My Explorer Just Died!

[Grateful11]

Hey I got in my Explorer to pull it in the garage just now and hit the switch and everything went black. The interior lights and stuff were on but as soon as I hit the switch nothing. The ONLY thing that works is the light under the hood not even the door locks or headlights. I pulled all of the main fuses under the hood but they look fine, I didn't pull two small 15 amp fuses in the box though. I just saw in the book that you should disconnect the battery before servicing fuses which I didn't do. I haven't pulled any of the fuses on the dash. Any suggestions? I've never seen anything like this happen. It's just too dark to try anything else.
Thanks, any help would most appreciated,
Grateful

 

[Garth]

Check the volts on you battery.
It could be a loose connection on your terminals.

 

[blue_97_v8]

your batt cables are probly bad

 

[Grateful11]

You mean a battery cable can fail in a split second just like that with no warning? I've had so little trouble out of this vehicle that it's just almost unbelievable. I guess when something like this does happen it's almost like a family member has just got very ill. ;-0 That's the first thing I'll check in the morning. I use to know my vehicles inside and out, because I had to work on them, but this one just seems to keep going without any help from me. Knock on wood!
Thanks,
Grateful

 

[Webster3]

I had a terminal on my battery develop a crack, and it must have jostled loose just as I pulled up to a PepBoys for something else. I came out and everything was dead... yeah it can happen suddenly. It was nice that I was at PepBoys... I had them install a new one on the spot.

Ed

 

[blue_97_v8]

there's a prob with batt cables on first gen's they will corrod(?) really bad inside the rubber where you can't see it..my 94 i slowly doing this and i will have to replace the whole batt cable's soon

 

[dan leon]

Same thing happened to me on my 94 XLT. It was a defective nearly new battery. I left my house to get gas - it started fine. At the station, it went totally black. I had to call my wife for a ride...

 

[MrShorty]

Yes your problem could be battery cable related. It sounds exactly like what my BII does when it doesn't get a good connection at the battery post.

 

[Grateful11]

Great news it appears to be the battery! I cleaned all the terminals and still nothing. I tried to creep under it but it was stopped on the crest of a hill in my drive and there was no way I was going to get under there. So I said WTH. I'll try to jump it off and Ol' Betsy fired right up. I've never seen a battery die that fast, I've had them to get sluggish but nothing like this. Now I know why it says Die-Hard on it. Thanks for all the great help you guys have saved me a bundle. The tip on the FPR a few years back was right on. Not even the local guys around here told me to check that. About the only real money I've spent on it was an intake manifold gasket, I would have done it myself but a really well known independent mechanic said he'd do it $235 parts and labor and I jumped on that. BTW: Ford wanted right at $600. That's an 8 hour job. He said he had already done about 4 - 91's so I figured he knew what he was talking about. He did a good job to.
Thanks again and they come no better than you guys and gals,
Craig
aka: Grateful

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

on mine it has the terminals were the wires are held on with 2 bolts and a hold down, and they weren't making a good connection so i took the wires off, cleaned the terminal and put them back on and tighten the ###cers good!