Electrical Ground Question
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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Just an update and thanks for the good advice. As suspected, new ground cable did not solve cranking problem. Turned out to be the starter. I will see if the charging system has improved, after all that ground cable must be there for some reason.
I had to return to the forum yesterday for a little more advice (also let me thaw the fingers). An advanced search for "starter" using the aerostar forum only option retruned a quick result, & a previous post by Aeroclorodo saved me a lot of grief. Starter on AWD models can be removed by unbolting front drive shaft and sliding the shaft to the left. THANKS
I had to return to the forum yesterday for a little more advice (also let me thaw the fingers). An advanced search for "starter" using the aerostar forum only option retruned a quick result, & a previous post by Aeroclorodo saved me a lot of grief. Starter on AWD models can be removed by unbolting front drive shaft and sliding the shaft to the left. THANKS
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
Likes: 5
From: Washington state
pb,
glad u got it fixed....
u in upstate NY with a the lake effect snow? winter pranced in like a lamb and is roaring out like a blizzard.....warm mild winter here
forgot earlier to mention auto parts store testing...many can test the whole starter system while in the rig....they load test the battery, then thru the cables....test the starter in veh. for current draw on crank...test starter solenoid for voltage drop....many are free....call ahead
glad u got it fixed....
u in upstate NY with a the lake effect snow? winter pranced in like a lamb and is roaring out like a blizzard.....warm mild winter here
forgot earlier to mention auto parts store testing...many can test the whole starter system while in the rig....they load test the battery, then thru the cables....test the starter in veh. for current draw on crank...test starter solenoid for voltage drop....many are free....call ahead
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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Yeah, now that I can start and drive it that will be on my to do list, right after thawing out the hood latch on the escort so we don't need a bungee cord. We don't have it as bad as the folks in the area East of lake Ontartio with over 10 ' of snow, but the wind and cold are tough, especially when I was walking in shirt sleeves just 4 weeks ago. If there is anything at all ready to break down on a vehicle, -20 temps will point it out to you. Getting a little off topic but as mentioned earlier, the snow will melt, the sun will shine again and at least I have a home to warm up in. The local hardware stores are already putting out their lawn furniture displays!
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
> Remove the negative cable from the battery.
Never do this on any vehicle. Besides being bad for the vehicle on many levels, a spark near a heavy charging battery venting a lot of gas just might go BOOM.
Never do this on any vehicle. Besides being bad for the vehicle on many levels, a spark near a heavy charging battery venting a lot of gas just might go BOOM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
Likes: 5
From: Washington state
from Ford Service DVD
Resetting KAM
Disconnect the negative lead from the battery for a minimum of 5 minutes. Resetting KAM will clear learned values the PCM has stored for adaptive systems such as idle and fuel.
After KAM has been reset, the vehicle may exhibit certain driveability concerns. It will be necessary to drive the vehicle to allow the PCM to relearn values for optimum driveability and performance.
How to Clear Keep Alive Memory (KAM)
The PCM stores information about vehicle operating conditions and uses this information to compensate for component tolerances. When an emission related component is replaced, Keep Alive Memory (KAM) may have to be cleared to erase the information stored by the PCM from the original component.
To clear KAM: Disconnect the negative side of the battery for a minimum of five minutes.
they expect the tech. to know not to do this on a running engine or battery with an external charger on it.
when removing batt. cables, always remove the neg.- first...saves turning the wrench into a welding rod
Resetting KAM
Disconnect the negative lead from the battery for a minimum of 5 minutes. Resetting KAM will clear learned values the PCM has stored for adaptive systems such as idle and fuel.
After KAM has been reset, the vehicle may exhibit certain driveability concerns. It will be necessary to drive the vehicle to allow the PCM to relearn values for optimum driveability and performance.
How to Clear Keep Alive Memory (KAM)
The PCM stores information about vehicle operating conditions and uses this information to compensate for component tolerances. When an emission related component is replaced, Keep Alive Memory (KAM) may have to be cleared to erase the information stored by the PCM from the original component.
To clear KAM: Disconnect the negative side of the battery for a minimum of five minutes.
they expect the tech. to know not to do this on a running engine or battery with an external charger on it.
when removing batt. cables, always remove the neg.- first...saves turning the wrench into a welding rod
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Thought I'd give a update on the original post "ground question" that turned out to be a bad starter too. Charging is better, but not appreciably so. Voltmeter stays in center or just greater than center at idle w/ heat and lights. It used to drop below that previously so the new ground has made a diiference. It must have been working through the second ground to the firewall previously. Turning on rear defroster in addition to lights and heater will still drop voltage down to 10 -11 volts at idle, but my guess is that it just draws an enormous amount of current and the system can't keep up. That's probably why Ford now uses a timed switch for these devices. Volt guage reads a solid 14V at anything above an idle no matter the load.
