I've had the above vehicle for about 10 months and have not had any problems at all! Today I drove the vehicle for a short drive, 4 miles, and parked it to do some shopping. I came out and tried to start the vehicle but the starter would not function at all. I checked all the fuses and tried my other coded key to eliminate my other key being disabled. Nothing has worked and I had to have the vehicle towed home until I can get it to the dealership on Monday. Does anyone have any idea what would be causing this problem? I have plenty of battery power, gas and the vehicle has only 9250 miles on it. Any solutions or tips?

Thanks
Z Man

 

Welcome to FTE. Is the power actually getting to the starter? Did you check for any codes?
If I'm not mistaken there is a forum for Excursions. You might get some better ideas there.

 

Thread moved to the Excursion forum You should get some help here.

-Matt

 

Haven't checked the power to starter yet and I don't have a code checker.
Thanks for the tips and help!
Z Man

 

Thanks for the help! I'm sure someone has had this problem on this vehicle at some time. Thanks for placing my question in the proper forum!
Z Man

 

I know you did said gas above, but is it actually gasoline or diesel? Also, which engine if gas?

 

The excursion has a 6.8 V-10 gasoline engine.
Thanks, Z Man

 

Maybe the gear selector lockout switch is bad or misaligned. It may think it is still in gear and therefore shut off power to the starter.

Try turning the key to ON and "running" the gear shift down to 1 and back up to PARK.

 

The first thing I would check is the battery terminals. Having all the lights and accessories working, just means that you have the right voltage. But the starter takes lots of current. A corroded terminal/cable junction at the battery will prevent the starter solenoid from engaging. I've suffered from this affliction on several vehicles over the years.

 

See if it will start in neutral. Might be the neutral safety switch (is that what it's called?) It may also be a weak starter ... I just changed one out on a co-worker's 92 Bonneville. Of course, it should still be under warranty and that equals FREE repair.

 

Thanks Monstra,
I tried that all day saturday, still didn't work. You still might be right on the problem switch. I have taken it to the dealership this morning for warranty service. I'll keep the forum posted of what the problem was and the fix.

Thanks, Rozzette
I have always kept an eye on my battery and cables. The vehicle's battery and cables are in great shape.

Thanks, Soco
I think you might be on the right trail as I think the neutral safety switch might be the culprit. Just a guess!

Anyway thanks to this great forum! I can't believe all the information I've seen on the postings and all the great advice! I'll keep the forum posted on my repair. I also appreciate all the great products that are being used by some of the excursion owners. As I saw earlier in some of the postings, I also love my 2005 excursion and wouldn't trade it for anytthing! Z Man

 

To all who have helped, here is what was found and repaired on my 2005 excursion XLT. My hometown Ford dealer's service dept. called me to say that the out of town Ford dealership I had bought the ex. from had put in an after market security system. I remember that I asked them to remove the system and was told they had at the time. My service dealer says they had left the ss wiring harness attached to my ex. and had only removed the security module. The original installation was so sloppy, they had placed the wiring harness around my steering column under the dash without properly securing it. Every time I took a turn it would catch and stretch the harness untill I finally broke and shorted out the harness which was in line with my starter/ignition switch. Everything going to the starter was dead! Nice! Here's the kicker, I was told this repair was not under my Ford warranty, because of the after market product, and would have to pay $150.00 to have it removed! I asked the service dept. to call the other dealer and request them to reimburse me for my costs/removal. After a lengthy discussion they agreed to reimburse me for my $150.00. I never would have thought this was my problem considering I didn't know I had this security harness in place. So beware of this after market security systems the dealers put in while the cars/trucks are on their lot! I'm just glad I wasn't driving on a mountain turn and the ex. goes dead with no power at all! Any way the ex. is starting/running great again! Thanks to all for their tips and advice.
Z Man

 

Wow! Woulda never guessed!

Nice to see the dealer from whom you bought it from was willing to ante up and pay for the repair.