higney85
Member
- Joined
- March 12, 2010
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 0
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 06 4.0 explorer
2006 4.0 EB Explorer at 140k miles.....
About a week ago my wife went out to run errands and came back to tell me this explorer is dead from step one. This vehicle isn’t a daily driver so I initially figured the battery may be dead or some other issue that would be easy to see. The curveball is there is zero dash illumination when I took a look at it. Since then, I’ve been troubleshooting and still no dash indications, no cranking, and obviously- it’s dead.
What does work:
Blower fan
Wipers
Lights (fog and headlights)
Interior lights
Hazards
Radio
Cigarette lighter
Brake lights
Tow lights
Power windows and locks
EVERYTHING besides the dash and a crank to start the engine.
What I have verified:
Battery shows 12+ volts
All grounds are solid with zero corrosion
All fuses have been pulled for inspection in both the junction box and passenger fuse box and are intact
Ignition switch has 12+ volts
Relays click on in run and an additional “click” at the start position. Nothing from the actual starter. It’s the relay(s).
Vehicle history:
July 2018- new battery, alternator, and battery terminals. This was to finally figure out starting woes on occasion were due to an alternator going out. The wife and I both use this vehicle for errands, occasional towing, and anywhere we take the dogs to get muddy. It’s the true “utility” vehicle for us outside of daily driving.
What I have tried:
Battery was put on a charger to make sure it was full. It only took a few minutes to show a full charge and verified at about 12.7V at the terminals. Hooked up with clean terminals, it showed the same voltage and verified at the main junction box in the engine compartment and grounded to vehicle grounds in the engine bay (inclusive of the starter ground). I checked all fuses (not broken) with the exception of verifying the fuse in the passenger compartment (up behind the E-brake) that is all silver and cannot be seen through. I believe that’s ignition. I have swapped relays (matching part numbers) with no changes. The ignition switch was swapped out today and power verified in off/acc/run/start. I even attempted to jump start with another vehicle and zero difference behind showing 13.7-14.1V across the system.
The instrument cluster has zero life in the gauges or any of the warning lights that should appear in the run position. Before pulling the battery terminals off, I did connect my OBDII scanner and got the single code for emissions that I was already aware of. In my head that would mean the PCM is alive. Now it has zero codes after reading, but the battery was disconnected for a while. PATS is acting completely normal with a slow red light link with the key out of the ignition and no light with the key in. We have 2 keys, without a change from either. I have traced all the visible wiring harnesses with no sign of wires being disturbed by rodents, chafing, or melting.
I have time to be surgical in this process of redoing all the grounds, yet they look fine. We live in the southeast US and rust isn’t an issue here. The question becomes the instrument cluster. I have removed it with zero change from hooked up or not. I cannot see any visible damage to the chips, but I haven’t dismantled it. Previous to now there have been zero issues with the cluster or starting since the new batt/alternator last summer.
Wondering where I should look next?... I’m assuming that the vehicle won’t even attempt a start without the cluster functioning. Being that the cluster seems to be dead, there are sites offering to rebuild it if sent to them (avoiding dealer reprogramming). Can anyone attest to this train of thought or offer other solutions?
Thanks in advance!
About a week ago my wife went out to run errands and came back to tell me this explorer is dead from step one. This vehicle isn’t a daily driver so I initially figured the battery may be dead or some other issue that would be easy to see. The curveball is there is zero dash illumination when I took a look at it. Since then, I’ve been troubleshooting and still no dash indications, no cranking, and obviously- it’s dead.
What does work:
Blower fan
Wipers
Lights (fog and headlights)
Interior lights
Hazards
Radio
Cigarette lighter
Brake lights
Tow lights
Power windows and locks
EVERYTHING besides the dash and a crank to start the engine.
What I have verified:
Battery shows 12+ volts
All grounds are solid with zero corrosion
All fuses have been pulled for inspection in both the junction box and passenger fuse box and are intact
Ignition switch has 12+ volts
Relays click on in run and an additional “click” at the start position. Nothing from the actual starter. It’s the relay(s).
Vehicle history:
July 2018- new battery, alternator, and battery terminals. This was to finally figure out starting woes on occasion were due to an alternator going out. The wife and I both use this vehicle for errands, occasional towing, and anywhere we take the dogs to get muddy. It’s the true “utility” vehicle for us outside of daily driving.
What I have tried:
Battery was put on a charger to make sure it was full. It only took a few minutes to show a full charge and verified at about 12.7V at the terminals. Hooked up with clean terminals, it showed the same voltage and verified at the main junction box in the engine compartment and grounded to vehicle grounds in the engine bay (inclusive of the starter ground). I checked all fuses (not broken) with the exception of verifying the fuse in the passenger compartment (up behind the E-brake) that is all silver and cannot be seen through. I believe that’s ignition. I have swapped relays (matching part numbers) with no changes. The ignition switch was swapped out today and power verified in off/acc/run/start. I even attempted to jump start with another vehicle and zero difference behind showing 13.7-14.1V across the system.
The instrument cluster has zero life in the gauges or any of the warning lights that should appear in the run position. Before pulling the battery terminals off, I did connect my OBDII scanner and got the single code for emissions that I was already aware of. In my head that would mean the PCM is alive. Now it has zero codes after reading, but the battery was disconnected for a while. PATS is acting completely normal with a slow red light link with the key out of the ignition and no light with the key in. We have 2 keys, without a change from either. I have traced all the visible wiring harnesses with no sign of wires being disturbed by rodents, chafing, or melting.
I have time to be surgical in this process of redoing all the grounds, yet they look fine. We live in the southeast US and rust isn’t an issue here. The question becomes the instrument cluster. I have removed it with zero change from hooked up or not. I cannot see any visible damage to the chips, but I haven’t dismantled it. Previous to now there have been zero issues with the cluster or starting since the new batt/alternator last summer.
Wondering where I should look next?... I’m assuming that the vehicle won’t even attempt a start without the cluster functioning. Being that the cluster seems to be dead, there are sites offering to rebuild it if sent to them (avoiding dealer reprogramming). Can anyone attest to this train of thought or offer other solutions?
Thanks in advance!