Murphy's Law

[NavyBloke]

I'm about to drive my 92 XLT 800 miles home from where i'm currently stationed at Norfolk, VA and as I start it up this morning my cabin lights come on, my stereo starts up, but the engine doesn't turn over, all i get is a click, click noise. What perfect timing!
I researched for a while and ended up cleaning the corrosion off my battery terminals, and tapping the starter and starter solenoid lightly with a wooden block. She turned over, and i was able to drive back to the barracks, but when i got there, turned her off, and tried to start her back up she got stubborn again and made the same old click click noise.
Now, before i start playing with it and possibly doing more harm then good (I work on Naval Aircraft but am still a little inept at my own car) i was wondering if anyone had any advice or help for me? Reading other posts has me worried about the battery cables (i'm getting 11.8v into the cab and have never had a problem with the battery before) and the fuel pump (don't know what it sounds like when it's priming, and hope that's not the problem).
So i'd really appreciate any input you have to offer! I'd like to be home for memorial day!

 

[DeRocha]

Welcome you've come to the right place..
It sounds like your starter is on its way out and has developed a flat spot.. Basically the electrical contacts inside have worn to the point they are no longer making consistent good contact. By tapping the starter you are jarring the connections into making better contact and therefore working... Obviously this is a temporary solution as the tapping trick will only work for so long before you're left stranded.

The other weak point in the starter circuit is the lower starter wire which passes under the engine.. This wires low position makes it more exposed to water and internal corrosion (the wire may look 100% from the outside, but when other members have peeled back the insulation they found the wires to have internal corrosion).. This means the starter gets 12v, but not the required AMPs (basically a (large) 2 gauge wire may only have the AMP capacity of a (smaller) 12 gauge wire because of all the resistance due to the corrosion).

Also check the starter solenoid wire directly on the starter.. The OEM design was a blade fitting which was replaced in later years by a ring fitting (again because of corrosion issues).

Note: Before working on this I would degrease the engine.. Much easier to work on the starter when it's not covered in gunk..

 

[manaen]

Before replacing the starter I would have your battery load tested (for free) at a local parts place. It could be as simple as a battery. If everything checks out then move onto the starter.

However if the truck was sitting for a while, then the charge on the battery may not be enough to start your engine but it will be enough to run the accessories. Cleaning off the corrosion gave you enough current to start the engine the first time however if the distance you drove after you started it was short, then the battery didn't charge enough to start the second time.

Bottom line get your battery checked, then follow Derocha's advice (which is spot on BTW)

 

[NavyBloke]

Awesome!
Thanks a lot, i'll get stuck in tommorow!

 

[NavyBloke]

Brilliant, man. I'm gonna get stuck in tommorow, thanks a lot!

 

[Tbars4]

i'm with derocha, it's the starter...