I drive a 1986 F-250 S wheel drive p/u, it has a 6 cyl. gasoline engine and I am having troubles finding out what is wrong with it. It doesn't want to start. At first, because of the cold weather, I thought it needed to be plugged in, but after it was plugged in for # days it still did not want to start. I checked my battery and it still had enough cranking power, but still nothing. If it sits for a bit, I will get the sound of the engine trying to turn over but then, nothing. If I try again, all I hear is my starter trying to engage for a second and then nothing. I am getting really frustrated! Could this be an electrical problem? Or could it be something different? Is there a sure tell sign I could look for to diagnose the problem? I can't afford to have it towed right now and I sure can't afford to repair it at a garage. Any help as long as it is a serious attempt to help solve this would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
2006-11-30 06:03:46 · 9 answers · asked by Lumpy 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It is hard to guess about Ford starters without being there, I have drove Fords most of my life, they don't all act the same. If you know that the battery is good, and has a full charge make sure that the connections on the battery are clean and tight. If they are check and make sure that the cables are not corroded, you can do this by taking a knife and splitting the cable casing about an inch or two and looking in at the wire. If it looks green replace the cables.
When you try to start the engine, if the engine turns over slow then I would guess the starter is dragging, replace the starter. If the engine does not turn over when you turn the switch to the start position, then you should hear one click, then another click when you release the key. This click means that the solenoid is working. If it clicks then the starter is probably bad. If it does not click the the solenoid is bad.
2006-11-30 06:34:42 · answer #1 · answered by smoke 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here's a rundown of what it could be: (1) A bad battery, (2) A faulty electrical connection, (3) A bad starter, or (4) A bad starter solenoid.
First thing I would do is check your battery posts and cables. If the battery posts are covered with corrosion, clean them up with a wire brush or toothbrush and a solution of water and baking soda. If the cables appear to be worn or frayed, you should probably replace them.
If that doesn't do the trick, or if your posts and cables are OK, take your battery to Pep Boys or AutoZone and have them check it. Could have a bad cell. If they tell you the battery is bad, you'd obviously need to get a new one and install it.
If that doesn't work, the next step is to figure out if it's a bad starter or a bad solenoid. If you turn the key and nothing happens, that could be a bad solenoid or a faulty connection, and at that point you'd need to take it to a mechanic. If you turn the key and you hear something that sounds kind of like a motorcycle in the distance but the engine doesn't turn over, or if you hear any type of grinding noise, that's probably a bad starter. A rebuilt starter shouldn't cost you more than $150.00 (and that's a VERY HIGH estimate), and they're not too difficult to replace. If you don't know where your starter is or how to replace it, spend the $20.00 on a Haynes Manual for your truck. It's worth it.
Good luck!
2006-11-30 14:14:55 · answer #2 · answered by sarge927 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your starter is going out, the cold weather will affect it. Also, how did you check your battery? If you checked the voltage, it may still not have the cranking amps it's suppose to. The only way to tell is with a load-no load tester. If it's the starter dragging, there's not too many ways to tell without changing it. If it's the original starter from 1986, it's 20 years old, and I'd say it's seen better days. They're not too expensive, and you can find out who has the best price on them in the automotive section at buddyandoscars.com
2006-11-30 14:14:14 · answer #3 · answered by BadAttitude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it could be electrical it could be the pickup coil in the distributor cost depends; for my car about $10 with me doing the repair. However this sounds like a starter problem or a chipped flywheel I would take the starter off and have it checked first you can have it checked at any parts store for free and at even WalMart I'm bettin it's the starter solenoid If you do the repairs it should be fairly cheap.
2006-11-30 14:17:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is quite a few possibilities. You could be having trouble with the intake and exaust valves on your engines. they tend to stick on older cars. the same thing happened on my 85 chevy caprice. i would try to get someone out to help me if i were you. Or, if your car isn't fuel injected, just wait a little while and try again. you might have flooded the engine
2006-11-30 14:12:04 · answer #5 · answered by ReLoad 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How did you verify the battery had enough cranking power? Sounds like a bad battery to me....
2006-11-30 14:10:38 · answer #6 · answered by Wil T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
clean the battery cable end and charge the battery then try again,if your battery is too low it may tr yto start but will not provide enought voltage to the coil to fire
2006-11-30 14:08:31 · answer #7 · answered by doug b 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take your battery to the local auto parts place
and take out the starter, bring it with you .
have both of them tested and replace the one that isn't good. simple work you can do
2006-11-30 14:15:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
bad starter if battery and cables are good and clean
2006-11-30 14:06:55 · answer #9 · answered by D42D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋