Okay so here is an unusual problem, i recently got the truck from a woman who only used it for very short trips shopping and only occasionally.

On my way home in the truck it ran fine but when i went to start it again the starter was dead.

There was horrific corrosion on the terminals and the battery posts. so much so i had to replace the battery and terminals.

What would cause the truck not to work after a long journey??
now i have replaced the starter as well but not looking forward to doing a long trip after the new starter is installed.

What should i be looking for?

 

Ist off, parts do wear out over time, so I wouldn't be worried "about future trips".

2nd, you say "horrific corrosion". My wife's Edge had an OEM Motorcraft battery that leaked under 4 years old, and we were the original owners of the vehicle. **** happens.

You don't mention year of vehicle or miles, but it really doesn't matter. Repairs will happen regardless of age or condition of the vehicle. Ironically, my mom has an 04' Taurus with only 45,000 miles on it, and her neutral safety switch caused the vehicle to not start over the weekend. She does short trips also, but again parts will fail and there really isn't anything you can do because preventitive maintenance only goes so far.

Edit: I just saw your user name, and don't tell me that you have a 93' Ranger because if so, it is 20 years old and you are complaining about parts going bad? Wait till you have a 4 or 5 year old vehicle that you are still making payments on, and you have to do repairs. I've already needed brakes, a new battery, and 4 new tires, but I also have almost 69,000 miles.

 

This doesn't seem like an unusual problem at all. On the contrary, it seems like a usual problem, especially with a 1993. Both of those problems do not seem out of the ordinary, and if that is all you have to replace on a 93 then I would say it was a good buy

 

Did you clean up all of the battery cable connections.
Also, the alternator and all grounding cables should be checked for heavy corrosion and if there is any clean it up and you might consider all new cables, maybe an oversized set for good measure.
Use some Di-Electric Conductive Paste on all connections, a light film on the studs or posts and some on top of the connections.

Search for cable changing and grounding cables there are write ups and how-tos.

If you don’t want future problems with the charging system, the starter and the overall electrical system of the vehicle start looking and cleaning.