i have a 1997 f150 4x4 5.4L auto. i took my good battery out and went to install another to see if it held a charge. neg terminal, no problem, but when i went to install the pos. terminal, it started popping and arcing, burning off the corrosion on the terminal. well, then it wouldnt turnover, wouldnt even try. i found 4 blown fuses, including the lower mega fuse. i have checked every fuse, twice. they are all good. now im stumped. i put the original battery back in and it still wont turn over. when i try to crank it, i hear a relay clicking (slow on, and then off) down in the fuse panel inside the cab.... please help me.....(pulling hair, yelling at people... not good) thanks!!

 

gee, i kinda figured somebody would have commented by now. with 45 views and no responses, i hope im not overlooking the elephant hiding in my living room....

 

This is a total shot in the dark but perhaps a relay and not a fuse has been damaged?

 

Maybe 44 of them were thinking that maybe you hooked up the second battery backwards?

BTW, good practice says the positive post should be the last disconnected, and the first connected. Why? because if you go to disconnect/connect the positive first while the negative is still connected, and your tool swings and touches fender or anything else grounded - bang!

 

If you did connect backwards, expect multiple problems.
Multiple blown fuses atest to that.
Now you work one problem out at a time.
Remove all those that blew the first time, then work out the problems with each one one at a time.
Trying to include everything at the same time will only result in confusion.
Now you see why everybody didn't jump for you the first time?
To start, there is a fuse after the ignition switch that power's thru the transmission selector either in Park or Neutral only, to the start relay.
The start relay then connects a second source of power to a relay internal to the starter.
The internal relay connects a heavy set of contacts from battery thu to the starter motor.
What this all means is the start function is a 3 circuit affair with fuses involved in each circuit as well as feeding other functions along the way.
Good luck.

 

I am 100% positive i did not accidentally connect the batt. backwards. the orientation of the posts would have prevented it. if the batt. was backwards, the leads would not have reached the terminals, and neither terminal can reach the other's post. i did some probing with my multmeter and found that when 12V was applied to the small post on the starter solenoid, it did not create continuity between the two large ones = bad starter solenoid. if i put the key in the ON pos. and bridge the gap between the two large posts, it cranks up fine.(i just found that one out)

If i sounded like an *** earlier, i apologize. im mainly pissed at myself for using an unfamiliar vehicle as a battery tester and paying for it. i really need to go buy one of those cheap auto battery testers and be done with it.

thanks you guys!!!!

 

Just grasping at straws here but could the replacement battery have been totally discharged then recharged with the polarity reversed? I have seen this happen before.

 

She said she was 100% sure you're the father of her baby too, but if your leads won't reach the terminals she could be wrong. If you saw a bright arc when you CORRECTLY connected the battery up there was some circuit drawing BIG current when it shouldn't be. Why that happened isn't a question you've asked thus far. The starter circuit is a very simple one especially on Fords with a fender well mounted starter relay(also called solenoid). Since you found the magic way to test the relay what have you proved to yourself so far? That's right, the LOAD side is GOOD and the control side is BAD, but what part of the control side is BAD you ask. That's easy. All there is is the Key Switch(12Vdc to the start relay circuit when the key switch is in the START position), a fuse, the neutral/park saftety switch which is located on the side of the transmission and the control portion of the relay(solenoid) itself(2 small leads at the bottom of the relay). You need an assistant to turn the key to the START position while you go point to point with your DVOM checking for 12Vdc at each point. When you don't see 12Vdc you've found the problem area. Now fix the damn thing or do we have to do that for you too. Don't let Bluegrass 7 scare you into thinking this is a complex circuit. It isn't if you've split the circuit in half which you've already done by doing that one test. You already know the whole LOAD side is GOOD. Now fix the control side and you're finished.

 

Look in the Haynes service book page 12-17.
You will find the start circuit is a 3 stage affair. An issue in any one part will cause problem.
Until you get this info, you have no idea what your working on.
Off that circuit, at a point right after the ignition switch is a RAP module.
Using this info, you should be able to find the section causing the issue.
Reversing the battery would have a more far reaching effect on other parts of the electrical system through their respective fusing, 'if' that were to happen.
I am not trying to scare anyone but present the possiblities.
I have no idea what has happens because I was not there nor can I work on the problem from behind a keyboard.
It is up to the individual to take the help, interpet it and do the work and report 'accuratly' what the results are, for further help.
I didn't just come out from under a rock yesterday, on all this..

 

I was joking about the "scare" part, but if he was able to figure out that by jumping 12Vdc to the business side of the starter relay(solenoid) he was half way home. He knows the Battery is good as is the battery cable, the starter ground and the starter motor itself along with the bendix piggybacked on the starter motor. All that stuff is GOOD so only the control side of the relay has to be checked. I forgot about the RAP which I thinks stands for Retained Accessory Power, right. I would use a schematic and a DVOM and some jumper wires and "T" pins and start probing around while someone is holding the key in the "S" position. You can start either at the starter relay on the fender well(control side-small wires at the bottom) and work your way to the key switch or start at the key switch and work towards the relay. Either way will work. Starter motor circuits aren't rocket science. It helps to have a thorough knowledge of how relays work. That means both the LOAD and CONTROL sides. Why do you need a relay? What can you do with a relay? What is a relay looking for to make it work? If you know these things a starter circuit is simple.

 

uhhh, just to let everyone know, it turned out to be a bad starter solenoid. i knew about chasing voltage till it dropped out, but i was just hoping this was a common problem and someone would chime in with the well known remedy. ive swapped a million batteries and this is THE very first time ive killed a starter solenoid attempting to swap a battery. thank you guys for the additional info. im sure someone will be assisted using this thread!!!

 

wtf? perhaps some are not capable of being 100% certain of anything...