2000 V/6 Convert DEAD!

First question: can you turn the headlights on, and have them work? How is the clock?
That's the easy test to see if battery power is getting to the car in general.

If the battery is getting drained, that's a different debug process. Assuming the battery (new) is good...

For the no start issue, it's possible that your ignition switch failed, or a failed starter solenoid, but that needs more analysis.
Invest in a wiring diagram for your Pony.

Good luck!

Today's cars simply will not run right without a strong battery and charging system. The days a jumping a car with a totally dead battery are over. The battery must have some power to excite the alternator field coil.

Sooooooooooooo if you have a totally dead battery or a loose battery cable it's should be expected to act strange or die for no reason at all if the battery isn't in tip top shape.

Here's some more information that might help explain the important of a strong battery on a modern car.

Howto perform charging system voltage drop test

Wmburns, nice tip. However, the original poster said that after a new battery, he drove the car for a week, and only after it sat did it fail to start.

What that (now) suggests to me that his alternator may have low output, and his battery is good, but not being charged.
Ford alternator output failure indicators (which turn on the idiot light) are pretty unreliable (IMHO almost useless),
so the next step is to get the alternator output tested.

That's a free service at many auto parts stores.

I've owned a bunch of Fords over the years, and the useful life of a Ford OEM alternator is about 100k miles (or about 2000-4000 hours of operation).
The "Alternator" light came on only when the alternator completely fails.

In any case, a bit of diagnostics (like getting alternator output tested) is in order.

Good luck!

Without other diagnostic info, it's hard to be helpful. If the battery is drained, that's one type of problem, but you indicate a jump box doesn't help. Assuming the battery is good, and the car is receiving no power, it could either be a fault on the positive side (red wire to fuse box from battery) or a problem with the battery connecting to the ground/chassis. My wiring diagram shows a master fuse (fusible link, 200A, and expensive) from battery to the fuse box. Takes a lot to blow that fuse. My first inclination is to suspect a corroded connection between battery and fusebox, or battery to ground, since "tightening a few connections" got you going when the tow truck guy was there last week. So it's a matter of inspecting all the connections to the battery (not just at the battery, but where the wires connect with other stuff), and making sure the connections and ground screw-in-the-chassis points are solid. I've seen a bad ground connections reduce an otherwise healthy battery to useless. The only way to follow the wire, find the corroded connection (which didn't LOOK bad), remove the screw, clean it up with WD-40, sandpaper the connection point, then re-install the ground connection with a fresh locking washer, the one with all the internal points.

Best of luck!

fdthird said:

Would be great if I could do any of that but as I said, the car is dead as a door nail! No lights, radio, horn, etc and nothing too when I use the jump box, which were there a dead battery, would at least show a little life! So thanks for the suggestions, but I don’t think any of them are Discussing what I’m looking at here.

Click to expand...

So what do you do with a car that is totally dead electrically?

How about take the battery out. Go to your local auto parts store has ask them to load test it. Note, it will not pass the load test unless it is fully charged.

What does it mean for you IF the auto parts store tells you that your battery is perfect and fully charged?

Hint. look for a loose battery terminal or cable.

Note, don't make the mistake of thinking that a jump box can over come a battery with an internal short. If this is true, the only fix is a new battery.