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- Joined
- Jun 19, 2024
- Messages
- 12
- Points
- 101
- City
- Baltimore MD
- Vehicle Year
- 1984
- Engine
- 2.8 V6
- Transmission
- Manual
Hi all! Forgive any dumb questions in advance--despite having worked on this truck about two years now I am most definitely still a novice 
I've had a string of issues starting my Ranger, leading to this current one: typically it'll crank for a while, fail to start, and then after a couple tries just wind down and produce a rough grating noise (which I figure is the battery conking out after trying to start it several times, but shouldn't the battery last a little longer than a couple start attempts?). I suspected it was the battery dying in between drives, so I checked for parasitic drains but couldn't seem to find anything, though disclaimer again I am still learning and it's definitely possible I missed something--this truck has had many electrical demons, probably in part because, as far as I could figure when rewiring the horns/turn signals/headlights, some if not all of the wiring harness is from a slightly later-model automatic with more features (many a disconnected wire not present in my electrical manual for an '84 that matched up to an '86). To test if it was indeed battery issues I left the battery disconnected between starts. No luck, issue persists.
Parts that have been replaced, all OEM: alternator, voltage regulator, starter solenoid, battery, fuel pump. Fresh sparkplugs, fresh fluids, including clutch, brake, steering, & trans.
When it does start it runs great! Steady idle, especially when warmed up, and if I've managed to get it to start the first time and it dies at any point (just from me failing to give it enough gas, whoops) it starts right up again no problem. When jumped, too, it also starts almost immediately. This is why I've long assumed it was some sort of ridiculous parasitic drain that I'm missing, but I tried to start it after having it jumped just a couple days ago and driving it around quite a while to recharge the battery, and it cranked fine and then did the usual thing--wound down, grating, no start.
Guy I bought it from possibly replaced the starter motor--checked and it looks a little newer than the rest of the engine but not all that new. Read one or two places that the issue could be the flywheel isn't aligning right because the bolts on the starter motor aren't tightened quite enough. Thoughts on whether or not the starter motor bolts might be the culprit here? Some ignition failure somewhere? A parasitic drain I am just truly not finding? Thank you!
I've had a string of issues starting my Ranger, leading to this current one: typically it'll crank for a while, fail to start, and then after a couple tries just wind down and produce a rough grating noise (which I figure is the battery conking out after trying to start it several times, but shouldn't the battery last a little longer than a couple start attempts?). I suspected it was the battery dying in between drives, so I checked for parasitic drains but couldn't seem to find anything, though disclaimer again I am still learning and it's definitely possible I missed something--this truck has had many electrical demons, probably in part because, as far as I could figure when rewiring the horns/turn signals/headlights, some if not all of the wiring harness is from a slightly later-model automatic with more features (many a disconnected wire not present in my electrical manual for an '84 that matched up to an '86). To test if it was indeed battery issues I left the battery disconnected between starts. No luck, issue persists.
Parts that have been replaced, all OEM: alternator, voltage regulator, starter solenoid, battery, fuel pump. Fresh sparkplugs, fresh fluids, including clutch, brake, steering, & trans.
When it does start it runs great! Steady idle, especially when warmed up, and if I've managed to get it to start the first time and it dies at any point (just from me failing to give it enough gas, whoops) it starts right up again no problem. When jumped, too, it also starts almost immediately. This is why I've long assumed it was some sort of ridiculous parasitic drain that I'm missing, but I tried to start it after having it jumped just a couple days ago and driving it around quite a while to recharge the battery, and it cranked fine and then did the usual thing--wound down, grating, no start.
Guy I bought it from possibly replaced the starter motor--checked and it looks a little newer than the rest of the engine but not all that new. Read one or two places that the issue could be the flywheel isn't aligning right because the bolts on the starter motor aren't tightened quite enough. Thoughts on whether or not the starter motor bolts might be the culprit here? Some ignition failure somewhere? A parasitic drain I am just truly not finding? Thank you!
