Won't crank - fully charged
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Trailering
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 22
Likes: 1
Won't crank - fully charged
86 - F250 - 351
This just started out of the blue, battery is charged, reads 13.2V but it won't crank, barely even powers the dash lights up.
BUT if, I put a jump on it and crank it it starts right up and runs fine. What could cause that? Do batteries ever fail where they are holding charge but unable to deliver the requisite current the starter needs?
Never encountered this one before...battery is relatively new (2-3 yrs old), alternator was replaced about 18 mths ago along with starter solenoid.
thanks
This just started out of the blue, battery is charged, reads 13.2V but it won't crank, barely even powers the dash lights up.
BUT if, I put a jump on it and crank it it starts right up and runs fine. What could cause that? Do batteries ever fail where they are holding charge but unable to deliver the requisite current the starter needs?
Never encountered this one before...battery is relatively new (2-3 yrs old), alternator was replaced about 18 mths ago along with starter solenoid.
thanks
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 30,915
Likes: 4,123
From: Angier, NC
Welcome to FTE.
Give this link a look at and it will tell you how to test the system to find what is bad
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
But my WAG is a dirty battery connection.
Do you have them battery cable ends that clamp the wire in it?
If so replace the cable(s) now with out even testing them as they will fail at some point like now?
Dave ----
Give this link a look at and it will tell you how to test the system to find what is bad
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
But my WAG is a dirty battery connection.
Do you have them battery cable ends that clamp the wire in it?
If so replace the cable(s) now with out even testing them as they will fail at some point like now?
Dave ----
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 3,369
Likes: 16
From: Caraway, AR
Check battery connections. If you can get someone to try and crank it while you look at the battery to see if it arcs between the terminal and the connector.
Buddy of mine put two new batteries(not sure how he messed that up) and a starter solenoid on his truck with no luck. When I went to see him(out of state) I cleaned the terminals and reconnected the battery cables and she fired right up. I did happen to be next to the battery which he couldn't do while cranking.
Buddy of mine put two new batteries(not sure how he messed that up) and a starter solenoid on his truck with no luck. When I went to see him(out of state) I cleaned the terminals and reconnected the battery cables and she fired right up. I did happen to be next to the battery which he couldn't do while cranking.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Yes that is pretty common. The open circuit or unloaded voltage measurement is a key diagnostic but not as important as a load test. Measure voltage across the posts with the lights on and or cranking the starter.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 7,174
Likes: 1,174
As Dave has suggested, please run this test. It was written especially for situations like you are experiencing:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
It confirms the battery maintains adequate voltage under the heavy load of the starter, and the rest of the circuit is capable of delivering the massive flow of electrons without undue restriction.
As Tedster has mentioned, the unloaded voltage reading doesn't mean a whole lot. It just means the battery isn't totally discharged, that's all. The voltage under load is what's really important.
My hunch is you will find a marginal connection at one of the battery terminals. This restriction was bypassed when you connected the jumper cables. Run the test as detailed at the link above. It will find the fault(s) very quickly.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
It confirms the battery maintains adequate voltage under the heavy load of the starter, and the rest of the circuit is capable of delivering the massive flow of electrons without undue restriction.
As Tedster has mentioned, the unloaded voltage reading doesn't mean a whole lot. It just means the battery isn't totally discharged, that's all. The voltage under load is what's really important.
My hunch is you will find a marginal connection at one of the battery terminals. This restriction was bypassed when you connected the jumper cables. Run the test as detailed at the link above. It will find the fault(s) very quickly.
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