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91 Ford Ranger XLT starting issues


Zaon Prime

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Okay so I have had this truck for three or so years and it as o the last year it has been giving me a lot of problems. It started out about 8 months ago where I took the truck to work and I parked in the back and turned,the truck off for a few minutes to get prepared and then it wouldn't turn back on. I called for some help while I worked and then when I got off we had found out that the smaller red wire had disconnected from the starter after taking it off and trying to install another starter and that one didnt work. Fixed her up and was good to go until a month or two later the starter started grinding and would stop working. When you climb under the starter would be lose and would have to be tighten in order to start the Ranger again. Went a month like,that until I replaced the starter and it worked well for a week or two before it just started grinding but not getting loose from the transmission. I continued use with it to get to work even through it would grind every startup until it just wouldn't start and I had a mechanic look at it after I told them that the starter and flywheel were ruined after all the grinding and they had me pay 250 for a new starter saying the flywheel should be okay. All in all they said afterwards that the flywheel was too gone, and wanted to charge and extra thousand or two to drop the tranny. I told them no and requested a tow back because I can't afford that much, but did have to shell out $650 for two tows and labor costs. I ended up buying a new flywheel and replacing it myself. It worked beautifully, and then the starter started grinding and it wouldn't start at all. I would push start it to get to work but now it just doesn't work. So please help, i,don't understand why all are my starters and the two fly wheels aren't holding up
 


Big Jim M

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My first guess is the battery cables are not carrying the load to get the starter up to speed and the throw-out isn't getting out far enough do to lack of AMPS.
Do you have INTACT battery cables? Or do you have a repaired cable, or do the cables LOOK ugly?
Second thought is the starter gear doesn't match up with the flywheel.
Third thought is LOCKTITE! AND a longer wrench to tighten the starter with.
Another thought, the GROUND cable to the engine might need to be taken off and cleaned.
Big Jim
 

Zaon Prime

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I just replaced the battery wire connector pieces thinking that maybe it couldn't pass through the entire 12 volts needed for the starter to run right, and once it was charged up for a little while the starter started grinding again, but still no start...
I though it could have been a malfunctioning clutch safety switch but one of the previous owners already took care of that and yanked it out
 
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jeremysdad

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Starter doesn't need volts. It needs amps.

Went to start mine one day...'click'. Checked fuses, relays, etc. with a DMM...2 small (1/8th of a turn) wrench-twists on the aftermarket battery terminal later...bam...starting like it wasn't a thing.

KISS.
 

Zaon Prime

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It's a 91 Ford Ranger XLT manual 4.0L 6cylinder
 

enjr44

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RonD

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YES, ^^^ +1

Manual trans and automatic have different part numbers so..........are not the same
 

Zaon Prime

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It's very possible I could have received the wrong starter from Orielly's, but the starter I spent 250 on from the mechanic should have done the trick right? I ordered a new starter online that's made for the manual style engine so I hope that works when it comes in. I was just messing with the truck and had it on charge, the orielly starter is currently on it and it grinded a few times and then it felt like it was going to turn the engine over but then failed to complete it. Now I got the Starter bendix gear whizzing in the shell
 

Zaon Prime

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To give you guys a little more background, when I got the truck it was perfect but had 3 Ma in problems. There is. Minor oil leaks above the starter area in the engine. The lights would dim and brighten constantly with the engine, and the last was there was an amp behind the driver seat and it sent the most awful electrical whine through the speakers. It would go with engine and the more the engine was working the louder the whine and the whine would lessen in idle. So I ripped the amp out thinking it would solve the problem. And it did, I never heard the whine after that but the lights remain the same way. Until my wife had plugged her phone into an auxiliary port on my radio and had her phone on the charge through my cigarette lighter port. And the electrical noise was broadcasted through the speakers again. As of right now I haven't heard that whine in a good few months because the truck after I ripped out the amp has had several starters grind themselves to death and a grinded flywheel so I haven't gotten as much use out of the truck as I would have liked considering its my only vehicle to use
 

black_demon69

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To give you guys a little more background, when I got the truck it was perfect but had 3 Ma in problems. There is. Minor oil leaks above the starter area in the engine. The lights would dim and brighten constantly with the engine, and the last was there was an amp behind the driver seat and it sent the most awful electrical whine through the speakers. It would go with engine and the more the engine was working the louder the whine and the whine would lessen in idle. So I ripped the amp out thinking it would solve the problem. And it did, I never heard the whine after that but the lights remain the same way. Until my wife had plugged her phone into an auxiliary port on my radio and had her phone on the charge through my cigarette lighter port. And the electrical noise was broadcasted through the speakers again. As of right now I haven't heard that whine in a good few months because the truck after I ripped out the amp has had several starters grind themselves to death and a grinded flywheel so I haven't gotten as much use out of the truck as I would have liked considering its my only vehicle to use

for whine replace the little capacitor mounted on the coil then check and clean all grounds make sure radio is grounded really good.. as for lights dimming check alternator and battery and replace as necessary.

as for grinding i would pull starter and rotate engine manually while inspecting teeth on flywheel through starter opening. grinding starters could have damaged the flywheel and it might need to be replaced again. do this before putting another starter in.:icon_thumby:
 

Zaon Prime

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Looked at the 91st the grounds and get look pretty. But I am going to take them off and brush them up a little bit
 

RonD

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That is not an "amp" behind drivers seat if you have a 4 wheel drive
That's the control module for the transfer case shift motor

Look here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4wd_control_module.html


Lights dimming at idle means 1 of the 3 Fields in the alternator has failed, very common issue as alternator gets older.
You can run on 2 Fields since alternator will produce enough amps when above 1,200 RPMs, and thats where engine spends most of it's time.
But when stopped and idling the lights will dim and depending on what else is on can flicker.

Yes, replace capacitor, you have electrical noise in the system, and stereo system may not have proper ground.
 
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Zaon Prime

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The control module for the transfer case is behind my jumo seats, the amp is a Punch 400 a4 amplifier. It was grounded to one of the driver seat bolts, and the wires ran undertnather carpet between the seat and the door to dashboard for the the radio and then continued to the passenger side and through the firewall to connect to one of the battery terminals, I can't remember which one it was right now.

The capacitor is going to run me 10 dollars so I am going to and replace that.
The flywheel looks just as horrible as the original i had to replace, so I guess I am going to have to order a new one and replace it and the truck will start like new again.
Do you guys have any idea on preventative matinence so that I dont have to go through replacing the starter and fly wheel again? I just use the truck to get to and from work So it's not like I am really tough on the vehicle and it's already cost me almost a grand for the same issues, so is there any way that there is something else messing things up?
 

black_demon69

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4WD
The control module for the transfer case is behind my jumo seats, the amp is a Punch 400 a4 amplifier. It was grounded to one of the driver seat bolts, and the wires ran undertnather carpet between the seat and the door to dashboard for the the radio and then continued to the passenger side and through the firewall to connect to one of the battery terminals, I can't remember which one it was right now.

The capacitor is going to run me 10 dollars so I am going to and replace that.
The flywheel looks just as horrible as the original i had to replace, so I guess I am going to have to order a new one and replace it and the truck will start like new again.
Do you guys have any idea on preventative matinence so that I dont have to go through replacing the starter and fly wheel again? I just use the truck to get to and from work So it's not like I am really tough on the vehicle and it's already cost me almost a grand for the same issues, so is there any way that there is something else messing things up?
make sure that you have the starter for the manual trans as said in the link i provided in my other post in this thread
 

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