No crank just one loud click

[sornypanafonic]

Hi everyone, I am currently the proud owner of a 94 Bronco XL 5.0 with roughly 77k miles on it. For most of its life its been a parks department vehicle on a rather small island where it sat idly by or was driven around a leisurely pace while on patrol. Acquired a couple of weeks before I joined this forum, naturally.

It has a few problems, but right now the major one is the fact that out of the blue it decided to not start.

short history of the vehicle since i acquired it -

A year ago I replaced the spark plugs, the wiring, the filters, and put in a heavy duty radiator. Did a complete tune-up.

A few months ago, i embarked on a long trip down to Tennessee. I put in a new battery and refilled the AC coolant. I mostly do local quick highway trips, but i thought it was in good shape for a long haul. I embarked at night and almost immediately ran into trouble. it kept blowing up on me, white smoke, the engine had a loud knocking noise, couldn't do 50mph. was driving in the rain and at night and really had no choice but to keep going forward. finally reached a gas station with a canopy, white smoking everywhere from the bronco. decided to stay the night. apparently was driving with very little oil (the sensor doesn't work) and an overall very dirty cooling system thanks to all the idling it did back in the parks dept days. i took it in for servicing in Virginia where they asked if it had a history of idling because they hadn't seen anything like it. they flushed the system and put in a new sensor. drove off fine from the service spot, i guess i got a little carried away because i was gunning at like 75mph for a while when it blew up on me one more time - billowing white smoke - pulled over. gave it a 15 minute rest. drove the rest of the way 65/70mph and no problems till about a month later on the back end of a good 450 mile journey over a weekend. gave it some time to cool again. a good 30 minutes or so. drove off again for a good 200 miles with no problem.

A while back it refused to start but was cranking, i walked away from it. came back, started right up. weird.

refused to start again but would crank, gave it some time like before but still refused. Gently depressed the accelerometer, started right up. Haven't had a problem with it starting till a couple of days ago when this started.

No crank, just one loud click from what i wager is the solenoid.

The battery is basically brand new, but i still tested it and its good. I've been reading around and from what ive seen, im thinking its either the solenoid and/or the starter.

basically wanted to see if anyone has another opinion before i plunk down some cash for these parts.

 

[Seabronc]

Could you spot the source of the white smoke? Did it come from the exhaust or under the hood? What did it smell like, oil or antifreeze? As far as the starting, I'd check the battery ground connections to the frame and engine plus the condition of that cable. If they are OK, then check out the starter connections. I'm hoping that your engine is not seized. You could check that by removing the plugs and seeing if you can turn it over by hand.

Good luck,

>-

 

[sornypanafonic]

The smoke came from under the hood, it had a burnt plastic smell to it. It had water and throughout the night i bought a bunch of what i thought was really good anti-freeze in an attempt to cool it down. i kept opening it up, letting it pour out as much as possible, letting it cool and then putting in more antifreeze. finally i just put in water. none of this work till i took it to the service station and they emptied out the entire system. Since then I've only had 2 blow ups and both were in june/early july. Been running smooth since then.

i took a look at the oil and it seems to be low, to be honest, i'm at a loss, it doesn't leak a drop from what I've seen, but something always seems to go missing or running low. EDIT - it was leaking coolant in june when I was running into a lot of problems but that got fixed. Last year it leaked oil but that also got fixed. Now.. its not leaking as far as I know. Since its been stationary for 2 days I'll take another look tomorrow.

I actually took a look at the ground wires and they seem to be connected well enough to the frame, do you think the wires are frayed on the inside? some seem to be wrapped with electrical tape, i'll check them out tomorrow morning and see if everything is well.

As i said, it used to be a parks dept vehicle so it has a crap load of extra wires running around for the radio/computer/cellphones/sirens/etc. It's hard to make sense of whats going on in there.

I'll admit, I had not considered the engine seizing up since its been running so well since the last white smoke incident (over the 4th of July weekend.)

I'll check on the wires first. Thank you for your response!

 

[miesk5]

yo,

Hopefully it could be a dead cell in da battery.

Same symptomsd in my 96 last year; have it checked for free somewhere; make sure they put a load on it.

If you have a meter; check for at least 12... volts at batty w/no load,, if low reading, give batty case a few whacks w/a rubber ended mallet or an old shoe, etc.

...if batty is good:

Ck cables @ battery, starter relay and grounds..

Here is an incomplete Ground List & too long so look @ items in Bold;

Locations & Components in a 96;

G101 front of engine compartment, front of fender apron (D1) - RH = Passenger side mine has 2 small black wires between starter relay & headlight; this is #5 in the diagram; G100 & G104 (tied together in diagram);

G100 @ LH front of engine compartment on upper radiator support;

G104 @ Rear of LH fender apron near hood hinge and 4WABS Test Connector (RED);

G100 Serves Component, Fuel Pump Module, Inertia Fuel Shutoff, Misfire Sensor, Misfire Sensor Shield, Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.0L; 4WABS Control Module, 4WABS Data Link Connector, 4WABS Relay #1, Instrument Cluster, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.8L, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.8L, Programmable Speedometer/Odometer Module (PSOM), Trailer Relay Box; G103 (battery to engine) Lower RH front of engine serves Component, 4WABS Pump Motor, Battery, Data Link Connector (DLC), Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.0L, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.8L, Right Front Park/Turn Lamp, Right Front Side Marker Lamp Right Headlamp; G201 Behind bottom of LH cowl panel (driver's side kick panel) Component, Compass/Outside Temperature Module, Day/Night Mirror, Inside Cargo Lamp, Left Power Lumbar Compressor Motor, Outside Cargo/High Mount Stop Lamps, Right Power Lumbar Compressor Motor, Seat Belt Switch, Door Lock Actuator (PDL & Probably Power Window Motor); G200 Behind bottom of RH cowl panel serves Component, Air Bag Diagnostic Monitor, Electronic Shift Control Module, Instrument Cluster, Programmable Speedometer/Odometer Module (PSOM), Remote/Keyless Entry Module, Speed Control Servo/Amplifier Assembly; G103 (battery to engine) Lower RH front of engine serves Component, 4WABS Pump Motor, Battery, Data Link Connector (DLC), Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.0L, Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 5.8L, Right Front Park/Turn Lamp, Right Front Side Marker Lamp, Right Headlamp; G400 Rear Window Defroster @ LH rear corner of cargo area, near rear lamp assembly; G101 front of engine compartment, front of fender apron (D1) Passenger side mine has 2 small black wires between starter relay & headlight; this is #5 in the diagram; Engine Block pic in a 94 5.8; "...The black battery wire goes from the front bolt of the engine mount (on the block) to this tab & up to the battery post, where a smaller black wire goes to the core support, providing a continuous ground path between the engine, frame, battery, & body; Frame & Battery pic in a 93; "...With the wheelwell gone, it's easy to inspect the frame ground, just inboard of the spring tower on top of the frame rail. The battery ground cable is stripped ~3/4" and a tab is soldered on so it can be bolted to the frame; Intake Manifold to Block Strap Location in a 96 5.0 is between 2nd & 3rd plugs on passenger side; SEE DIAGRAMS

Source: by miesk5 at Ford Bronco Zone Forums

===

Here is a process for No Start;

You can iggie anythAng that does not apply;

No Start Troubleshooting; "...

First thing to check is wiring. Between the large posts of your starter relay (it's not a solenoid) should be a smaller post with a wire attached. This is the wire from your ignition switch through the Park/Neutral Safety Switch (NSS)/Manual Lever Position Sensor (MLPS), Or clutch safety switch on a manual trans, or NSS/MLPS with an AOD/E4OD, to the starter relay and the on to the starter solenoid (if equipped) and starter. Check this wire for cracks, open insulation, or anything that could possibly cause an open circuit. Next, check your upper ignition actuator.

Find the ignition rod (on top of the column, running from the steering wheel down to the ignition switch at the base of the column) and make sure it's moving back and forth when you turn the key, through all positions. If it is, your upper actuator is probably not the problem.

Lastly, check your ignition switch (again, at the base of the column). Manually push the switch back and forth through the different positions. Push it all the way forward (or down) and see if it will engage the starter. If it does, then your ignition rod is probably bent, which can be remedied quite easily. & If it's an auto, try starting in neutral or while pulling up on the lever while it's in park. If that works, look to the Park/NSS/MLPS. If it's a stick, check the clutch switch.

You could try jumping from hot to the small terminal on the starter relay to test it's operation. Sometimes new ones are bad out of the box. If it won't turn over when jumped to the small terminal, you'll know that it's a starter relay issue (Bad part, bad ground or a bad starter. Check to see if da relay is tight to inner fender with no corrosion because the relay's body is ground path via inner fender). If it does turns over jumped to the small terminal, then you'll be looking for something in the small circuit that includes the ignition switch & the park/neutral safety switch (NSS/MLPS) Or clutch safety switch. There should be 12v running from the ignition switch, thru the NSS/MLPS, to the small terminal on the starter relay. Disconnect the small wire to the starter relay (So it doesn't start by surprise, I'd pull the coil wire too). With someone holding the key in the start position, you should be able to read 12v between any point on that small circuit & ground. When you find where you lose 12v, then you'll know where the issue is...";

MIESK5 EDIT; changed a few terms; Also, see Starter (@) Relay Jumping Image in 92-96 @ http://www.broncolinks.com/gallery_images/StarterRelayJumpinin92-96.JPG

- Sewiw shows a remote start switch's Jumpers; you can use a small jumper;

MIESK5 NOTE; from Ford EVTM; The Control Module (PCM) runs the pump{s} for one second when it receives an ignition- on signal. It also runs the pumps as long as it receives a PTP signal from the Hall-effect devices, it continues pump operation even after the key is released from START. If the PTP signals fall below 120RPM, the control module cuts off the signal to the fuel pump relay or the integrated relay control module. The pump will also run when the terminals of the fuel pump test connector are jumped. the Control module signals the pump when it receives a CRANK signal, and when the Control module gets PIP signals that the engine is running. the pump does not run if the PIP indicates the engine is not running even with ignition ON {except for that first one second}.

Source: by BigUgly88EB and ElKabong (Ken, El Kabong)