Aloha everyone,

I have a 2002 ranger 3.0 that I've been driving for about a year now. No major issues I've had to deal with. Changed the starter. had a bad transceiver for the key chip. Nothing to crazy.

Yesterday, after I got home from work, I turned off my truck. About 20 minutes after, I got back in to move the truck to a different location. Immediately after turning on the engine, i heard a high pitched squeal sound, and a slightly higher rpm. I didnt like the sound, so i turned the key to the off position.

The engine rpm dropped to about 500, but the engine refused to turn off. I tried a few times cycling the key between on and off, with no change.

Then I decided to pull the fuel pump relay. But as i got the fuse box open, about to pull the relay, i heard a loud click, followed by the engine shutting off.

Subsequent attempts to turn engine over are met with a click, but no turn. On the third attempt, I heard what sounded like an electrical short. So I unplugged the battery, gathered all my pride that fell onto the floor of my ranger, and decided to sleep on it.

I'm thinking something with the starter. Maybe she got stuck open? Or the contacts shorted? Or something on the starting circuit since she doesn't want to chooch at all now.

I'm hoping to get some opinions before i start ripping her apart to fix the issue.

Thanks,
- highrisecowboy

 

Welcome to the forum

You changed the starter, how long ago?

Starter cranking speed is only 200rpms, so when you turned off the key could RPMs have been 200 and not 500?
If so then yes, the starter motor is most likely the issue, symptoms fit


Starters draw high amps, 60-75amps, enough to weld parts together
The smaller round tube on the starter motor is a Relay/solenoid
The smaller wire on the "S" post is what activates the starter motor, this wire only has 12volts when key is turned all the way to START
When activated the relay/solenoid inside moves to connect the larger Battery Positive cable to the Starter Motor's Contact inside the relay, these are larger contact plates to spread out the AMPs needed by the starter to spin the engine
Each time you start the engine the contacts have "arcing" which causes "rough spots" on their surfaces, these rough spots can WELD together at some point so are permanently connected together so starter just keeps on spinning regardless of keys position
It reads like that's what happened and the contacts in the starter motor relay/solenoid or in the starter motor itself burned out cutting power to starter motor, so it will no longer work, and you just get the "click" from starter relay in engine fuse box now

Less expensive, 3rd party, starters can have smaller contact plates so more prone to this type of failure, just a heads up