96 ford ranger often needs a jump

Sevenshot

Sevenshot

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Hey all, been playing around with this issue on and off for the last several weeks (though been worse lately) and hoping to be pointed in the right direction.

When it first began, the truck started fine but if I made more than 2-3 stops while running errands then it sometimes needed a jump. I got a new battery but this didn't solve the issue. New battery has since been tested twice and is good. I then figured maybe I had something draining the battery so I had a buddy use a multimeter while I pulled each individual fuse and found nothing. I put off the fix by only driving it without extra stops. Last week I went to Walmart to pick up 4 items quick and when I came out it was dead. Luckily a guy was parked to my front left and was nice enough to give me a jump. I thought that meant a bad alternator but I've also since tested that twice and it's working great (14V). Last couple times I've had to jump it to leave the house for errands that require the truck. Jumping works 100% of the time.

The tester at autozone had a 94 ranger and he suggested the starter ground. My dad had also previously mentioned it might be a grounding issue. How do I check this? All my searches for this only populate replacing the starter or checking if the starter is bad.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
When it doesn't start, do you have accessory power? Loose battery cable is one possibility, although that would reset your radio, clock, etc. Do you have a multimeter? If so, check the battery voltage when it is "dead". If voltage is proper (~12.6) then probably looking at starter if the cables are good.
 
I have a Ranchero that was dying while driving because the battery wasn't getting charged by the alternator. The alternator was good but it turned out the connection was loose and not charging the battery.
 
Dirty or loose battery connection can fail to start but not mess with the radio. Just not getting enough juice through the bad connection to start. My Nissan did it a few times.


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np307 said:
When it doesn't start, do you have accessory power? Loose battery cable is one possibility, although that would reset your radio, clock, etc. Do you have a multimeter? If so, check the battery voltage when it is "dead". If voltage is proper (~12.6) then probably looking at starter if the cables are good.
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The lights work and remote to lock/unlock works when the battery is dead and no radio reset. I'll have to throw the multimeter in the truck (duh can't believe I didn't do this) to check it next time it dies.
 
Edit just read the above reply.. curious to see the answer, if the battery is not dead, could be a heat soak issue with the starter if it's just dragging and doesn't have the power to spin fast enough to start.

I'd still check/clean all the connections.



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Sevenshot said:
The lights work and remote to lock/unlock works when the battery is dead....
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Mike Overlay said:
By jumping, you are creating a boost in amperage to overcome a high resistance area. Either in the cables, starter, or both
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I'll have to double check cables but they all seemed fine from a prior look. How does the jump overcome the starter? I think that's where I check next. It's hard to google those search terms together for the info.
 
hp468 said:
Edit just read the above reply.. curious to see the answer, if the battery is not dead, could be a heat soak issue with the starter if it's just dragging and doesn't have the power to spin fast enough to start.

I'd still check/clean all the connections.



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i wasn't familiar with heat soak so I just read up on it. I hadn't considered possible corrosion underneath the insulation of the cables. I might try new cables next.

https://www.knowyourparts.com/techn...ng/starter-will-not-crank-when-hot-heat-soak/
 
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@Mike Overlay Wouldn't a voltage bypass test (the name of testing method may be wrong) show an issue/short/bad ground with the cables as well. I may have my terminology incorrect but basically negative lead of DMM on the battery positive side, positive side of DMM to the battery side of the starter solenoid. IIRC if voltage shows it means there's a bad connection/high resistance in the cable. As it was once explained to me, the DMM creates a series circuit and allows voltage to pass through the DMM if there is high resistance in the path your testing.

I might be a bit off in my method, its been a while since i've had to do it. I diagnosed a bad cable connection (different initial symptoms than the OPs vehicle) in the starter circuit in my K5 using this method.
 
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hp468 said:
@Mike Overlay Wouldn't a voltage bypass test (the name of testing method may be wrong) show an issue/short/bad ground with the cables as well. I may have my terminology incorrect but basically negative lead of DMM on the battery positive side, positive side of DMM to the battery side of the starter solenoid. IIRC if voltage shows it means there's a bad connection/high resistance in the cable. As it was once explained to me, the DMM creates a series circuit and allows voltage to pass through the DMM if there is high resistance in the path your testing.

I might be a bit off in my method, its been a while since i've had to do it. I diagnosed a bad cable connection (different initial symptoms than the OPs vehicle) in the starter circuit in my K5 using this method.
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Voltage drop. And yes on that test method
 
When a vehicle frequently needs a jump, it could be the battery, connections, alternator, starter or solenoid. Rarely anymore is it the solenoid. If it is not resistance due to corroded or loose connections, and it charges when running, the only way to tell if it's the battery or the starter, is to test the battery. So, you eliminated the battery being the problem. Now eliminate connections and alternator. If it's not one of them, that leaves the starter.
 
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MacEntyre said:
When a vehicle frequently needs a jump, it could be the battery, connections, alternator, starter or solenoid. Rarely anymore is it the solenoid. If it is not resistance due to corroded or loose connections, and it charges when running, the only way to tell if it's the battery or the starter, is to test the battery. So, you eliminated the battery being the problem. Now eliminate connections and alternator. If it's not one of them, that leaves the starter.
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I didn't previously know the connection to jumping and the starter so hadn't messed with it until this morning. I looked at YouTube for checking cables with a multimeter and they were good. Saw the test with the hammer, tried it, and the truck started right away so it looks like the starter is seizing up.
 
Sevenshot said:
I didn't previously know the connection to jumping and the starter so hadn't messed with it until this morning. I looked at YouTube for checking cables with a multimeter and they were good. Saw the test with the hammer, tried it, and the truck started right away so it looks like the starter is seizing up.
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A new starter is not but $20 or so more than a reman crap special..........just sayin
 
Mike Overlay said:
Guessing gets expensive. Testing is cheap. Measure for resistance/high resistance (ohms) thru the cable including the connections, battery terminal ends.
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I have a few cables that look a little suspect but you are right I don't need to spend money on things that aren't the problem.

Mike Overlay said:
A new starter is not but $20 or so more than a reman crap special..........just sayin
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Yeah they are under $100 on rockauto. The new motormaster is about $90, saw some other brands I'm not familiar with for around $60. I'll probably have it done by the weekend.

Hopefully this is the end of the issue. Will update if it continues. Thank you everyone for the advice and help.
 
Sevenshot said:
I have a few cables that look a little suspect but you are right I don't need to spend money on things that aren't the problem.



Yeah they are under $100 on rockauto. The new motormaster is about $90, saw some other brands I'm not familiar with for around $60. I'll probably have it done by the weekend.

Hopefully this is the end of the issue. Will update if it continues. Thank you everyone for the advice and help.
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I would highly suggest you go local for your parts. Just in case there is a problem, local business is alot easier to deal with than internet stores. I am partial to napa parts, not only because we are a napa procare, but I have had better luck with their stuff in the last 20ish years of business.
 
Mike Overlay said:
I would highly suggest you go local for your parts. Just in case there is a problem, local business is alot easier to deal with than internet stores. I am partial to napa parts, not only because we are a napa procare, but I have had better luck with their stuff in the last 20ish years of business.
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I'd second this, especially for electrical parts. Don't get me wrong, Rockauto gets a lot of my money and in my experience they are good to deal with if you have problems upfront, but Napa is 10 mins away and ALOT easier to deal with if something goes wrong now or a month from now.
 
hp468 said:
I'd second this, especially for electrical parts. Don't get me wrong, Rockauto gets a lot of my money and in my experience they are good to deal with if you have problems upfront, but Napa is 10 mins away and ALOT easier to deal with if something goes wrong now or a month from now.
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Plus you get a free 24 month roadside assistance program to use just in case for purchasing NAPA parts. Hope you dont need it , but it is there if you do. Dont think the internet folks offer that
 
hp468 said:
Now THAT I did not know :eek:
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Yup. Not all parts, but Starters/Alternators/Waterpumps/CV axles/ Calipers/ Master cylinders,...new and I think some reman stuff. Have to ask the stores or see the paperwork in the boxes.
 
How 'bout you drive it fer a while, with a hammer in the glove box... see how many times a tap on the starter fixes it. Three in a row would be somewhat convincing!
 
MacEntyre said:
How 'bout you drive it fer a while, with a hammer in the glove box... see how many times a tap on the starter fixes it. Three in a row would be somewhat convincing!
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I can reproduce it pretty easily. 3 in a row within the first 5-10 mins of discovery. A 4th after I went to bojangles since i had some extra time after figuring it out quickly.
 
Changed my starter but also had to change the frame mounted solenoid that acts as the relay. Didn't know anything about it previously other than using a screwdriver on it to start. Truck now starts perfectly thanks to the $16 fix.

Changing the starter out took me a bit longer because the power terminal had some weird spade connector that I cut out and changed to the eyelet.

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