Hi all!
I have a 90 2wd 3.ol Aerostar. I recently(aprox 1 month) replaced the starter. The same day after running my van all day with no problems, I stopped to do some banking and when I came out of the bank I could not start the van. All that happened was I heard a clunk and then the lights went out, literally. There was no power. after about 10 mins I noticed the overhead lights had come back on. I tried to start it and got the same results so I figured I was poping a circuit breaker some where. Anyway after the power came back I tried a third time and the van started fine. That was a month ago.
Today, after running fine all day, I stop at the house and when I go back out and try to start it, I hear a clunk, and the power goes away. This time have waited for the power to come back and tried to start it several times with no luck.
Looking for some suggestions to get me rolling in the (right/some) direction on this.
Thanks for the help,
Gene
p.s. I have searched the forum and found lots of starter posts but nothing similar.
I'd second above. When fully charged you should see about 12.8 volts from the battery (no load). You can check for a bad cell with a hydrometer, (unless you have a maintenance free battery) test each cell individually & they should all be about the same & give a fully charged reading (cant remember the exact S.G. reading). If one is substantially lower you have a bad cell & this could be the cause. Your cranking voltage will be lower & this will give problems.
It's also highly possible you have a loose/ dirty connection somewhere, this you can usually track down with a voltmeter. Anywhere there is a junction or terminal of a wire is an area for "voltage drop" caused by corrosion or a loose connection.
many auto parts stores will load test the battery and do a test of the starting/charging system for free....
Autozone is one...call ahead to confirm
just say no to their parts sales pitch and shop around...
can always beat Autozone prices at your local discount auto parts stores
Also you could have a mechanical problem, starter motor has an inertia gear on it, which engages the flywheel to turn the engine. When the starter spins ,this gear moves axially along the starter motor drive shaft, it can jam if there is sufficient wear on either flywheel gear ring or starter gear. Usually on a manual transmission you can rock the car in gear & the gear will fly back to the disengaged condition. I dont know if this technique would work with Auto transmission. The click/clunk? you are hearing could be the starter gear jamming. A heavy "click" is just the starter relay engament & is normal, but you dont notice it if the starter spins normally , due to background noise of the starter motor.
I believe the lack of power comes from a corroded terminal that when Load is placed on the battery is not making good contact. A defective relay would not diminish your accesories as they are powered separate from the Starter.
In order to replace the starter you removed the (-) cable. Right? If it had a white powder that's probably gonna be your issue. Take out the battery and clean the posts. I replaced my terminals with ones from Autozone that have a little lever as quick disconnect.
Hi all! Thanks for all the replys! I just got back and am going out to work on my van right now. Will try the suggestions and let you know what comes up.
Feels good to know I have some were to go to get quick answers. This vehicle is my primary work vehicle for my business. I am the sole operator, chief worker and every hat wearer fo my business and when my van goes down everything comes to a halt until I get it back up and running.
Again, thanks and I will let you know what happens,
Gene
Ok, ok, ok! I bow down to the Aerostar gods who came before me! hehe.
Even though I was highly skepticle and every part of me was saying crawl under the van and pull the starter and be done with it, I cleaned the battery posts and connectors. Charged the battery for a few minutes and then started my Aerostar!
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