OilPatch197
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2007
- Messages
- 1,400
- Reaction score
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- Age
- 95
- Vehicle Year
- 1984/87
- Make / Model
- Ranger
- Transmission
- Automatic
^For all the spell Nazis, that is solenoid. :\
This is a strange one. 1987 Ford Ranger-2.0 L 5spd
Once in a while I will go out after work and try to start my truck, and it just goes "click" try again and it runs just fine.
Well since we got about 3" of sleet on our drive(uphill) I just backed my truck up halfway to unload the bed. so the front was pointing 30 degrees downhill, after a few hours I tried to start it... "click click click click click" over and over. The starter was not engaging the flywheel.
So I did the obvious, shined up the connectors, tap starter, checked solenoid. Still got the "click click click".
I have had this problem before, and it was the battery(I know these trucks well) So I proceeded to charge the battery on a 10 amp charge, and noticed the charger gauge was pegged to the right.(battery shorted or a fault)
So I tried the 2 amp charge, then I said "what the hell" and turned it onto the 50 amp car start setting. Now when I tried to start it this time, the starter turned very slowly, then I tried another time, and it started right up!
...and now it's working ever since, battery is holding charge.(today at least, it started this morning)
Now I ponder the question, this battery is five years old(or older) as far as I can tell, can this "randomness" of starting issues, can my battery be shorted?
Last summer I did top-off the battery with acid, that is the only maintenance that has been done on this battery.(I did not check the Ph)
This is a strange one. 1987 Ford Ranger-2.0 L 5spd
Once in a while I will go out after work and try to start my truck, and it just goes "click" try again and it runs just fine.
Well since we got about 3" of sleet on our drive(uphill) I just backed my truck up halfway to unload the bed. so the front was pointing 30 degrees downhill, after a few hours I tried to start it... "click click click click click" over and over. The starter was not engaging the flywheel.
So I did the obvious, shined up the connectors, tap starter, checked solenoid. Still got the "click click click".
I have had this problem before, and it was the battery(I know these trucks well) So I proceeded to charge the battery on a 10 amp charge, and noticed the charger gauge was pegged to the right.(battery shorted or a fault)
So I tried the 2 amp charge, then I said "what the hell" and turned it onto the 50 amp car start setting. Now when I tried to start it this time, the starter turned very slowly, then I tried another time, and it started right up!
...and now it's working ever since, battery is holding charge.(today at least, it started this morning)
Now I ponder the question, this battery is five years old(or older) as far as I can tell, can this "randomness" of starting issues, can my battery be shorted?
Last summer I did top-off the battery with acid, that is the only maintenance that has been done on this battery.(I did not check the Ph)
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