Starter Troubles?

[v_eziwd]

Ran into an issue where my 1996 Ford Explorer XLT won't crank over, all I hear is a clicking noise. To be more specific, I'll occasionally hear the starter just BARELY make a noise as if it's trying to turn/engage, but it simply doesn't have enough in it to even turn. This doesn't happen every time, and usually it's nothing but a click.

I've read various threads on this forum on what to check and I troubleshooted everything else; battery is basically brand new, connections are fine and the battery had a full charge, starter fuse/relays are okay, neutral safety switch doesn't have a loose connection, etc. I had another car hooked up to the battery just in-case. Soon after checking everything that I could think of, I tried the method that involves tapping with a hammer but this didn't make a difference. As I was trying to start it after using the hammer method, the starter abruptly did 'something' and the entire truck lurched, but then went back to not doing anything. Shortly after, I noticed that the 'clicking noise' died down, in the sense that were were originally clicks coming from two different places but now I only hear it from the solenoid in the fender. Does that mean the other solenoid on the starter went bad, or there could be some faulty connections to the starter?

Any ideas?

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Probably your starter. And/or the solenoid on the top of the starter that is manufactured as a single unit.

I had my starter power wires short out on the frame just above the starter. This did some odd things, including fry the starter and starter wiring. If this is your problem, the wiring just above the starter will be disintegrated. But this seems like an odd problem...

Probably your starter. Good luck.

 

[MrQ]

I concur sounds like your starter. Sometimes the hammer trick doesn't always work.