Weird Problem - Won't Start unless jumped
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Weird Problem - Won't Start unless jumped
I'll try and keep this short. 94 f150 5.0 4x4, The other day my battery is dead. Jump it, reading 12 volts at the battery. ReplaceD alternator, reading 14.6v at battery now, everything is going good. 2 days later I go to start it, put the key to the on position and have barely any power, the battery light can barely light up. Key to off position, key back to on, lights fire fuel pump fires truck starts right up. So now it drives fine for a few more days, last night the same thing happened. I jumped it and it ran fine for the day, now its dead this morning.
The strange thing this morning was the interior light came on, I went to start it up and I get nothing. Lights out, door locks wont even work(power). Go back 10 mins later, the interior light comes on, put the key to the on position, the fuel pump fires up, go to start I heard one click for a split second then I'm back to no power. Any ideas?
The strange thing this morning was the interior light came on, I went to start it up and I get nothing. Lights out, door locks wont even work(power). Go back 10 mins later, the interior light comes on, put the key to the on position, the fuel pump fires up, go to start I heard one click for a split second then I'm back to no power. Any ideas?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,062
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From: Ford, WA
have you checked the battery terminals/cables? they could be loose or dirty/corroded. my 88 ranger had a similar problem.. had to go and beat the snot out of the negative connector with a wrench to get it to start.. finally replaced both cables and cleaned up the battery terminals really good and the problem went away.
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yea thats a good point. are there any grounds on the way up to the ignition switch that would kill the power for the entire interior? oh man this is annoying. yesterday when i jumped it, it was running fine, the second i put the headlights on boom trucks cuts off dead. fire it back up, no problems. guess i'll have to check all those grounds. anyone have a diagram of their locations?
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Nebraska
Generally just follow your lead off of the battery. I had an '89 GMC 3500 that gave all kinds of weird electrical quirks. Always started but cruise and radio would drop out when I hit a bump. Was a ground issue. I still have an '89 f150 w/300 that the started spun slow when ignition engaged. Also a ground issue. On the Ford I just took the main ground off where it attached to the engine and cleaned it good. All better after that. Bad grounds can give different types of problems. I would guess if you just follow the big cable down to the engine and clean it where it attaches you'll get results. There should also be a strap grounding the body to the battery also. A little elbow grease and I would QUESS that you'll get results. No matter how much voltage battery shows it does no good w/o good ground. 
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Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Perry Georgia
You might also want to check the grounds to the frame and body. If you can't find these, you might just add a few grounds from the engine, if that is already checked good to the frame and also to the body. I found a bad ground once between the frame and body. I lived in Ohio and with the corrosion, it might look good but it doesn't take much to lose the connection especially for a ground.
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i ain't rite
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From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
Originally Posted by Van Zant
the cables look good. i'll have to check all the connections and grounds. maybe bash my starter with the ole hammer and see if thats going.
your #1 hint is that as soon as you put the jumper cables to it, it fires up.
you need to at the bare minimum, remove the cables off the battery, and clean the battery terminals, and the inside of the cable ends.
and there is a very good chance the positive battery cable is bad also. if there is any distortion of the rubber jacket near the cable end, it will most likely be severly corroded inside the cable, where you can not see it.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
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From: Ashland City, TN
TJC is right.
But also, when your jumping your pushing a bit more then 12 volts through the system.
He might have a bad ground on the block.
or a bad connection in his ground to the body, or the positive to the celinoid needs to be cleaned well.
Mine always acts like its dead, but it has plenty of power.
I should explain that more,.
14.4 volts is more then 12 volts. or probably the 10 volts it's putting out before you crank due to some power loss, or bad cables or connections.
When you hook up another vehicle your forceing more voltage to be constant, thus allowing it to start and arcing or just overpowering the resistance in the bad connection or cable. =)
But also, when your jumping your pushing a bit more then 12 volts through the system.
He might have a bad ground on the block.
or a bad connection in his ground to the body, or the positive to the celinoid needs to be cleaned well.
Mine always acts like its dead, but it has plenty of power.
I should explain that more,.
14.4 volts is more then 12 volts. or probably the 10 volts it's putting out before you crank due to some power loss, or bad cables or connections.
When you hook up another vehicle your forceing more voltage to be constant, thus allowing it to start and arcing or just overpowering the resistance in the bad connection or cable. =)
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guess it helps to step back and actually try to troubleshoot problem. starter solenoid had one of the terminals almost completely snapped off, barely being held on with the 1/2" nut all rusted. swapped it out and truck fired right up. battery light is on now though. gotta make sure all the connections are correct, i've heard those things can be picky about the order of the wires connected to the solenoid.
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Does anybody have the wiring diagram for the solenoid? I have the big battery cable with the U connection, one terminal on both the left and the right post of the solenoid, then 2 other terminal connections on the right, and one small wire on the top (i believe this goes to the ign). so 1 connection on the left, 3 on the right, one on the top, does that sound right? i'm trying to toubleshoot this battery light that won't go off.