New battery.

All dash lights and radio come on, but when I attempt to start it just makes a single click, not like a dead battery click though. It refuses to turn over.

Last night after 3 or 4 tries it turned over and started up, today it refuses even after repeated tries.

I tried crawling under and tapping on the starter to see if it were a stuck, but that did not help.

Twice while attempting to start it (once last night, once today), the automatic locks quickly locked and unlocked one time. I have been unable to find documentation on what that might be a sign of.

I tried putting the vehicle in neutral before turning it over and experienced the same issue.

Any ideas on what be wrong?

 

I forgot to mention this, although I'm not sure it's related.

Lately my left turn signal clicks super fast like it's not working, but if I turn off the signal then back on once or twice it works just fine.

 

i had that click when a ground on the started celluloid broke off. i held it back on had my brother start it and it turned over. look and see if the wires are connected and not all eroded off. if they are they sell new wire ends at advance or somethin for a couple bucks

 

You probably have a bad solenoid. You might need a new starter if you were beating on it with a hammer. If you hit the newer starters with a hammer it will crack the magnets and the pieces will jam the armature in place. It may also be a broken wire or a bad ground some where these will mimic the symptoms of a dead battery or a bad starter also check you fuses.

 

Yep, mine corroded through at the starter. It's pretty common in the rust belt.

 

check your starter cylenoid. just follow the hot wire from the battery to the firewall. it behind the plastic cover at the AC accumlator.

you can just the post with a screwdriver and it will turn over. the key will have to be on to start.


if thats not it look for loose grounds.

 

I had a similar issue on my '93 and it turned out to be a combination of a bad starter relay and a corroded (-) battery post. The latter will cause the former to go bad in time.

If you spark the two posts on the relay the motor should crank as well. If not, pull the starter and take it to an auto store to get it tested. Most chains do that for free.

 

Update, I followed the instructions in my Haynes and it said: Connect a jumper wire between the battery positive and the exposed terminal on the relay.

After I did this, I heard a loud click with each successive connect, but the starter did not turn over.

 

Update: I crawled under and took the plastic cover off of the solenoid terminals, some of the connectors look corroded, I'm not surprised.

The thing that struck me as odd is that the heavy gauge wire that connects the solenoid to the starter motor is not insulated, was it ever insulated? Did it perhaps melt?

I was going to try connecting a jumper cable from the terminal that connects the solenoid to the starter up to the positive terminal on the battery, but I wasn't able to get the jumper cable connected without arcing across both solenoid terminals. Plus I was worried about grounding myself or something.

I'm going to have it towed in to the shop tomorrow, I will post updates as they become available.

I'm wondering if the connections are just bad, or if it's the solenoid and or starter motor.

PS. For the guy that was worried about me smashing the starter with a hammer, I was gentle and put the handle of a long screwdriver on the starter and tapped on the screwdriver tip with a hammer. I feared making the problem worse, but wanted to ensure it wasn't "stuck."

 

The shop replaced the entire starter (motor + solenoid as I assume they come as a pair usually) and I'm running again.

The starter was warrantied as it was just replaced less than two years ago. Sheesh.

 

Replace your turn signal/multifunction switch, very common problem.

 

Maybe.

before doing that make sure your connections are all tight underneath the hood as I had that same problem in to Ford products.

ie, a 94 Ranger did need a new MFS in the steering wheel to resolve the blinker and infamous magic windshield wiper ghost and my 98 F-150 had a loose connection on the fuse block for the blinker.

Same symptoms except the ranger had the magic wiper.

 

I just had to replace my starter last week, same issue. The eyelet had corroded clean off the starter with the bolt still attached so no fixing that.

 

I don't think it's a loose connection on the fuse block because if I manually hold the lift turn signal down (but not click it down into auto turn signal) it functions fine. I'm starting to think it's the multifunction switch. How hard is it to replace this?

 

I originally had same issues with connections at selenoid.cut female end off ,put loop on and good since. As for the windows,locks, blinkers. I have a 97 also. They had a TSB for leaky windshield per my dealer. Water leaked down and fried the fuse box and distribution box. Radio at times would play with no keys in ignition,heater motor run,these were real sparse once or twice a yruntil I found post here ref leak,Dealer checked it and found corroded box and fuse panel. They pd part of bill,bout 1/3,still cost be a grand