Starter Problem?!

[swhite005]

1991 Ford Explorer 4.0L 4x4 EB

When I turned the key to start the engine today, all I heard were a couple of clicks from the engine...the accessories turned on including the a/c, but the engine would not turn over. I let it sit for a couple seconds then tried it again...this time, the accessories turned on, but no noise in the engine. Let it sit some more...Turned the key and it started up normal.

This happened once before when my brother was driving it about a week ago. It runs fine once the engine starts, but the fact that it didn't initially start worries me... I'd hate to get stuck somewhere when the vehicle won't start.

What might be the issue? Thanks

 

[the63duck]

try replaceing the starter relay it is on the passanger side front fender most of the time it gets carboned up and then it wont flow the power to the starter

 

[ryf]

I had that problem, check your connections, could be anything from a loose nut on the starter/battery/solenoid, to a wire thats internally corroded like mine was, the wires are generally known to be crap, rotting from the inside out, not sure if thats true of the dry aired cali's though.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136906

 

[Vanquish502]

This is simple. You have a flat spot in the starter. Only fix is a new starter. If it doesnt turn over you need to hit the starter with a hammer or something. Eventually the flat spot will become a flat starter, and it will get harder and harder for the starter to turn the motor over. It will eventually kill your battery.

If you keep going with the 'hit it til' it starts' approach it will take more and more hits each time.

 

[HammsBoy]

went out to my truck this morning and the same thing happened. Went to start it for work and all I got was a couple of clicks. Started and ran fine yesterday. Would it be the starter, relay or what? How can I determine what it is? thanks

 

[JDraper]

Three possible problems...one is a flat spot in the starter as mentioned above, the second is loose connections, and the third is internally corroded battery cables. Usually it's the positive cable that supplies power to the starter. This is a common problem on the Gen 1 Explorers. The wires look fine from the outside, but have internal corrosion. You can check it with an ohm meter (multimeter). Disconnect the positive terminal and check the resistance from the battery end of the cable down to the starter end of the cable. It should be well under 20 ohms. If it's higher than that, time to replace the cable.

I've seen this on several Explorers, and heard of it in tons of them. The symptoms match what both of you are seeing.

 

[savagefan]

Get in there and clean all your battery terminals and grounds, and solenoid connections.

 

[Josh]

Replace the battery cables. Cheapest and easiest place to start. Providing you have checked all the connections and cleaned everything. Make sure you scrape both the connectors and the battery terminals when cleaning.

 

[Positive Vibes]

Yep what Draper said. Don't know why people don't start with the easiest checks. Check your battery connections, check battery, check connections on starter and solinoid. My solinoid actually came loose. Replaced missing screw, tightended and was good to go. Start with the easy stuff first.