92 ranger help!

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Dec 25, 2008 | 10:07 AM

danfarrands

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92 ranger help!

the check engine has recently came on, erratically goes on and off throughout a drive. Went out to start the truck this morning and get a loud clicking sound when i try to crank the engine. The starter does not seem to be getting power or it may be the problem. However I tried a jump start just for good measure and now the truck won't make any noise and the key forward does not even turn on the water pump, radio, etc. However the lights and dome lights still work.

Dec 25, 2008 | 11:07 AM

matt's2.9STX

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From: Southeast MI

Did you jump it by the book with donor across both batt terms & yours with pos to + batt & neg to chassis? Also met one guy who started his truck on my battery, removed it & then hooked his up. NEVER, EVER do that. I didn't even want to be within 500 yards of it, but his truck.

He had bad cables causing much of the problems.

I don't know how handy & experienced you are, so I'd next suggest grabbing a wrench & snugging the clamps until the nut stops. Check to see if the cables are frayed or corroded. If that's all good, try jumping the fat copper bolts on your solenoid with the ign key to run. Could be a bad battery, low fluid, cracked battery case (usually from not being clamped to the tray), etc. Keep us posted.

Stick around. There's a lot of knowledge soaking this 'site.

Last edited by matt's2.9STX; Dec 25, 2008 at 11:12 AM. Reason: details, details...

Dec 25, 2008 | 11:27 AM

drb1956

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From: Streamwood,IL

I think you mean fuel pump, and as matt said, check battery cables all the way to the starter-I once had a car do this, new battery, and would start intermittently-loose cable on the solenoid..

Dec 25, 2008 | 07:12 PM

michigan66

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From: Dexter, MI

I'd remove the battery cables first and check to see if the terminals on the cables and the posts on the battery are bright and clean. If any of these are dirty or corroded, clean them and then hook everything up and try starting the engine. By the way, how old is your battery. A dead battery could be the culprit.

Dec 25, 2008 | 07:32 PM

danfarrands

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thanks for all the suggestions. the battery itself is under 2 months old. and now like i said it doesn't get really any power to anything besides headlights, dome lights. the radio won't even turn on anymore. the terminals are also very new and i sprayed the protector on them when i changed the battery. I've had a few people say possibly the starter. I know it needs plug wires as i seen atleast two of them arcing to the engine when it was running.

Dec 25, 2008 | 08:45 PM

michigan66

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From: Dexter, MI

Try bypassing the terminals on the solenoid as Matts2.9STX suggested. It might be woth getting the battery checked. Sometimes a new one can go bad early in its life. If these steps don't work, then the jump start may have fried some of the electronics. If that is the case the Merry Christmas may have lost a lot of its merriness.

Dec 25, 2008 | 10:50 PM

matt's2.9STX

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From: Southeast MI

Hmm, jumped back in the forum. After reading that, my initial wonder is stronger than ever. OTOH, I just noticed you haven't mentioned if you hear a solid click when you try to crank it. Could be a bad solenoid, which be would verified by jumping the contacts. Find an old rubber handled wrench you don't care about & be quick to yank it away just like turning the key. But with current it works with, it could try to softly wled the wrench to the copper. You shouldn't be concerned with actually starting it. Could have multiple issues here as things stand whatever the cause. Bad grounds sound higly likely. There's probably one at the back of the engine block for starters. The radio would be a chassis ground issue I hope. Hope this helps some & keep everybody posted.