My explorer was running and starting fine. If you tried it 15 or 20 minutes after it had been turned off it missed, coughed and sputered for a block or two but then it was fine. Today I ran an errand for a person and came out to leave. I put the key in and tried to start it but it acted like a bad battery or corroded connection. The interior lights and idiot lights eventually came on until I tried to start it. After that the radio started hissing loadly with static and so I shut it off. Every 2or3 minutes it would start hissing again even with the key off. I locked up the car to go in and see if someone could run me home so I could get my '78 Mustang II (396HP 375Ft/lbs) It always starts. I hit the lock button on the remote to lock the car while I was gone and it started trying to lock and relock the car every 1 or 2 seconds for about 10 minutes. I open it up and held the back hatch "open" switch for a minute or two and it stopped for awhile. I came back from home with the 'Stang and some tools and found the battery voltage at 12.72 both on the post and away from the post to check corrosion. I cleaned and relaced the battery connectors to no avail. I jumped the car to try and start it with the nearly new 700CA DieHard in the EXP and the new 750 CA battery in the 'Stang. It would just barely turn over but it started and ran fine except that the ABS light was on until I got it home. If you turn it off and then get in the car the interior light comes on. If you turn the switch on (not start) the interior light dims and the idiot lights slowly come on. If you hit the start everything goes dead and the solonoid doesn't even click. The battery tests fine in the 12.7 range. I am an old fart and am only used to working on pre 1980 cars so don't have a clue where to go from here? If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Dick

 

Sounds like you have a bad / dirty connection or a bad battery. Check and clean the battery cables first. Battery may have a bad cell or one of the connectors between the cells. When a connector goes bad it can act like a circuit breaker, full voltage and good lights, try to start and everything goes dead, try a load test and look at the voltage while under a load. Most auto stores will test a battery for free. Good luck

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I had already cleaned the terminals twice so I had ruled them out. I checked the fluid in the battery and it was fine. I put a charger on the battery with the caps off and noticed that 5 of the 6 cells were clear and didn't raise any bubbles while the other cell was cloudy and was putting of some gas. It smelled like hydogen sulfide which normally means a sulfated battery but when I got the 12.7 reading I figured it was okay. It tale it in to the shop and have it checked today.
Thanks
Dick

 

One cell cloudy and bubbling while on the charger, you have a bad battery, all cell should be clear, they may bubble while charging, but all should be bubbling.

 

Take a battery reading while trying to crank. If the voltage drops below 9.5 - 10 volts, the battery is definately the problem. Either not charged or as others have said, a dead cell.
Dialtone

 

Thanks Guys,
It is off to Sears today since the Diehard is still in warranty. At least this one shouldn't be a big problem. One of my other cars came out of the shop yesterday and the suspected $200 bill was $1050.
Dick

 

Thanks again guys. It was the battery and I even had some warranty left.
Dick