Wierd starting problem?????

arbailey · Sep 20, 2004

Okay guys need some advice. I went for gas tonight and the car wouldn't start at the pump after filling up. I'm thinking there is a dead spot in my starter. I turned the key and got a "click" and what I'll describe as a half a crank. I tried a couple of times and noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. When I opened the hood nothing was on fire (thank God) and everything looked fine. When I checked the battery cables, the negative cable was HOT! We tried to jump start the car and it still wouldn't turn over, just a "click" and a half a crank. Luckily the gas station is at the top of a steep hill so I was able to push start it. I noticed after it started that the voltmeter was reading a little lower than normal (?) Once I got it home I replaced the starter solenoid and tightened the cables, and the car started. Again, I think it's the starter but I'm looking for other opinions.

Here's what I've done so far:

1) Battery is only 2 years old (terminals are clean)
2) Battery cable ends are new (the old ones were cracked)
3) Cable ends are clean and tight as of tonight (they were a little loose)
3) Starter solenoid is new (as of tonight)

I am also going to check, clean, and tighten any ground wires I can find. Any idea how many & where they are located?

I just thought of something. When we had the heads off to port them, we painted them. I think I remember a ground strap that goes to the back of one of the heads. Could the paint be causing a problem?

HISSIN50 · Sep 20, 2004

umm, how is the charging system? alt and battery both in good shape?

i would have suspected a cable issue, but you have covered those fairly well. how is the starter cable?

you can run a jumper cable to the starter itself to see how it does (kind of an in-car bench test). be careful and all that doing so.

i might add an extra motor ground while you are playing around. the stock grounding is not too great - toss in a smidge of resistance or upgrades and all bets are off.

good luck.

arbailey · Sep 20, 2004

From the looks of the starter, it is the original. The alternator has a Ford remanufactured sticker on it, so it's been replaced at some point.

90mustangGT · Sep 20, 2004

Battery cable being hot tells me it is drawing way too much amperage, common sign of a bad starter.

HISSIN50 · Sep 20, 2004

The Punisher said:
From the looks of the starter, it is the original. The alternator has a Ford remanufactured sticker on it, so it's been replaced at some point.

sorry - i did not mean how they look physically. have you tried a DMM on the battery (turn the lights on for a sec to kill static charge). ditto for alternator output. also parts stores can often test the charging system for free.

a bad ground can be very similar to a dead spot on the starter in terms of symptoms, in my experience. as one continues to try to start it or moves things around, the barrier in the resistance can be broken enough to allow proper performance.

the former (grounds) are easier to check. cables can look fine on the outside and be rotted through on the inside.
i have even used jumper cables as an additional ground to diagnose such things (in the Pac NW, corrosion was always a pain). if the ground cable has any corrosion or deterioration in the core, that could cause some issues. worst case, pull the starter and bench test it a bunch of times.

good luck.

arbailey · Sep 21, 2004

More great news..... I started checking and cleaning all the ground straps I could find and of course the last one (the one going into the timing cover) gives me a problem. The "ear" of the timing cover, I guess where Ford used to put the mechanical fuel pumps, snapped off. Luckily no leaks, so far. Any way, I also replaced my starter which (in addition to everything else I did) seemed to fix my starting problem. Thanks for your help guys.

91-stang · Apr 11, 2005

i am having this same problem and had been trying to figure it out. even had the battery checked for bad cells. but i am 90% positive it is a ground issue. i also just realized, after looking through some search results, that my radio was not working, so that almost assures me it is a ground issue. now, my question is, where would all the grounds be that i need to check....?

bonus question. of these grounds, they are all stock, so which ones should be upgraded while i am there messing with them and what should i upgrade them too?

Wierd starting problem?????

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