Perfectly good starting 91 Exployer all of a sudden today, CLICK nothing!

Has 140,000 miles on it, so after trying to jump start it with the same results (eliminate the battery) I buy the fender well solinoid. $20.00 Same result. So what the heck, it old, I like it, spend money on a new starter$130.00, still CLICK!

HELP!

Out of ideas and almost out of money!

KLR650

 

When you say CLICK, I am guessing you can hear the starter try and turn, or does it turn at all?

First things I would check is the cables - making sure there is no breaks in either, and that the negative is connected on the bottom side. I would check those and let us know...

Not trying to insult with a simple check, but had a friend find this out the hard way. His negative finally got tired after 200,000 miles on his X, all the engine heat, corrosion, etc, and broke on the bottom. He had just enough of the wire still connected to light up a test light, but when he would hit the starter, there was not enough there to run the juice back to the battery and would kill it before it ever turned over...

 

Click meaning no turn at all on the starter.
While changing out the starter, I did look under there at the cables. Maybe I missed one? Stumped!

 

Update on problem: Checked power to red battery lead to starter. Has power to ground. Also junped a ground wire (battery cable) from battery to starter chassy. Still click. Took of new starter and had bench checked good.

Traced all cables look OK. With lights on, turn ignition, lights barely even dim when it just goes click.

I am out of ideas! HELP PLEASE

Barry

 

KL- didn't want you to think I ran off - just trying to get a couple of concrete ideas from a couple of tech friends before we have you chasing parts and wires... I will be back as soon as I can with some positive ideas...

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-May-02 AT 00:30 AM (EST)]Take a volt meter and make the following checks (use an analog meter to get a clearer picture of what is going on.
Set meter to 25 volt DC scale and measure the following while holding the KEY IN THE START POSITION. Any reading less than 8 volts is unnacceptable, and indicates a problem. BE SURE TO MEASURE FROM THE BATTERY POSTS, DON"T TRY TO CHEAT AND USE A FRAME GROUND FOR MEASURMENT REFRENCE POINT. You could have a bad engine/frame ground.
1. Measure across the battery posts themselves, if less than 8 then battary is low or cell is bad, recharge and/or replace battery.
2. Measure to the + (red) connector cable on battery, if >8 then clean post/connector, retest.
3. Measure to both sides of solenoid (large terminals), if input to solenoid is bad, replace cable battery to solenoid, if output is bad, check small lead from key circuit is energising solenoid/ ?replace solenoid.
4. Measure big lead at starter post, if >8 then replace cable from soleniod to starter.

If all above tests are OK then path from + Battery terminal to starter is OK, now verify ground return path from starter case to - battery terminal.

5. Measure voltage at starter case. (DO THIS WITH KEY IN START POSITION ALSO) If any voltage is present, ground return path is bad. Find/fix/ replace open in engine ground to battery ground path. To test, You can use a jumper cable from a metal point on the engine block to the -(Black) battery terminal.

If all above checks OK then God forbid you could have a frozen engine. Try to rotate crankshaft to verify engine will spin relatively easily, if engine spins over, get another starter and try again. Your starter may test/work on a bench but not have enough torque to work under a load.
Dialtone

 

 

Problem fixed due to your input!

Found a slice in the ground cable about 4 inches up from where it attaches to the engine. Opened it up and it was full of white corrosion powder. Cleaned it up good (till I can replace it) and lo and behold it cranked right up.

Just there was just enough resistance under load to keep it from completing the connection.

Thanks to all you for your suggestions! What a learning experience!