I have a 1993 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 with an automatic tranny. i went to go start it this afternoon and it cranked over kind of slow a couple of times but then started. i thought it was wierd and did not want to get stranded anywere so i turned off the truck after letting it idle for a little bit. i then went to start it again and the starter just clicked once then nothing. i tried the power windows, radio, interior light, radio, and they all worked. i tried to start again and it did the same thing... just one click. i checked the cables to the battery and the "+" cable had some corrosion on it, so i cleaned it off and tried to start again. This time nothing. tried the power stuff... nothing. i had a friend take me to autozone to test the battery and it tested good. i also cut back some insulation on the "+" battery cable and the copper wires were green with corrosion but not a lot, i mean the wires werent brittle... well, i dont know what to do if the battery is good. can anyone help?????? thanks

 

Check your ground wire to the frame and engine. May be corroded.

 

Did/does the battery need to be recharged? if it does you may have a problem with the alternator not recharging the battery. It may be the battery cable to the starter, corrosion in the cable causes high resistance. It could be the starter itself , if all else is good try and tap on the starter housing (not on the solenoid) with a hammer and see if it starts. Or it is the started solenoid.

Does that help?

 

check all battery cables and then my advice is to take off the neg terminal over night. then come back and see what it does

Matt

 

i have no clue what is wrong with this thing... i took out the battery cables (which is a pain in the butt, by the way) and cleaned up the surfaces of all the connections, but still nothing. my voltmeter is still at zero when i turn the key to the on position. one thing i did notice was when i was taking the wires off the starter solenoid, it moved around quite a bit. i mean i think its only supposed to move in and out to engage and disengage; but i can twist it and move it around like almost pulling it straight out of the starter. is this normal??? i dont know anymore and i am in dire need of help please

 

Hi there,

I (and many others) are having the exact same problem with the 93 and 94 rangers. I was told that the battery cables that ford used easily corroded. I have narrowed it down to the positive cable. The problem is, in at least the 93 ranger with a fender mounted relay, the positive battery cable is an a complete unit that isn't available in after market parts stores (at least not in my area). I called the ford dealer, and they wanted $235 for the assembly (the person in the parts department was as shocked as I was).

Problem is, Ford fused/combined the cables at both the battery terminal and at the relay (to form a complete harness). Specifically, there are two red cables coming from the lead terminal, one leading directly to the starter, and one leading to the relay. At the relay, there is a U shaped plastic connector containing the battery-to-relay cable (with that end bolted to the connector) and also in the U-shaped connector there is the cable that leads from the other post of the relay to the starter. Point being.. you can't just replace on link (for example, the battery-to-relay cable.

I obviously am not going to pay $235 for a replacement harness. I am going to buy 3 new cables (if available) (one from relay to starter, one from battery to relay, and one from the battery to the starter).

My question is (answer may be obvious, but I am stuck not close to auto parts store to look, etc), is it possible to buy an aftermarket batter cable that will accept two fairly thick guaged cables. I am thinking something like a clamp where I can feed the bare wires into and tighten.

If anybody else has had this issue (not wanting to spend the money for Fords assembly) and if they have found an easy solution, I would appreciate it.

Sorry for directing this post away from the original person.. but I think this will help him/her as well.

Thanks
Scott

 

Am I understanding this......"one thing i did notice was when i was taking the wires off the starter solenoid, it moved around quite a bit. i mean i think its only supposed to move in and out to engage and disengage; but i can twist it and move it around like almost pulling it straight out of the starter.".......the studs the wires attach to are moving?

 

If you can remove your starter, most auto places will check it. I know our local Autozone does it for free. That may narrow it down a little more.