I have a 2005 Stype that will not crank. All the lights come on, but when you turn the key it just gives a single hearty click.
Ive had the battery checked/charged, its fine.
Ive changed the starter relay, its fine, same thing.
Codes included are

p1316--misfire
p1549--intake manifold air control solenoid upper flap
p1647--heated oxygen sensor
p1699--CAN data bus, ECM to A/C control module

The misfires been there for over a year, i dont think thats the culprit.
The EMC to A/C is (i think) the Climate Control Moduel, im CERTAIN thats blown (ive posted about replacing it).
The hoc ive also known about for awhile and it hasnt cause problems.

Im thinking its the starter but not actually getting much feedback from google about this being a starter problem.

Im slowly working on getting these codes a clean bill of health. Starting with replacing the dash/cc.. Those where blown some time ago.

 

Hi Mason,

I'll help, but only on one condition. You must promise to step away from the Parts Catapult (Pull!). Lobbing expensive parts at the car will make a Scotsman's wallet cry, with poor odds of a fix.

You will have to wait until tomorrow before I can go much in depth. In the meantime, please read this troubleshooting guide I wrote for another forum where I also wreak havoc. The vehicle-specific details may not apply for you, but the general principles certainly do:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html


I'll get back to you tomorrow with specifics applicable to your car. Until then, a few questions:

What engine? The V6 and V8 starters are different. This will affect where to connect the meter leads.

Recent history of the car? Running okay and this is a new problem? Or has the car been sitting for a while? I just want to make sure the engine isn't physically locked up from sitting.

The "starter relay" you replaced: The smallish relay in the front power distribution box under the hood? Or the big round doohickey on the side of the starter?I

Have you checked the starter megafuse? Two megafuses are in the trunk, not far from the battery. The starter megafuse is rated at 450 amps, which is yuge! If that is blown, stop! Don't just replace it. Current strong enough to blow that fuse could easily start a fire. Specific troubleshooting will be required if that fuse blew. But please do inspect it to make sure it's still good.

Until I can get back to you, please read that troubleshooting guide linked above. Lots of info there and it may seem overwhelming. But I can promise you the test is VERY easy to run and only takes a few minutes. It was written for situations like this and WILL find the fault with no wasted effort.

Also, forget about those fault codes for now. They will not prevent the starter from engaging. Let's stick to troubleshooting why the starter will not spin the crankshaft. Whether the engine actually starts is immaterial for the moment. I just want to get the starter to engage normally, and hopefully the engine should run after that.

 

V6
Its been chugging a bit on the start for a couple of weeks. Ied say 5ish good chugs before turning over.
I havnt checked the megafuse, or know it existed, but I will!
I will read it now!

 

The poor running may be due to the fault hinted at by P1647 - it can't do proper fuelling if the sensor can't be trusted.

Clicking now may well be bad power. Don't trust a cursory "battery is fine". You can change a lot of parts only to find it wasn't!

Is it around 12.6V after no usage (& no charging) overnight?

 

Yes, good voltage, no turning over, just clicking. A single click when you turn the key.

 

All right, let's start chasing sparks!

Remember, I'm not concerned with any of the fault codes you recorded. Those may affect how the engine runs, and even how well the engine starts with normal starter speed, but that's a separate problem. For the moment, I'm only concerned with returning the starter operation back to normal. If the engine starts and runs normally after that, consider that a bonus.

Rule #1, and I wish I had mentioned this yesterday to get things rolling: Always begin any electrical troubleshooting with a fully charged battery. If you don't have a battery charger, please beg, borrow, or steal one. You will need something with at least a 10 amp output. A trickle charger won't cut it, so don't waste your time with one. Having a fully charged battery is VERY important, so please don't skip this step. I have a automatic charger with a little green light that tells me when the battery is fully charged. Works great. If you don't have a charger, I'll wait while you get one.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Still waiting. Let me know when your battery is fully charged.

Before we do anything else, please disconnect the battery ground cable where it bolts to the body. This is a known problem area for corrosion. The bolt passes into the wheelwell, and road spray can wick up via the threads and affect the connection. Please clean the cable end and mating surface to bare metal, apply some dialectric grease (the stuff sold for spark plug boots) on both surfaces, and reassemble. Try the starter now. If it starter operation returns to normal, we're done with that problem.

If the starter is still inop or slow, then read on.

Please look at figure 02.1 in the wiring diagrams:


2005 Wiring Diagrams


Check the starter megafuse, somewhere back by the battery. I've never messed with them, but there appear to be two side by side. As previously mentioned, if this fuse has blown, do NOT slap another in there and try again. That's a lot of current to blow that fuse, and could cause damage. All I want to do now is make sure that fuse is still intact.

From the troubleshooting guide previously linked in my first message, we are going to do two things. First, we will make sure the battery can supply the massive rush of electrons required to spin the starter. After that, we will make sure the positive and negative sides of the circuit can deliver all of those electrons without excessive restriction. Sounds scary, but it's only three quick set-ups with a voltmeter.

To test the battery's capability, simply connect your voltmeter's red lead to the (+) battery post. Connect the meter's black lead to the (-) battery post. Get the meter leads directly on the battery posts, not the cable ends. I like to drive a small sheet metal screw into each battery post for a convenient place to connect the test leads.

Set your meter to a scale that lets you read 12 VDC. I highly recommend a digital meter versus an analog style with a needle. This lets you get a reading with the necessary resolution, versus squinting at a needle trying to split hairs. Under the massive load of the starter, it's perfectly normal for the battery voltage to drop down around 10.0 VDC. So turn the key to start and see what the voltmeter shows while the circuit is loaded. You will need a helper to turn the key while you watch the voltmeter. (I have a voltmeter with a Min/Max record function so I don't need a helper). With the key still in the start position, record the meter reading. If the voltage stays above 10.0 VDC under load, move on to the next step. The battery has passed so far. If the voltage drops below 10.0 VDC under load, there are two possibilities. Either the battery is bad (or not fully charged), or the rest of the starter circuit is drawing more current than a perfectly good battery can supply. A bad battery is far more likely, so take it out and have it load tested. Any place that sells batteries will do this for free. Assuming (Danger! Danger!) the battery fails the load test, go ahead and replace it. Reinstall it and see what happens, but don't panic if the starter still doesn't spin at normal speed yet. You may have more than one fault present.


The next step is to check the ability of the positive and negative sides of the starter circuit to handle all those electrons. An unwanted restriction anywhere in the loop can slow the starter way down, or stop it completely. It doesn't take much. A small fraction of an ohm will do it, typically too small to reliably measure with an ohmmeter. Don't bother checking resistance, it's a waste of time on a high-current circuit. Instead, we will test for voltage drop, as explained in the troubleshooting guide linked previously.

You will need to fabricate a long test jumper to act as an extension of the meter leads. Small wire is fine, as it won't handle much current at all. Put an alligator clip on both ends of a length of wire that can reach from the trunk to the starter motor.

Let's test the negative side first, as it is simpler. Connect one end of the long test jumper to the case of the starter. Put your meter back near the battery, and connect the red lead (not a typo, the positive meter lead) to the other end of the long test jumper. Put the meter's black lead directly on the (-) battery post. Once again, make sure the meter lead is directly on the battery post, NOT the cable terminal. Set your meter to a scale that will let you read 0.5 VDC. Tell your helper to turn the key to start, and watch the meter while the starter circuit is under load. If good, and there are no excessive restrictions in that side of the circuit, you will see less than 0.5 VDC.

Next we will test the positive side of the starter circuit. Disconnect the previous meter set-up from the battery and test jumper. Move the test jumper to terminal ST6 on the starter. On the side of the starter body, you will see a round case with three terminals on the end. There's a single small terminal and two big terminals. You want the big terminal with 2 heavy cables on it, typically furthest from the starter body. That's ST6. Connect the test jumper there. Back by the battery, connect the meter's black lead (not a typo, the negative meter lead) to the long test jumper. Put the meter's red lead directly on the (+) battery post. Once again, make sure the meter lead is directly on the battery post, NOT the cable terminal. Same as above, tell your helper to turn the key to start, and watch the meter while the starter circuit is under load. If good, and there are no excessive restrictions in that side of the circuit, you will see less than 0.5 VDC.

If any of those last two tests show greater than 0.5 VDC under load, then we can do further tests to isolate the exact source of the unwanted restriction. It's just a simple matter of moving the test leads to narrow down the location. I can explain more as needed.

But if all three tests pass, then (and only then) is your starter bad. Remember, these tests are only accurate with the circuit under load. With the circuit at rest, you may see battery voltage under certain conditions, but don't worry about that.

 

Bumpity bump, any updates?

 

Yes! It was the starter! Replaced it and it started right up, no problems.