the battery wires. I just want to know in case it is the wires and this new sol. doesn't help the problem. I don't want to get stuck in a parking lot again.

 

[RFR2212]

why not replace the wires? they're inexpensive to change

 

[wipeout]

I intend to but the wires I got from the NAPA guy look very dinky. I mean like something you would use on a lawn mower!

Also, I checked out the wires and decided that it would probably be best to have a ford service man do the swap because it looks like it could be an all day job for me with all the places those things run too.

I was just curious in case I get stuck in the parking lot again since I have to drive this car untill I can get the wires changed.

 

[TheRookie]

there really isnt a propper way. However you made it work before will work again. Just get the wires changed

 

[flatheadscrew]

yeah man i was at a shell station filling up and i get in my trusty exploder and turn the key... nothing. i got a jump and all it did was click. right now my car is in the street in front of my house with no starter - i know how that feels now.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Did you test the battery? Maybe the battery is low on a charge, or is defective. Check the terminals for corrosion, and clean them. An antioxidant on all of these terminals (battery, starter, solenoid, ground, etc.) is something that is preferable to use to prevent future proiblems.

 

[rookieshooter]

Baking soda and vineger = clean terminals.

 

[gijoecam]

Odds are, it's the trigger wire on the starter itself. Lay under the truck, and look at the starter. There will be a large cable connected to the large post, and a small trigger wire connected to the small post. Pull the trigger wire off, clean it real well with some contact cleaner and a wire brush, and use some dielectric grease when you reinstall it.

Solves an intermittent random no-start 90% of the time.

-Joe

 

[Creager]

So i'm high-jacking this thread...

My new motor wont turn over, the starter isnt doing a damn thing. I had the starter tested, it was locked up. Although when i installed the new starter, i was still left with the same no-start condition. I tried jumping the fender-mount solenoid and got nothing, no sparks. The rest of the eletronics in the truck are working up to par, the battery has full charge. The wires are pretty damn clean, not sure where to start from here...

 

[JTX]

Did you check all the grounds on the engine and frame? Its a common mistake on engine pulls.

 

[Creager]

The only ground i can think of is on the passengerside of the engine, above the oil filter.

I noticed that the back of that solenoid is metal, does it ground to the fender? I did paint behind there, but there is/was atleast 2 layers of factory paint there before.

 

[JTX]

No i dont think it would, try getting a volt meter or test light and just follow the power lead from the battery. If you can determine where it stop at then it would be easier to figure out.

 

[Creager]

i figured it out, thanks man. The positive terminal was rotting out. The negitive didnt look too bad, and i dont like how the terminals from advanced go togeather, so i soddered on the advanced terminal until i can find a better replacement.

 

[Az_NavajoRob]

Odds are, it's the trigger wire on the starter itself. Lay under the truck, and look at the starter. There will be a large cable connected to the large post, and a small trigger wire connected to the small post. Pull the trigger wire off, clean it real well with some contact cleaner and a wire brush, and use some dielectric grease when you reinstall it.

Solves an intermittent random no-start 90% of the time.

-Joe

While you're at it, run a small sheet metal screw through the male/female blade connection on the starter soleniod (trigger wire as mentioned above). I had a strange problem with my '91 Navajo where erery couple of weeks it wouldn't start-not even try to turn over. Turned out to be that the signal wire would fall off the starter soleniod (down on the starter, of course). I carried around a packing blanket to throw under the vehicle so I could reconnect the trigger wire. Got to be a PITA so I finally dropped the starter, plugged the trigger wire on, then ran a small sheet metal screw through the both of them. There is a small hole in the blade that is on the soleniod that served as the hole for the screw to bite into and go through. I then either put some electrical tape or liquid elec tape on it, put the starter back and haven't had a problem since.

 

[410Fortune]

I soldered my wire right to the starter, I do this on all of them now I cannot understand how they rely on a simple push on female blade connector to hold up when trucks are exposed to road salt, mud, snow, dirt roads, etc....

 

[gijoecam]

I soldered my wire right to the starter, I do this on all of them now I cannot understand how they rely on a simple push on female blade connector to hold up when trucks are exposed to road salt, mud, snow, dirt roads, etc....

In general, it's good for about 10+ years in the salt belt, longer in the desert. In that time, I think they counted on needing to replace a starter at some point in the game.

A shot of contact cleaner, a small wire brush, and a blob of dielectric grease has always solved the problem for me.

There are more than one connection like that... look at the pics of the blower motor resistor in the gallery linked in my signature. There's another ingenious design: Lets put this unsealed connector in the rear of the engine compartment directly behind the wheel. The connections won't corrode over time or anything....

-Joe

 

[EMG7895]

Funny how the battery cables are so well secured/covered and routed that it makes them a total pain to change but they do things like the push on terminals. I usually solder the terminals if I can get at them.