do YOU know anything about ford rangers?!

[bassist21685]

i have a 94 ford ranger 3.0, v6, manual 5spd trans.

when i was driving home my cab filled with a burring battery smell.
the battery light turned on.
the next morning i had full power to the lights and radio with no dimming.
the truck would not start.
it wouldnt even try to crank.
i push started it and drove to my local auto-part store.
the battery light on the dash was still on.
i had the battery checked
it had sufficient cranking amps and held a charge.
i put the battery back in.
the truck starts up fine, as long as its a warm start.
the battery light on the dash is still on.

why does it only warm start? why is my battery light on?


a friend of mine suggest the alternator....BUT
its running fine once its warm. its clear im not running off the battery because everything stays charged up....
if the alternator was bad, the engine would die while im driving.. wouldnt it?

also... if it was my alternator, wouldnt the starter still try to turn the engine over?

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Sounds like a bad connection somewhere and perhaps the starter needs to be tested. If the starter is cold it may not want to turn over...

I would start with battery connections terminals, engine ground, solinoid, and starter connections. Take them off and clean them up really well. If that doesn't help I would pull the starter. A battery light doesn't nessisarily mean its the battery but more specifically an electrical problem with the charging system or something.

 

[Contrldsub]

altenators are a weird beast. i had a expidition for a while and had the same symptoms, turns out it was the altenator.. not that the altenator was bad but the voltage regulator inside it was bad.

 

[bassist21685]

could a bad alternator prevent the starter from cranking, even though there are sufficient cranking amps in the battery?

 

[RollinWOT]

The alternator has nothing to do with the starting circuit. The starter is only powered by the battery, so no. Keep checking for loose connections, but like Contrldsub said, the voltage regulator might be bad.

 

[JP02XLT]

Along with looking for a loose connection check to make sure all the connections are clean (no corrosion) as well as tight.

If you had the burnt electrical smell in the truck I would start following the wiring harnesses under the dash & to the firewall to figure out where it burnt at & get it repaired. You should be able to find a spot of melted wiring insulation, tape or loom somewhere.

JP02XLT

 

[wahl_7s]

i'd try the connection at the starter i believe all the charging system goes through the starter sounds like may be loose at the starter

 

[doc76251]

Check your three main power wires.
+ from battery to starter
- from battery to ground
+ from alternator

electric cooking smell means something is loose or cooking. Heat contracts, cool expands, something is grounding out. Check the connections and the wires for rub through, start looking for grounds before you burn it down.

Cheers

Doc

 

[wayfast73]

Id also be looking into the starter relay, I had a newer f350 come in a few weeks ago, the battery tested fine but it would not even click the starter. I pulled the relay and put it in the tester, the relay was bad and popping the fuse. Just because a relay clicks does not mean its good. Also heat expands and cool contracts, 3 years of college with welding technology as a major and thats all I got out of it .