I've got an 89 Ranger 4wd, at, 2.9L that won't start. I've read through alot of
the previous posts on the electrical forum and the ranger forum, and I haven't
found what I'm looking for. What happens is this: when I turn the key on I get
everything on the dash and the dome light. When I turn it to the start
position, everything goes dead (no dash lights, no dome light). The only way I
can get it to come back is to disconnect the negative cable, and the process
starts again. I've tested the battery (drops to 11.2V with 350A load), I'm
getting 12.4V to the solenoid from the ign switch/neutral safety switch, and I've
tried to bypass the solenoid with a jumper from the battery positive. I've
checked the fuses in the power distribution box and the panel under the dash.
I've had the starter tested, as it was the original, and replaced it for good
measure. I also replaced the positive and negative cables at the same, insuring
that the small lead for the negative to the radiator support was replaced as
well. I steel wire brushed all the contact points for the batt cables, the
solenoid,the battery itself, and the starter. I wanted to test the relay for the
eec, and found when I removed the assembly (fuel pump, eec, & wot relays)
that the wires' shieldings were disentigrating right where they go into the
connectors. I had to quit for the night, as it's early morning now, but I intend
on cleaning up what I can of them later today, after work. My questions are:
1)Is there a way to test the relays themselves, since I have to remove them
anyway? and 2)Are the actual connector ends available for replacement
through aftermarket, or only Ford? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Rob

 

What happened when you did this? You jumped the large wires correct? Do you have the fender mounted solenoid, or the kind on the starter(you may have both).

 

If you wouldn't mind, humour me for a moment.
If you can restore power by removing & replacing the negative cable, that should be the place to look closer? Yes? Is the - battery post and - clamp all nice & smooth, as in no pits/divots/damage? Is the clamp the aftermarket repair part type with the hold-down bracket attaching the cable?
Try using your booster cables' negative to by-pass the existing negative battery cable like a jumper wire just to see if you still loose all power like before.
AL.

 

I purchased the internal connector ends at Checker for the eec and fuel pump relays,
and I replaced those earlier. I'll get the ones for the wot relay today. I'm replacing all
the ends and heat-shrinking the joint/exposed wires as I go. Afterwards, I reconnected
the battery & gave it a shot. This time I got a solid solenoid click, and then everything
died again. Voltage at the battery afterwards was 12.48V and I re-load tested it with
10.8V being the result. Also, I tested for codes for the heck of it, while the battery
was still hooked up. The first KOEO test came up with 11,11,15,15. I did it again to
verify, and it came up 11,11,11,11. I did it a third time & got the same, four 11's.
In my book, 15 is eec rom failed or eec keep alive memory failed. Once again, I had to
stop for the morning, as I go to work in 4 hours.
Dave, I have only the fender mounted solenoid with the single small post. I tried
jumping from the positive batt post to the small post, as well as jumping the 2 large
posts. Both tests did nothing and according to my evtm, it says the solenoid is bad.
I've since put on my spare one & got a new one, and both did the same thing,
nothing.
AL, I did replace the batt terminal ends with the new cables, with the aftermarket type
with the hold-down bracket. On the negative, I soldered new ring terminals on the
small accessory wire at both ends. I've cleaned both the inside diameter of the clamps
and the posts of the battery. I'm not sure what you mean by using the jumper on the
negative. Do you mean using jumper cables to connect the negative post of the batt
to the engine block? Please tell me more. Also, thanks for the quick responses,
gentlemen. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work on it for a couple of days, but I'll
check back as soon as I do. Rob

 

You have one of the following bad.
1. Battery
2. Battery cables (+ & -)
3. Bad Ground

If it will not crank with a jumper from the Pos post to where the small red wire with a blue stripe was (small terminal) on the starter solenoid do not worry about the rest of the truck for now.

As Dealford said above take a jumper cable and put one from the Neg Post to the block and the other one from the Pos post to the starter solenoid where the battery cable hooks on.
Turn on the headlights.
Touch a jumper from the Pos post to where the small red wire with a blue stripe was (small terminal) on the starter solenoid.
If the headlights go out and stay out after take this small jumper off and it did not crank replace the Battery.
If it did crank OK remove one jumper at a time until it no longer cranks and you have your problem.

One more thing, make sure the starter solenoid has a good ground, if you do not have a good body ground this might cause all of this too. The starter solenoid coil is grounded through its mounting bolts most of the time.

 

I agree, don't get side tracked on all the other little relays.

If it will not crank over by jumping the two large posts on the starter relay(solenoid), it can only be a few things related to the large wiring. Since you have been messing with the battery cables, I would suspect a bad battery. But it seems lately that a lot of people writing in with problems are running across large ground cables that are installed incorrectly.

We went round and round once because someone had moved the negative battery cable to an aluminum bracket on the engine. We went round and round another time because someone had moved the negative cable to the frame, and then to the starter. It should be bolted directly to a clean place on the engine block.

 

On the right side or frame under engine the ground wire hooks on and goes to the engine. The problem could bewhere the cable clamp hooks to the frame. It did it to me one time on a 1989 F150

 

Hello again. Sorry to take so long to write in, but the computer's been disconnected
(had to remodel the office to a nursery...the blue Ford blood will live on through my
son!). Anyway, after finishing the wiring on the WOT relay and remounting everything,
the truck started with no problems. No cables, connections, or anything else messed
with. Go figure. Thanks for all the great info. I'd be lost without you guys. Rob