Not Starting Issue

[chuckles1856]

Greetings,

I had a problem with the Brocdildo not starting. I'd turn the key, get a click and then no power. No lights, no radio, no fuel-pump motor, no nothing. New starter, battery and ground cable 6 months prior, ***. So I decided to see what would happen with a jump. Hooked up the jumper cables and the sucker acted like it wanted to start, but just not enough juice. Figured the battery was dead. Charged it overnight and I got the same click and then no power. Tested voltage and got 12.3 volts. Found a thread here that said 12.3 volts is between 25% and 50% charged. Though I might have a bad battery so took it into Napa, they tested it and said it was fine. Guy said I may want to check for oil around the starter housing as the starter is grounded through the housing, which I knew but didn't really think about.

So, took the starter out and there was a little oil on the lower bolt. Really not even enough to think it was an issue. Also, a little grimy around the housing. So I cleaned it up and put it all back together. It fired right up. Tested voltage while it was running and was 14.1v. Charging system sounds OK.

Anybody ever run a separate ground cable from the starter (bolt) to the frame to circumvent this issue? I know the real way to fix the problem would be to find out where it's leaking oil and fix that, but in the mean time to prevent from getting stranded I though this might work.

Thoughts?

 

[miesk5]

yo,

Haven't seen that done yet or heard about it.

Here is something diff;

Starter Relay Ground Wire Addition & Location Video in an 86

Source: by JKossarides ("The Bronco", Jean) at http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/782810

I forget if JK mentions that the relay's ground path is it body to inner fender liner; so relay to liner area needs to be clean too.

also check;

Slow Cranking or a Grinding Noise; "... Problems with the negative battery cable is a major cause of starting problems in Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. Bad battery cables can cause slow cranking or a grinding noise when trying to start an engine. On some late model vehicles dating back to 1994, the wire connection inside the battery terminal connector corrodes easily. This will cause a voltage drop in the cable and result in low voltage being supplied to the starter. You can check for voltage drop in the cable using a digital voltmeter. Connect the negative probe of the voltmeter to the negative battery post (not the battery terminal connector). Then connect the positive probe to the starter case and crank the engine. The voltage reading should be less than .5 volts. A higher reading means there is resistance in the cable or the battery terminal connector. Clean the cable end and the battery terminal connector and test again. If the voltage reading is still higher than .5 volts, replace the cable and the battery terminal connector..."

Source: by genco1.com

 

[chuckles1856]

Thanks for the points of info. The guy at Napa said he had an '88 that had the oil issue. Maybe the post will help someone else with a similar issue down the line?