2000 F150 5.4..filled up with gas..got it to start and absolutely nothing..as dead as disconnecting the battery..happened so fast that not sure if I heard anything or if any lights flashed in panel...there was a lot of white residue from baking soda water that I'd poured over battery and let dry..was ugly but didn't think it mattered...for whatever decided to pour water over battery to wash it off and all of sudden radio came on and headlights came on...BUT when I tried to start instruments would go crazy, speedo would peg and heard clunking sound which seemed to come from on firewall right by battery...starter didn't do anything or make any sounds like maybe trying...installed brand new battery, didn't make any difference..wierdest problem I've ever encountered...have any ideas?

 

sounds like a bad connection on the battery.

 

Check the cable going to the starter, maybe it is like major corroaded or loose on the starter solenoid. Clunking? Maybe the starter came loose in the block.

 

Clean your wires on the starter

 

also tried power pack and jump start with cables..didn't change anything

 

replaced starter couple months ago and working great with no hint of anything changing like something working loose....what gets me is the complete, total, blackout before I poured water over battery...have never had that happen..even with bad connection something will usually flicker a little somewhere.

 

hate to admit but was battery terminals!!!!!!..just blows me away..in my life have never had "total" electrical failure like this

 

It's funny how that little thing makes a difference... I've seen it happen to several vehicles I've owned and a couple in parking lots.

I had this guy ask for a jump. Ok, he has the cables and all I have to do is pop the hood. I hook up my end and he hooks up his end. I let my engine run for a couple of minutes to get some extra juice in his 'dead' battery. I then shut my engine off and tell him to give it a try. He gets in and nothing. He says I have to have my engine running. I tell him not really, and that's actually a good way to ruin an alternator (I know, because every time I jumped someone with my engine running, I lost an alternator a week or so later! Every time!)

Anyway, I tell him, I've got an idea. I reach into my truck and get a 1/2" wrench out of my tool box and get my battery terminal wire brush. Remove the jumpers, remove the cables and wire brush the terminals and put them back on and tell him to give it a try (no jumpers)... Fires right up! I've gone thru that scene a couple of times and even had to do it on the wifes car when we got stuck in a parking lot. I didn't have my battery terminal brush, so I just used my pocket knife to rough up the terminals and it worked like a charm..

Mitch