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I have a 92' f150. It's been acting up on me lately, some days it won't even crank then other days it's fine.
I had to dump trash the other day and my vehicle died,I was able to get a jump and it started fine. I had the battery checked and it was good and also replaced the starter solenoid because I thought that could be a culprit, it's the one the firewall near the battery, replaced and it started up fine
Next day I went to go for a drive and it wouldn't crank, popped the hood and I touched the 2 spots on the solenoid with the key in the on position, got a small spark, but didn't start up. Went to just see if it would start and it did. Drove it and when I parked with engine running it died, but started right back up.
im at a loss, also to add sonedays when it won't crank I pressed the gas pedal and it started, a bit odd.
Sorry that it's long winded, I just need to use this truck more because my car is having problems.
Sounds like a broken ignition switch under the steering column.
Could also be your battery cables. Are the OEM or are they the part-store repair terminals with the bolts?
Sounds like a broken ignition switch under the steering column.
Could also be your battery cables. Are the OEM or are they the part-store repair terminals with the bolts?
Is there a way to test for a bad ignition switch?
I was thinking about if my cables could be the cause, there original.
I got part store terminals the basic black and red coated ones.
Is there a way to test for a bad ignition switch?
I was thinking about if my cables could be the cause, there original.
I got part store terminals the basic black and red coated ones.
In my opinion those terminals are junk. Mine kept sliding off the wire and when trying to tighten them it ended up breaking. I have read that those are meant for temporary use.
Absolutely agree with @cannothinkofaname . Those cable terminals are what you put on your car to get it running for another month before you buy another car. They cause loads of problems because the copper wire and lead corrodes out of sight. Building your own battery cables is another great way to leave yourself stranded in a parking lot. There's an art and a science to building high current battery cables that last decades, and most people dont have the skill or the tools to do it correctly.
At a minimum, carefully disassemble, check, and clean your battery cables... But it would be better to go to your local auto parts store and spend the $30 on a set of premade crimped cables.
So, when it won't start, go under the hood and put 12V+ to the center (small) terminal on your starter relay. If that makes it start normally, then you either have a problem with your ignition switch or your neutral safety switch.
As long as you have cables (battery) which end in "lugs" you can use MARINE terminals like those red and black, with decent success. dont mind the post with the solder on it, I was testing a dumb theory about filling the open areas to increase contact but didnt really change anything and I just wasted time LOL The left side was.. we dont talk about that
I suspect the comment about the repair post with the "bolts" was the negative one here in this photo. See the lead "block" it has a set screw and you would stick a bare cable end in and use that to hold it. Temporary for sure. I have done this better now, this was temporary last year, but you can see on the positive I have a "marine" post which is a stud that I put the lug of the original cable onto and then a nut on. Its crude but its acceptable if you get the surfaces flat and make good contact and secure it right.
