Starting problems

[mfitz725]

Today I went out to my 94 Explorer started it up and went to an appointment. Left the appointment and went to Pharmacy. Went back to the Exp and it wouldn't start. Seemed like the battery was dead, only clicked once and nothing. Called for help and someone came and it jumped right off. Drove to AutoZone to have the battery checked, they said it was 100%. Had to turn it off for them to check the battery and it would not restart same one click and nothing. Guy said it sounded like the starter. A nice guy in the parking lot let me try to jump it off, nothing, would not turn over. I called a friend for help and while waiting for him, for unknown reasons, I turned the key and it started. Drove home and parked then started it 4 times in a row.

Is this maybe a sign the starter is about to go? I put a new solenoid on it last week. Anybody have any insight?

 

[trashtruck]

autozone should also be able to put your starter on the machine and check it. it wouldn't hurt.

 

[Rhett]

It might also be the leads coming loose from the starter -- may explain why it is intermittent. Sometimes it is making contact, other times not.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Had this happen on a early 90's GM. One click and the whole vehicle went dead. Pulled the battery cables off, called the parts store and had them set one aside, hooked it back up for ***** and giggles and all was well. Still installed the new battery as the old one was 7 or so years old at the time. Still works as a boost or for jumping small engines. However, this year, it happened again. Definitely not a battery issue but rather a terminal issue. The side terminals, were stripped and I had to replace the captured nut since it no longer provided enough clamping force. Has been fine since.

Obviously you've narrowed it down to he leads and starter. My point for the story above is that if you want a reliable electrical system on a 20+ year old vehicle, fix everything up. Get the alternator & battery tested, replace the cables, clean & apply copious amounts of dielectric grease to any joints or terminals. It's likely your starter is on it's way out but I'd also put blame on the cables. Cable corrosion makes the starter work harder and if it was me buying a new starter, I'd put new cables on too. It's not a horrible job, you're already underneath the car. This way, you know your whole system is perfect. It's a cheap way for a lot of peace of mind.

I took a bunch of pictures of my utterly fried battery cables, you can see them here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...94x-battery-cables.250186/page-3#post-3309529

 

[OneofMany]

You have a bad connection. What happens is that resistance creates heat. A light bulb is a resistor. Once the bad connection gets so hot the resistance increases to 0 flow. Since your interior lights and all then fail I would assume the problem is in the battery cables and or their connections. You should be able to feel heat or even see a puff of smoke when this happens and know exactly where the problem is. You can use a multi-meter to check for Ohms. Check your ground straps too.

 

[malohnes]

I'm with OneofMany.

These cables are prone to corrode after 20 years of use. The corrosion migrates up the cables from the battery terminals out, typically from the ground cable but also from positive lead too. Check them first, then go testing solenoid and starter. My bet is on the cables.

 

[Centaurious]

check the fender mounted starter solenoid, it can be a problem as well