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I own a 1997 Ford Explorer. It has recently died. I ...


Sent to Car Experts October 04, 2006 1:40 p.m.
I own a 1997 Ford Explorer. It has recently died. I originally thought that the battery had gone dead, since I was getting no power, but after replacing the battery I've still had no luck. With the hood open, the hood light will be on, but if I open a door the light will go out and you can hear a clicking noise that appears to be coming from inside the dash. I have checked all the fuses and they appear to be in good order. I'm not sure what to do next. Replace the battery cables and hope that is the problem? Maybe the PCM Power Relay, if I can find a parts store that knows what it is. How about the PCM Diode? The truck will not turn over at all, all the accessories have no power, and it has become an ugly lawn decoration.

Optional Information:
1997 Ford Explorer 6 Cyl 4.0

Already Tried:
Changing the battery. Checking the fuses.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status: Closed   Value: $9   
Answer
October 04, 2006 1:49 p.m. (8 minutes and 53 seconds later)
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PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Answer
October 04, 2006 2:36 p.m. (47 minutes and 17 seconds later) 		REPLIED Check Mark

The information I gave you is based on past experience and knowledge. The automotive electrical system and charging system is a very complicated system. For this reason, we have a wide variety of testing equipment to pin-point a problem when one does arise.

Other then cleaning the battery terminals and connections everything else is guesswork and I think you would expect more from us. This is why I made these recommendations.

Dan



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PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Reply to Dan
Sent October 05, 2006 8:30 a.m. (17 hours and 54 minutes later)
I understand why you recommended taking it in to the dealership and I did call them. However, they are unable to run any tests on the Truck if it doesn't start.

I've found information online and received numerous opinions on what to do next and the best option I have at this point is to replace the positive battery cable (known issue with Ford Explorers) and pull the starter out to have it tested.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 05, 2006 8:55 a.m. (25 minutes and 16 seconds later) 		REPLIED Check Mark

Good Morning

Thank you for sharing the latest information with me. I did mention previously that it would be a good idea to clean and tighten all connections. I was unaware of any problems with the positive battery cable. The starter may work properly "bench-tested" however we need to know "how much the starter draws under load" normally, that can only be determined when in the car. Now we're back to the testing procedures. In a situation like this, you may want to consider a tow... Do you have Triple "A"?

Dan



__________________
My goal is to save you money and time, I have a simple and logical approach for troubleshooting technical problems.
If you find my answer to be helpful, please remember to ACCEPT the Answer! Thank You!
PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Reply to Dan
Sent October 06, 2006 8:34 a.m. (23 hours and 38 minutes later)
Towing the vehicle would be an out of pocket expense and at this point in time, is out of the question.

All connections were cleaned prior to posting the question and I found the known issue with the battery cable from the official Ford forums.

At this point, bench testing the starter is my only option to ensure that it is working at all. Once that is done, I will replace the positive battery cable.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then I'll have to start checking all the connections from the PDB.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 06, 2006 9:48 a.m. (1 hour and 14 minutes later) 		REPLIED Check Mark

Hello

Thank you for getting back to me. I really thing that there is a minor issue or a specific problem causing this. Without following typical protocol for this type of problem it's almost like "guess-work". If I wasn't so far from you I would have looked at it for you. Some Ford have a bracket on the negative battery cable which is fastened to either the fender well or chassis to improve the "ground", check and see if you have this bracket on the cable and that it is fastened.

Dan



__________________
My goal is to save you money and time, I have a simple and logical approach for troubleshooting technical problems.
If you find my answer to be helpful, please remember to ACCEPT the Answer! Thank You!
PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Reply to Dan
Sent October 08, 2006 10:21 p.m. (2 days and 12 hours later)
I'm hoping to get under the hood tomorrow and I'll definitely look for a fastener. If there is none, I'm going to pull the starter and have it tested just in case and I'll buy a wire kit for the positive battery cable.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 09, 2006 8:50 a.m. (10 hours and 29 minutes later) 		REPLIED Check Mark

I'll be here every step of the way... I would be interested to know if the cable does have a provision for an additional ground. You can also take only the negative battery cable off and with a "test light" or "digital volt meter" connect the leads as follows:

Connect either red or black to cable only

Connect either red or black to battery post only

Do not let the battery cable touch the post when performing this test, you will either, if you're using a "test light" see the light come on or if using a "digital volt meter" display a voltage reading. If either the light comes on or you read voltage and depending on how much voltage you have a short in the system. Try this if you have either device to use. Let me know how that works.

In the future, consider a "Triple A" membership. I have that for everyone in my family, no matter what car we use and as long as we have our card we're entitled to a FREE tow or other valuable assistance. In this case the tow would have been FREE.

Please, stay in touch / Dan



__________________
My goal is to save you money and time, I have a simple and logical approach for troubleshooting technical problems.
If you find my answer to be helpful, please remember to ACCEPT the Answer! Thank You!
PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Reply to Dan
Sent October 09, 2006 10:12 a.m. (1 hour and 21 minutes later)
I used a multimeter on day one to test both cables, to include the ground. Everything tested fine, which led me to believe there is a short somewhere.

When the battery is connected and I get power inside the vehicle there is a clicking noise from underneath the dash and in the rear quarter panel above the rear wheel on the drivers side. It almost sounds like the blinker.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 09, 2006 4:25 p.m. (6 hours and 12 minutes later) 		REPLIED Check Mark

The test I previously sent you, you have to leave the positive cable connected to read across the negative cable. If you hear something "clicking" it would draw from the battery when the vehicle is off therefore you should see some activity when performing this test.

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain



__________________
My goal is to save you money and time, I have a simple and logical approach for troubleshooting technical problems.
If you find my answer to be helpful, please remember to ACCEPT the Answer! Thank You!
PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience
Reply to Dan
Sent October 09, 2006 7:02 p.m. (2 hours and 37 minutes later)
Had the starter tested today and it was fine. So I replaced the positive battery cable and boom, the vehicle started.

I also noticed that my $9.00 was already taken from my bank account for your answers. It was good to get some feedback on a frustrating situation even if I identified the problem myself. Thanks for your help.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 09, 2006 7:25 p.m. (23 minutes and 11 seconds later)
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PictureDan  -- Automotive Management -- 98% Positive Feedback on 613 Car Accepts
36 Plus Years of Direct Automotive Experience

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