Updated. Never trust AAA. Need hard start advice.

[Ranger72]

So Saturday night the old girl left me stranded with a dead battery.

On Sunday I put in a new alternator, regulator, battery, and battery cable terminals. The truck ran great for two days (40 mile round trip to work and back), and then failed to start this morning. Engine kicked over a couple times, and then gave me the solenoid death rattle. On Monday and Tuesday there was all kinds of juice, and my dash lights were no longer getting brighter and dimming with engine RPM, so I thought I had it sussed - obviously not.

As I understand it, the issue could be the fusible link, as without it the alternator will not charge the battery.

I found the link; it is a wire that comes off the starter solenoid with a fat section about half an inch in length, kinda like an earthworm. Well, the link had likely gotten hot at some point because I could scrape off the insulation with my thumbnail, but the link is still soft and bendable. Is it likely that the thing could be intermittently allowing a current to pass through?

How do I replace this? I looked it up on O'Reilly's web site, and they do not list the part for my truck. Should I request it by guage, or is there another one that fits?

Are there any other problem areas I should be looking at as well as this?

[Ranger72]

Ahh, I see the fusible links come in three guages, 14, 16 and 18. Elsewhere on this board someone used a 14 guage. Is that the one I want?

[Ranger72]

Did a bit more research.

The 1/2" long fat portion of the wire was a 1-2" inches away from the solenoid. I guess that isn't the "fusible" part, but rather where the link was soldered to the wiring harness? How long is the factory link? Do I need to cut open the harness?

[basketcase0302]

Might want to shoot him a PM to see if he still has this:
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 11&t=68741
Or contact these folks:
http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/fusible-link.shtml

[Dirty Offio]

Here is another option for you.

Run down to Walmart (crossing fingers, pretty sure I got it there) and go into the car stereo area. Look for a clear plastic "box" with an orange MAXI fuse in it. I rewired The Beast last year and routed my power through the maxi instead of screwing around with fusible links anymore. (This is what newer cars do...basically)

Attaching pic to show what I mean.

MAXIfuse resize 01.jpg

The big red arrow points at the ALT wire.

The other wires on the side with the Gen wire, are 1 for that fuse block you see on inner fender, 1 for a 12V power outlet under the glovebox (used to plug my cooler in when I am making long drives) The wire on the side with the batt cable is the feeder into the cab.

If I can be of more help, please drop me a PM, or I can answer on here...then everyone can see.

Offio

(12 years Working on Aircraft...4 of them as an aircraft electrician. I am not bad with wiring! )

[Ranger72]

OK, after dicking with the truck last night, i found that I was looking at the wrong wire. At this point I believe that the fusible link is fine.

In fact, I believe that the entire charging system is fine. I put a battery charger on it overnight, and even with a fully charged, two-day old battery, she turns over once and then rattles the solenoid - as if the battery was low. Jumping it off my wife's car was impossible. The AAA guy had to use his truck jumper + another battery to "double jump" it. All the while my headlights are bright enough to burn vampires.

I believe that the AAA guy misdiagnosed me. I knew my alternator was weak, but I don't think it ever truly stopped working. Rather, something else is causing the starter to not get the power it needs.

So my most likely culprits seem to be:

1. Bad starter - I have never seen a starter go bad in this way, but there's a first time for everything.

2. Bad solenoid

3. Not grounding properly

I found my old Multimeter, but I have no idea how to use this thing. I may as well stick the probes up my butt for all the good it'll do me. I am reading the instructions that came with it as well as some of the old posts around here to figure this thing out, and find more appropriate places to stick the probes.

[Cipher43]

So my most likely culprits seem to be:

1. Bad starter - I have never seen a starter go bad in this way, but there's a first time for everything.

2. Bad solenoid

3. Not grounding properly

I have had all three of them happen to different vehicles over the years and I would have to agree with ya that for me I would check #2 and 3 first. We had a ground issue on a grand marquis and would crawl under the car and hit the starter where it mounted to the engine and then it would start fine for awhile.

[basketcase0302]

First find the DC voltage scale on the meter usually indicated by a "DC" mark or a "+-" mark. Test the meter on a known 12volt DC source, (the wife's KIA) so you'll know what the 12 volt reading will look like on the meter. Now take it to the starter solenoid, (make sure the solenoid is grounded very well or it will give you the same "death rattle" you described) I mean bolted solid! Put the black lead of the meter to the negative on your battery and the red positive lead of your meter onto the battery cable that feeds the starter. Have someone else turn the truck over. You should be reading 12 volts coming out of the solenoid. Also check the grounds very well:
1) Battery to engine ground cable
2) engine intake manifold to firewall
3) DS front frame rail to radiator support ground strap
4) clean metal to metal tightly bolted starter allowing it to properly ground.
I've seen where too much crud had caused a starter to not ground before.
This now sounds like your starter might be at fault. Remember you can take the starter off and down to your local discoont or autuzune and have it tested for free.

[Dirty Offio]

So my most likely culprits seem to be:

1. Bad starter - I have never seen a starter go bad in this way, but there's a first time for everything.

2. Bad solenoid

3. Not grounding properly

I found my old Multimeter, but I have no idea how to use this thing. I may as well stick the probes up my butt for all the good it'll do me. I am reading the instructions that came with it as well as some of the old posts around here to figure this thing out, and find more appropriate places to stick the probes.

Easiest thing to diagnose is the solenoid. Unbolt it from the inner fender, take some sandpaper and clean up the area behind it till you get bare metal. Bolt it back up and try it.

Bad ground, hook some jumper cables to the neg on the battery and the other end to the body.

Bad starter: Had this happen on my Jeep Cherokee, but never on a Ford product. So...possible, but odd.

[Ranger72]

Yep, it's the starter.

My strap was disconnected off the back of the intake manifold, although is looks like it's been that way for ages. I have been driving for almost two years with it like that. Where is it supposed to connect to the manifold?

I attached a jumper cable from the NEG battery terminal to the radiator support, then used channel-locks to connect the two outside terminals. At this point, there is direct power from the battery to the starter. There were sparks, and my toes are permanently curled... but no whir from the starter.

[basketcase0302]

Ranger72 on Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:28 am
Yep, it's the starter. My strap was disconnected off the back of the intake manifold, although is looks like it's been that way for ages. I have been driving for almost two years with it like that. Where is it supposed to connect to the manifold? I attached a jumper cable from the NEG battery terminal to the radiator support, then used channel-locks to connect the two outside terminals. At this point, there is direct power from the battery to the starter. There were sparks, and my toes are permanently curled... but no whir from the starter.

The intake ground can basically hook to any point on the intake-hard to say where without knowing which engine you have, (maybe edit that into your signature). There's a much easier way to engage the starter via the solenoid without chancing shorting, (and the described toe curling) LOL! Simply short across the + (hot battery cable on the solenoid) to the small stud terminal closest to it. It will pull the solenoid in. And here's an invaluable tool, (I've always made mine) for troubleshooting:
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... nQodeikAXg

[Ranger72]

Thanks for the help everyone!

After a screaming, cursing good time last Saturday, in a puddle of grease and in the rain, I got the starter switched out (I didn't realize I could support the thing with my hand OVER the frame rail). So final tally is: new battery, new solenoid, new alternator, new relay, new battery cable terminals, a new fusible link and a new starter. After all that the truck STILL wouldn't turn over. Took the one week old battery back to O'Reilly's and discovered they had sold me a dud.

I really could've killed someone at that point.

End result: over $200 worth of new electrical components in the truck, I smell like a garage, and I am missing skin off one knee. But she runs.

[basketcase0302]

End result: over $200 worth of new electrical components in the truck, I smell like a garage, and I am missing skin off one knee. But she runs.
Steve

If it's only one knee, and not a few knuckles it don't count! Go back out and try again!
Glad you got it going, good thing is you won't have much to fail in the electrical department for awhile!