Starter or Solenoid??

Memphis · Nov 15, 2010

How do I test to see which is bad? This is on my '94 2.3/5spd. It was starting and running just fine until Saturday night when it wouldn't start. I turn the key and all I hear is one single heavy click. I charged the battery some and still just the one click. I'm thinking it's the starter, but how do I test the Solenoid? Thanks

kimcrwbr1 · Nov 15, 2010

You need to test the battery first if it is good it could be a ground , wire, solenoid or starter. I always start with the cheapest clean all the connectors, ground connections and battery terminals. Pull the battery and have it tested and charge it up fully. Can you turn the engine over by hand one loud click is possibly the starter internals you can pull it and have it tested also. Make sure the battery and wires are good first.

exbass94 · Nov 15, 2010

You can bypass the solenoid on the starter by taking a screwdriver or wire and shorting the two main terminals on the solenoid. Have someone else sit in the truck with the ignition on, trans in neutral, clutch pressed in while you do it. If it starts, it's the solenoid on the starter.

FWIW, a new starter comes with a new solenoid and probably wouldn't be much more expensive. I just replaced the starter on my girlfriend's mother's Bronco and it had the same symptoms you have. I didn't wven bother testing the solenoid because a brand new starter was only about $50 more, the old starter was likely the original and may have failed soon after anyway, and the parts store only had the starter in stock, not the seperate solenoid.

Broncodude · Nov 15, 2010

I had the exact same issue with my 84. Just a click, turned out to be the engine had lost ground back to the battery. Good Luck

Stxrangerbumper · Nov 15, 2010

Solenoid mounted driver side fender

---->>>> 100% pretty sure

'99 EB Explorer · Nov 15, 2010

Had that happen to my 93. Short the two terminals on the back of the starter with a screwdriver. If it starts, then you replace the solonoid which is on the drivers side front fender like STXRanger said. If it doesn't start, then start testing other stuffs. And for the love of god, don't do like I did and jump the starter at the gas pumps....the owner WILL chase you off the property!

alwaysFlOoReD · Nov 15, 2010

My first thought would be a bad connection; loose connection at the battery or corrosion somewhere in the wiring and/or connections. This happens to me often because I'm trading batteries between vehicles so I never tighten the battery connections [to make it easier to swap].
First I would check the battery voltage, it should be ~12.5V. If you can't check voltage throw a charger on it.
Meanwhile remove and clean the battery connections with a wire brush. Then check the wiring all the way to the starter. Especially on a older vehicle, the wires inside the plastic can corrode and be a heavy current draw, meaning with a weak battery it's hard to start; the starter turns over slowly or not at all. Usually you'll here a bunch of clicking, meaning low battery. One click usually means a bad connection.
IIRC A quick roadside test for a bad connection is to turn on the lights, if they are bright your battery is good. Then when you try to start it and it clicks and the lights go out, it's a bad connection, if your lucky at the battery.

Richard

Memphis · Nov 16, 2010

Fortunately for me it turned out to be the fender mounted solenoid! Back on the road!! :yahoo:

I did find, on craigslist, a starter for a 1993 that was brand-new-ish for $65, but neither him or I was sure if it would work.
Thanks guys! Now, back to my speedo issue.........

Starter or Solenoid??

Memphis

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kimcrwbr1

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exbass94

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Broncodude

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'99 EB Explorer

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alwaysFlOoReD

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