Hi everyone, new to the site here! I have a 1971 ford f100 ranger xlt. Last night, I took my girlfriend out for ice cream in my truck and when I got back I turned the truck off then I turned the key to turn it back on only to have a clicking noise from the solenoid. The terminal cables were hot, the ground smoked slightly but when I turned them I keep getting a clicking sound. Is this a ground cable issue or starter solenoid? The battery is fairly new. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

 

No way to tell yet. Need some more information, and probably some testing on your part.
Can you post up a picture of the passenger side of your engine compartment?
Specifically the wires around the starter relay/solenoid?

How far did you drive it before this happened?
When you turned it off, how long before you tried to start it again?
You said you turned the key “ON” but did you mean you turned it to START instead?
Is the starter relay bolted to the body with good clean bolts and holes? No rust or new paint in the way?
When you get the click, does everything else in the truck still work? Heater motor, headlights, horn, etc.?

Just a few things to get us started down the path.

 

Not to mention the alternator and/or charging circuit.

 

Hot cables is not a good sign but before you go throwing parts at it read this and run the test
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
If you want to thru parts at it replace ALL the battery cables. You can not tell if they are good or bad, well you can tell really bad cables.
But getting hot is a sign they could be bad as the resistance is high. The test above will tell you if it is or not.

As for the solenoid dont replace it just yet but if you do DO NOT buy the cheapest you can get. Ask for top of the line one, cheap do not last.
I run a NAPA top of the line and not had any problems with it in years.

Grounds go from battery to motor> frame. Motor> to firewall 10ga wire to ground cab. Some run a 10ga wire from frame to the bed to ground it too..
As said the solenoid need to be grounded where it is mounted to.
Dave ----

 

I drove it a couple of miles to and from. I checked the ground cable, I am thinking it’s that, I’m going to make sure there’s no issues when reconnecting the ground to the block. Headlights work, turn signals work, etc. Tried to start it up about two to three minutes after I had turned it off. I’m pretty sore now it’s not the solenoid.

 

Ok so update, I replaced negative battery ground cable and solenoid. The cables no longer get hot, but it’s still doing the clicking sound. The only other things I can think of is perhaps replacing positive terminal or just pull starter and replace. Thoughts?

 

Do the voltage drop test mentioned above. This will 100% tell you if it's a cable , connection, or if it's the starter.
that said, I have had quite a few starters fail the last couple years on 390s, 460s and on my 400 in my bronco. I now like to buy the high torque mini starters that are available. They cost more, but they do work better and last longer( so far)

 

Well, you put in a new relay/solenoid, and a new ground. So you don't really know yet if you did the right thing. You might just have two new defective parts! Just be sure you don't throw away the old ones!
It's still certainly possible that your old one was bad, but the problem, as already mentioned, is that "new" starter relays are often bad right out of the box. Occasionally even a battery cable! So you still need to test.

The fact that it's doing the same exact thing, does lead one to believe that the new relay is not at fault. But it's not any kind of a guarantee whatsoever.
Do you have jumper cables? Testing the starting circuit between the battery and starter is easy peasy. From the ignition switch to starter relay, not quite so much. But still not that bad.

For now we'll assume that the new ground cable is good. But test the relay. Take your jumper cables and simply bypass the starter relay.
Make sure the truck is in Neutral or Park first!
Here's how you start to narrow things down.
1. Jump from one large stud on the relay/solenoid to the other. You are now bypassing the relay.
Does the starter spin? If yes, start testing the Red w/blue stripe "S" wire from the key. If no, go to step 2.
2. Jump from the starter relay's battery post directly to the starter itself.
Does it spin up? If so, replace or test the starter cable. If not, go to step 3.
3. Connect directly to the battery positive and jump to the starter directly.
Does it crank? If yes, go to step 4. If no, remove the starter and test it. Have the battery tested as well.
4. Move the jumper cables from the starter side of the relay, and connect the battery positive to the battery side of the starter relay.
Does it crank when you turn the key to START? If yes, replace the battery cable. If no, pull some more hair out (just for good measure) then keep testing...

A simpler, more linear way of doing those tests would be to start with the jumper cable on the positive battery terminal and the other end on the starter. Every time you get no joy, work your way up the supply chain. Starter, starter relay, other side of the starter relay, etc.

Paul

 

Update, I went through all the steps you guys suggested, then replaced the starter and now it’s running! Thank you all for the advice! Now to get that dreaded top bolt back on without pulling the headers, any suggestions?

 

As others have said, I also have gotten multiple bad "new" starters. I had to swap 3 in less than 3 months. They were under warranty so I gave them a chance but after the 3rd one failed I told them they struck out and made them give me my money back. Bought one from Napa and so far so good for the last year. Also I have gotten in the habit of changing all the battery cables on my trucks and customer trucks no matter what they look like. Too many times the trucks have started up just fine but after a dive they won't restart and act like the battery is low or dead.

As for the dreaded top bolt, I have found that connecting a couple long extensions together will reach all the way back to the top bolt from the front and I've been able to get them that way.




Hope this helps, good luck