So I picked up my new to me 1998 Expedition Eddie Bauer and everything was great until I got home and could not start the car again. Everything seemed to work fine on the drive home but now it won't crank. I have good battery, lights come on, radio works etc. I read through a lot of posts on what it could be but just looking for any insight for my day full of troubleshooting tomorrow.
Symptom: I hear a click of sorts when I try to start the truck, but hear no starter cranking. I have what seems to be full power, all accessories work just fine.
Testing plan tomorrow:
1) Measure battery voltage
2) Check ignition signal wires (not sure where this is, what is a good manual to purchase?)
3) Check solenoid (again, not sure where it is)
4) Rip apart dash and take a look at the GEM and be angry!
Any other ideas/suggestions? Thanks, and let me tell you how happy I am with the purchase
Try Jump starting it first.
Check all the fuses. Under dash and under hood.
Make sure the park lever is fully in park. (if automatic)
(if manual - depress clutch all the way)
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The clicking is the solenoid trying to engage the starter. Check battery connections first. Then follow the positive lead to the solenoid, check connections again. It has been so long since I owned a Ford, I am not sure if the solenoid is on the starter or in the engine bay. Maybe someone else can help with that detail.
Either the power isn't getting to the starter or the battery is too weak to spin it. Lights and such take much less power than a starter so you could still have working electrics and no start.
__________________ 1999 Expedition XLT, big and green, 5.4, 4x4, 285/70-17 Dunlop MT's, factory skid plates, magnaflow muffler.
Start with checking connections for the starter and battery. Test the battery and starter. If its not one of those then it has to be your alternator.Im sure your problem will be one of those. As Big Greenie said lights on, radio on is not a good test of the battery strenght.
So I picked up my new to me 1998 Expedition Eddie Bauer and everything was great until I got home and could not start the car again.
It sounds like you're not all the way in park and the neutral safety switch is locking out the starter. Try tightening the torx bolts as described in this thread:
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If you are hearing clicking when you turn the key then you aren't dealing with a neutral safety switch.
Take the battery out and have it tested. Make sure it is charged before the test. Then have it load tested.
The type of click you are hearing is also pertinent. Are you hearing a rapid clicking sound? Or just one click/clunk sound when you turn the key? The first is an indication of a bad battery or bad battery cable connections. The latter is typical of a bad starter.
If you get the one clunk kind of sound. You can lightly tap on the starter with a hammer while someone else is turning the key. Be very careful doing this so as to not get run over. Doing this will often free up the starter and it will start just fine. But you would still need to replace the starter cause that trick will only work for so long.
Thanks for the tips. I had the battery tested today and it was fine. Put it back in the truck, and it still wouldn't start. Just one click/clunk is all I hear. Looked around some more and then it started! I let it run for a few minutes, then turned it off. It has not started since then. The started sounds like a possibility, and maybe I need to check the wires/grounding. I will report back when I find the answer!
Was this a private sale or did you get it from a used or new car dealer?
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Private party sale. Today I tapped on the starter while starting and it works! Seems pretty consistent now when I tap the started so I am going to have that replaced tomorrow. Hopefully no other gremlins...
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1999 Expedition XLT, big and green, 5.4, 4x4, 285/70-17 Dunlop MT's, factory skid plates, magnaflow muffler.
