Hello,I have a 2011 Ranger 4 cylinder 5 speed, sometimes it will start to crank and stops, sometimes it will do nothing but click under dash on passenger side until I keep trying till it starts other times it cranks right up. I took wires off battery and starter and cleaned them up they looked good. Battery has good charge. Any help would be appreciated . Thank you Leon

 

I see you don't have any replies yet, so will see if I can get things started.

Did the problem come about suddenly after some event???
If you've scanned for trouble code clues using your ELM scan tool & running FORScan diagnostic freeware thats tweaked for Fords, post All code Numbers, as this combo can access All of the vehicle computer / controllers for trouble code clues. including Ford specific codes that can often help focus a trouble shoot.

You've done some good work already on some good suspects. In the old days, this intermittent no crank would put a starter commutator winding, or worn brush, high up on the suspect list, but now-days there are more safety controls in the starter circuit that need to be included in the suspect list & is one of the reasons for the trouble code scan & if the problem came about suddenly questions.

Seeing as this iis a manual tranny, when the starter won't crank the engine, try shifting to "N" , then try cranking the engine.
If no joy, operate the clutch pedal a few times & or thump the inter-lock safety switch to see if its sticking. Don't know if this year / model also requires a foot on the break pedal to start but if so, add that switch to the safety switch interlock suspect list.
If no trouble code clues & all that checks out, try Thumping the starter motor case with a non-metallic item, like a piece of wood 2x4 or a plastic dead blow hammer, or the Handle of a hammer to see if the starter will wake up & run. Some beginning thoughts for consideration, let us know what you find.

 

Thank you for the reply, This happened a couple times over the summer but last week when it got cold it started happening more frequently. I tried the clutch trick and putting in neutral but did not help I will get this put on scanner and see what it says . I found out yesterday if you hold the switch in start position for a few seconds it will start cranking. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again

 

Ok good feedback & more good clues, so it began in warm weather & has become more frequent with cooler temps & the last clue is a interesting one, could be a voltage drop under load or something hanging up mechanically , or maybe a combination of the two.
So tell us how old the battery is & how you checked it & came to the conclusion its ok???
Did you check each cell's specific gravity with a temp compensating hydrometer, or performed a under load voltage drop test across the battery posts while cranking the engine or a battery load tester, or just a no load voltage reading across the posts, to get an idea of its state of charge???

 

Original starter or a replacement? Sometimes it is hard to get a good replacement.

 

Maybe consider a Motorcraft Re-man starter, less costly than new & quality is usually better than Re-built. Or if you have a local starter rebuilder with a known good reputation, have them quote the job.

 

Battery is at 12.5 charge cannot get a scan because check engine light is not on. I have never changed starter it's been in there for sometime so has battery.

 

Ok good feedback on the battery & 12.5 volt reading. Was that a 77 deg F unloaded measurement???. If so, it says the battery is at about a 90% SOC, or depending on how cold it was when the reading was made. The closer to 77F, the closer to 90% SOC the measured 12.5 volt number says the SOC is.
Have you tried thumping the starter with a non metallic waker-upper when it won't crank the engine??? Or wiggeled the battery cables, or solenoid 12 volt connections???

 

Checked battery at app.50 degrees all connections are clean and tight hasn't acted up for a couple days.