Another Truck Problem-Need Help
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Need a little help with a '92 Ford P/U. 5.0L EFI
It won't start and it's cold outside.
Symptoms:
1.The starter solenoid clicks once.
2.The battery shows 12.26 volts on my meter.
3.I have full headlights.
4.I jumped the solenoid posts with channel locks - nothing.
5.Jumper cables have no effect.
I haven't cleaned and reinstalled the battery terminal as of yet, it's kinda late and cold- but the lights are bright.
It's on a parking lot in town and I plan to get there Wed. afternoon and need some troubleshooting tips to get this truck home. I can get the battery load tested as soon as I get there.
Starter?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Need a little help with a '92 Ford P/U. 5.0L EFI
It won't start and it's cold outside.
Symptoms:
1.The starter solenoid clicks once.
2.The battery shows 12.26 volts on my meter.
3.I have full headlights.
4.I jumped the solenoid posts with channel locks - nothing.
5.Jumper cables have no effect.
I haven't cleaned and reinstalled the battery terminal as of yet, it's kinda late and cold- but the lights are bright.
It's on a parking lot in town and I plan to get there Wed. afternoon and need some troubleshooting tips to get this truck home. I can get the battery load tested as soon as I get there.
Starter?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
0
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Ford selenoids fail regularly, are cheap and pretty easy to replace. Located in the engine compartment, on the fenderwell.
Hope you get it running.
D.0 -
Bad starter. Sometime in the 80's, 87 I believe, Ford started to put a second solenoid on the starter, GM style. That second solenoid is bad and you might as well replace the whole starter since its the small sized, hi torque style and tend to tear themselves apart. Either that or dirty battery cables going down to the starter. 0 -
Hit the solenoid once if it starts then your good to go. but youll need to do that every time if you dont buy a new one. 0 -
Very possible it is the corroded battery connections or corrosion in the battery cables. 0 -
I will check them all.
I think the wires look good.
Thanks!0 -
Make sure that you check the wires right down at the starter. I had one of that year that had one of the small wire leads right on the starter itself corrode off and let the starter fail.
It was not a fun job pulling that starter as one of the bolts on top was very difficult to get to without a hoist to let you stand under the truck. The mounting bolts may have even been metric, but it could have just been that they were reduced in size due to corrosion.0 -
Clean the terminals anyway. It wont hurt.
Try jumping the solenoid with a battery in a running car. Some Ford starters need higher voltage to pull in.
Do you get over 12V at the hot side of the solenoid? You should.
Do you get a spark when you jump the solenoid terminals?You should.
If you get voltage but no noise out of the starter when you jump the solenoid terminals, the starter needs repair/replacement.
Let us know how you make out.0 -
many, many, many people have bought new batteries, starters, solenoids when all they needed to do was clean the terminals and replace the cables.
The cables can look fine. Pull back some insulation from the end and if the copper is still clean it is good, many times there will be corrosion down under the insulation. When the weather is cold is does not take much of a weak connection to not start the car.0 -
When a battery won't make a truck start while being jumped, there's a connectivity issue - usually in the battery cables. Take the cables loose and clean them along the battery posts.
That being said, 12.26 volts may not be enough to start it in very cold weather, so the battery could be weak as well. Clean cables and posts will help get the boost to the battery if that's the case.
I had a battery freeze and crack in 16 below zero weather once; check and make sure the battery case isn't cracked.
Good luck.0 -
quote:Originally posted by TexasVet
When a battery won't make a truck start while being jumped, there's a connectivity issue - usually in the battery cables. Take the cables loose and clean them along the battery posts.
That being said, 12.26 volts may not be enough to start it in very cold weather, so the battery could be weak as well. Clean cables and posts will help get the boost to the battery if that's the case.
I had a battery freeze and crack in 16 below zero weather once; check and make sure the battery case isn't cracked.
Good luck.
Tex may be right on. 12.26 volts at the battery sounds a little low. Mine reads about a full volt higher while sitting. And when you engage the starting system that 12.26 will drop to 11 or less and could possibly not drive the starter.0 -
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by TexasVet
When a battery won't make a truck start while being jumped, there's a connectivity issue - usually in the battery cables. Take the cables loose and clean them along the battery posts.
That being said, 12.26 volts may not be enough to start it in very cold weather, so the battery could be weak as well. Clean cables and posts will help get the boost to the battery if that's the case.
I had a battery freeze and crack in 16 below zero weather once; check and make sure the battery case isn't cracked.
Good luck.
Tex may be right on. 12.26 volts at the battery sounds a little low. Mine reads about a full volt higher while sitting. And when you engage the starting system that 12.26 will drop to 11 or less and could possibly not drive the starter.
exactly, check the voltage when you turn the key as if trying to start it BUT ALWAYS CLEAN THE TERMINALS FIRST!0 -
12.26 volts is no indication of a battery's ability to put out COLD CRANKING AMPS.
You could have a battery with 3/4th's of it's cells dead and it could read 12.26 volts with only 50CCA capability.
Remove battery from working vehicle....place in truck to test before buying parts.0 -
Check and clean all connections from battery to starter. I have seen cables that were bad at the wire to terminal junction, but with factory insulation on them they look just fine. 0 -
There's a good chance that you've got a dead cell in that battery. Your voltage is definitely low, and if you've got a cell shorted out, you can have enough amperage to light everything up, but not enough to engage the starter. How dim do the lights get when you try to engage the starter or bypass the solenoid? 0 -
You have a bad starter. Smack the starter with a hammer...not too hard, but just right. Has a dead spot in the armature (open circuit). 0 -
Take the starter and the battery to the auto parts store and have them checked. Might want to check your water and make sure your engine isn't frozen. It will be better if it's just the battery. That starter is about $150 new at autozone. 0 -
Update
100% Sucess!
I found the small wire on the starter terminal shorting to the starter itself. I cut, cleaned, and reterminated it.
I then wire brushed the battery terminals and posts.
Started!
The low battery voltage was due to the dirty terminals and it came back to normal after cleaning, so the alternator could do it's job. Alternator functioning good.
I haven't worked on a vehicle in quite a few years so I appreciate all the good advise. It helped me a lot!
Thanks all![8D]0 -
typical ford...[V] 0 -
You can have 13.5 volts, full headlights and everything else, and still have a dead cell that won't give you the amps you meed to start the motor.
Turn the head lights and radio on, then try to crank it. If the head lights and radio go dead, it's the battery and a dead cell or a bad or dirty cable connection.
If not, it's either the solenoid or the starter motor.0 -
Ya typical ford he fixed somthing simple. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Topkick
Update
100% Sucess!
I found the small wire on the starter terminal shorting to the starter itself. I cut, cleaned, and reterminated it.
I then wire brushed the battery terminals and posts.
Started!
The low battery voltage was due to the dirty terminals and it came back to normal after cleaning, so the alternator could do it's job. Alternator functioning good.
I haven't worked on a vehicle in quite a few years so I appreciate all the good advise. It helped me a lot!
Thanks all![8D]
That small guage wire on the starter itself is where mine failed on my '92.0
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