I have an 89 Laforza, no comments please, that fails to run and the starter is being drained. It has a 5.0 Bronco V8 of the same year in it. Quick story: I am driving down an interstate in April and a puff of white smoke comes from under my dash. I stop the car open the hood and more white smoke. The car starts and then stops immediately.

I get towed to a shop they tell me the starter is being drained and $500.00 later they never did the compression check I ask for. I have it home and replaced the starter today with the same symptom. The plugs are out and the starter turns over and then quickly slows down. It won't turn over until it cools off for a few minutes.

I will take a compression check tomorrow. If that is good then I have an engine that won't run and a starter that is being drained. Any suggestions? Assuming the compression is ok, what electrical problems could this be having and how can it be diagnosed? Will a computer diagnostic find it.

Thanks

 

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Sounds like a short that makes contact when the starter turns the motor over. The motor doesn't move when sitting still but during start, it may move just enough to cause the short, or when running it does it. First thought would be the starter itself but you already replaced that. So I would start looking at the wiring. DO you get a smell of burning wires when this happens?

 

I have pulled off the shroud around the steering wheel and there are no burned wires around the ignition switch. I checked the fuses as well as pulled off the fuse box and looked at the wires underneath it, again no burned fuses or wires. If we assume that it is a short we have to remember that it is not just the starter that is being affected, but the engine is being shut down after only a few seconds. That is why I am asking if anyone has a clear idea of what is wrong and where to precisely look or if it can be the computer and why.

I have no smell now of any burning wire.

BTW Billybob you are in Aurora, I am up in Basalt near Aspen.

 

Dont forget the wiring to the starter itself as well as the solenoid even the ground to the engine block.


Use to hunt up there around Basalt...now just around Toponas

 

The smoke in the cab and engine compartment still throws me. I'll check the ground wires.

I am glad that you know my area.

 

I have a 90 302 Bronco. The alternator shorted out and drained the battery, even with the key off. White smoke came from where the wiring harness entered the alternator. The local alternator rebuild shop said this was a weakness in that particular alternator, and ford corrected it later (1993?). A new alternator solved the problem. Hope this helps.

 

Interesting. but did your car still run? Remember mine starts and then dies in few seconds. Because of that I doubt it is an alternator as I charged the battery and it should run with the battery juice for at least a few minutes.

 

I just read a brilliant article by another guy on the net. I wrote him and he had an interesting slant on this. He is thinking that the problem might be an accessory like the alternator or something like that. His thought is that if it is locked up it may only be able to make one or two turns before freezing up. His suggestion is to see if I can turn the engine by hand. If I can and it locks up remove the belts one at a time and see what is causing the bind. I am hoping that he is correct as this is an easy fix.

My thought is, the white smoke that I saw may have been the result of someting like the alternater burning up and locking up. Remember I heard a whirring sound that may have been from something about to lock up.

I have a spare boat battery that I could use to test the battery. I'll try both of these things today and see what I find. I would love to solve this problem.


The bad news is that I took the belt off and it still locks up. All of the pulleys turn freely. I had to take off air hoses for the fuel injection as well as the the top radiator hose. It was a b***h to get to the belt tensioner bolts. I now see that I should change the fan belt as it has cracks.

The good news is that I can now here a spark arching when it seems to lock up. Now I have to get someone else to turn it over and see if I can locate where the short is. Now that I think about it the arching may be the spark plug wires becasue the plugs are out. damn!

 

With the belts off I can rotate the engine freely clock wise. I did 3 rotations. If I go the opposite directions clockwise it becomes tight immediately. I did not want to force it. Is an engine suppose to turn freely in one direction? Are there worm gears or something that only work in one direction. such as on the distributor?

I changed out the battery and tried my boat battery with no luck. The same problem persists. So the starter and battery are eiliminated.