Hey guys,
I have the 2003 Navigator. Today I went out to start it and the dome light and dash lights came on but not a peep from the engine. It done this in a parking lot a few weeks ago too but after turning the key over about 10 times it finally started

So I came on the forum, A great wealth of info here that I use A LOT, Thanks guys for all your contributions.

So getting back to it, I messed with the gear shifter, back and forth from neutral to park. turn the key engine still wont start.

Then a slight clunk noise while trying to start the motor in neutral, it was a very faint clunk.

Then tried a few more times to start it, in drive and neutral, then it finally started in neutral. Now I shut it off and then put it in park and it started up no problem every time I tried to start it after this. It has been sitting for only a day, yesterday I put a new battery in it. The old battery was only showing 3.6 volts after sitting for a week without being used, so it was time to replace it. the old battery was 4 yrs old an Autozone Gold (when I went out to start the truck today the new battery Ever start from Walmart had 12.25 volts showing in it.)

Also no codes are showing on the scan tool.

Any ideas on what it maybe stopping it from starting?

 

Hey guys, so no one out of 80 views has any ideas?

Did you guys need more info, if so please let me know and I will answer the best I can.

 

So I went out to start the truck today and nothing again would not start motor cranked but would not start. Tried moving gear shifter like the day before, still nothing. I could hear a relay clicking on the passenger side fuse panel. Went over and started tapping on the relays while trying to start the truck and it half cranked, then more tapping and it started. Then it wouldn't start again. So I switched 2 of the relays around and it started no problem a bunch of times. Then I switched them back and it kept starting no problems at all. So its intermittent.

anybody got any ideas what they even remotely think it is?

 

Not sure why it would be so random in various gears. All I can think of is to take off the starter and inspect its teeth to see if anything could be keeping it from catching. Doesnt sound like a battery issue if your lights and other electronics are working though.

 

You need to connect a voltmeter positive lead to the main starter terminal and the negative to the starter body. Then try starting and see if you're getting full power to the starter. If you are it's a bad starter, if not it's likely a relay, the DTR sensor, or the ignition switch.

 

Now I have another symptom. The Rear hatch, when I push the button on the key FOB to open it, it opens up, then when it gets fully opened, it very slowly closes and latches all by itself. Looks like I got a Gremlin. The door locks dont always open with the key FOB too ever since this has been happening with the starting issue.

 

Thanks alloro, I will start with that and get back with you.

 

Are you sure the connections to your new battery are clean and tight?

 

Yes the battery connections are tight. I did clean them too.

 

Well I had time to dig into my truck today.

I found out what the problem was.

I had an idea that it was the fuse box on the passenger side kick panel. I tore into it and took it out to inspect it. The relay for the starter was full of water. it was rusted out bad inside. So i switched it with another relay and it started right up. I did have corrosion on the circuit board and totally took the fuse panel apart. Took all the fuses out disassembled the panel itself and checked it out. I sand blasted the corrosion away and am getting a new windshield put in tomorrow.

So the relay was the problem and it got ruined by water leaking from the windshield.

Yes I am another victim of the infamous Ford leaky windshield.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

Also the back hatch is just the shocks that hold up the hatch itself are very weak. It just so happened at the same time the starting problems happened. So they were unrelated.

Ill replace the shocls and am confident that it will solve that problem.