No crank issue

[Alex8706]

92 explorer sport. Have power to everything and battery volts are good but when I try to start the engine I am getting nothing no sounds or cranking. Figured it was my starter relay solenoid. Arked it and it started. Went to the auto parts store got a new one and the same thing happened when I tried to start the engine with the new part. Yet I could still ark the new solenoid and it would start right up. Any ideas on what the next step would be? Thank you.

 

[Alex8706]

Anyone have any ideas? I have my nutrual safety switch bypassed. Battery reads at 12.6. I can arc the relay solenoid and it starts right up. Not getting any clicks when trying to crank. Lights don't dim. Getting proper volts to the solenoid. Only thing that seems iffy is the little red wire that goes onto the small "s" bolt on the top of the relay solenoid. I can't get any kind of a solid reading on that while the ignition is on on or in the crank position. My multimeter just kind of goes crazy. Could that be bad wiring? I've also read it could be the ignition switch. Any ideas to pin point it would be appreciated.

 

[Mr. Alligator]

An idea: my power cable/harness from the battery to the starter and solenoid turned tightly across the edge of the frame. After almost twenty years, the power cable shorted out on the frame. This melted the harness cables to each other, and caused symptoms similar to yours just before it was entirely ruined. It also ruined the starter.

Check your starter wiring harness at the area near the frame. The harness may be wrapped and insulated, but you might find the shorted out wire is overly “flexible”.

 

[Alex8706]

I will definitely check that out tomorrow after work. That also reminds me actually. About two months ago I went to start my car and I would hear a loud click then I would lose power completely for about five minutes. I think just opening and closing my door got the power to go back on. Then it would start up. Took it to an autoparts store to have the alternator and battery tested. He said the battery was bad so I replaced it. Then it happened again shortly after getting the new battery. I don't know why but I brushed it off as not giving the battery enough time to recharge as I live in a small town where I don't have to go more than ten minutes to get anywhere that I need including work. That was probably the start of the problem I am having now. I will check the harness tomorrow as well as a few other things. Thank you for the response Mr. Alligator.

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Sure sounds like a battery-starter wiring harness grounding out on the frame.

 

[Alex8706]

Excuse my ignorance but if i am still able to arc the fender solenoid to start the car multiple times and counting wouldnt that kind of rule out a harness issue? My assumption is that if i am able to still start it by arcing then the starter and wires going to it should be good. Thats why i ruled those out in the start.

 

[Roadrunner777]

Yeah... I bet if you jumped +12V from the battery to the little post where the red wire is, it will start too. If you can verify that, it might prove helpful. If it does work, if eliminates everything from there to the starter, leaving the stuff that feeds that red wire. (key to ON for this)

Now, before I go into a big long thing... the neutral start switch is part of this, and if for some reason, the splice or whatever that was done to bypass, if that failed, it would cause this.

Ok, I'm going to post this now. The long thing is going to take a while, I'll do that in a second post in an hour or so.

 

[allmyEXes]

maybe a bad ignition switch?

 

[Roadrunner777]

Since it ran after you arc'd the solenoid, we can assume you have power all the way to the ignition switch.

Turning the key to START should apply power to a red wire with a light blue stripe leaving the ignition switch.

That wire goes to the CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH. If you have an automatic transmission, there will be a jumper block instead of a switch. According to the manual, this is pretty deep in the dashboard, so it's not a very good test point. Moving on...

From the CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH (or jumper), there is a pink wire going to the NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH. Now, I guess I don't know if you bypassed it or how that came about. But, it's on the side of the transmission. From that switch, there is another red wire with light blue stripe. This goes to the small post on the solenoid.

So, you could test at the NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH on the pink wire. That would prove the IGNITION SWITCH and CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH/JUMPER.

Then, you could test outgoing power on the red/light blue stripe wire, to verify that the bypass is ok.

And, in theory, if you have outgoing power on the red/light blue wire, then that wire goes straight to the solenoid.

Or more simply: Get under the vehicle and check out the bypass. Verify power on the pink wire when the key is turned. That proves everything to that point. Maybe clean-up/remake the bypass. Make sure power is going out the red/light blue wire, and that should fix it.

I usually look in for messages every couple of days. Hopefully this is enough to get you going. Otherwise, post back everything you did, measured, and don't skimp on details. If we go further, let me know if it is an auto or manual transmission, it will save me some typing.

Good Luck!

Oh... all the wire colors I gave are for '94 models. They ought to be the same.... I hope!

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Excuse my ignorance but if i am still able to arc the fender solenoid to start the car multiple times and counting wouldnt that kind of rule out a harness issue? My assumption is that if i am able to still start it by arcing then the starter and wires going to it should be good. Thats why i ruled those out in the start.

I thought you were arcing the solenoid on the starter, rather than the solenoid on the fender.

 

[Alex8706]

Since it ran after you arc'd the solenoid, we can assume you have power all the way to the ignition switch.

Turning the key to START should apply power to a red wire with a light blue stripe leaving the ignition switch.

That wire goes to the CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH. If you have an automatic transmission, there will be a jumper block instead of a switch. According to the manual, this is pretty deep in the dashboard, so it's not a very good test point. Moving on...

From the CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH (or jumper), there is a pink wire going to the NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH. Now, I guess I don't know if you bypassed it or how that came about. But, it's on the side of the transmission. From that switch, there is another red wire with light blue stripe. This goes to the small post on the solenoid.

So, you could test at the NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH on the pink wire. That would prove the IGNITION SWITCH and CLUTCH TRIPLE FUNCTION SWITCH/JUMPER.

Then, you could test outgoing power on the red/light blue stripe wire, to verify that the bypass is ok.

And, in theory, if you have outgoing power on the red/light blue wire, then that wire goes straight to the solenoid.

Or more simply: Get under the vehicle and check out the bypass. Verify power on the pink wire when the key is turned. That proves everything to that point. Maybe clean-up/remake the bypass. Make sure power is going out the red/light blue wire, and that should fix it.

I usually look in for messages every couple of days. Hopefully this is enough to get you going. Otherwise, post back everything you did, measured, and don't skimp on details. If we go further, let me know if it is an auto or manual transmission, it will save me some typing.

Good Luck!

Oh... all the wire colors I gave are for '94 models. They ought to be the same.... I hope!

I'm going to check this out after work. I have a manual transmission and from what I gathered my neutral safety switch is on my clutch. I followed a guide on this forum to bypass it to rule it out as the problem. Which I believe was splicing the pink and red wire you are talking about together. But I will check after work to see if I have power going to those.

 

[Alex8706]

I thought you were arcing the solenoid on the starter, rather than the solenoid on the fender.

I am arcing from the fender solenoid.

 

[Roadrunner777]

Ok. Then the path is:

IGNITION SWITCH ---> RED WIRE ---> CLUTCH SWITCH ---> PINK ---> (CONNECTOR) ---> RED WIRE ---> FENDER SOLENOID

Ok, so you see there is a wire color change at a connector. That connector is on the driver's side front wheel well, under the hood. It is low, behind the washer/coolant reservoir. It is a round eight position connector with one connection unused. So, you will see pink on one side, and red on the other. That's another good test point.