I have a 1986 ranger 2.0l. I have replaced the starter relay and the starter but I am still having problems. The relay is clicking but the starter is not turning at all. Can anyone give me a direction to start.

 

Do you have a manual or automatic?
If manual have you tried "bump starting", i.e. roll vehicle forward and release the clutch in first gear

Have you tried to manually turn the crankshaft?
To make sure engine isn't seized.

Starter motor needs 12volts, but it also needs a good ground, the Negative(black) battery cable should run to the engine block, make sure that cable is clean and tight at both ends.

 

yes i can roll start it and the ground is bolted to the engine through one of the starter bolts

 

Then you are down to the battery not have the amps to turn the starter or new starter is bad.
"New" no longer means "it works", "new" means "never tested, probably works"

Light are not related to the amps a starter motor needs, so "lights work" doesn't mean battery is OK
If you have a volt meter battery needs to be 12.4volts or higher.

I assume you have inspected the cable from the battery to starter relay and from relay to starter motor.
These cables can corrode under the insulation, so look OK but are not OK.
You can use a razor knife to cut back insulation about an inch then peel it back, if you see whitish power(call Columbia, joking) then replace cable.

 

I just had the battery tested and charged at the parts store 2 days ago.
This all started after I replaced the alternator, it has not started since I replaced the alternator. I am not sure if this will have anything to do with it but I am just putting that out there too. Can anyone post a picture of the relay to make sure I have it wired up correctly. I am new to fords.

 

Starter relay is easy to wire.

Starter motor cable to one of the larger posts, tighten it up, that is the ONLY wire on that post.

Battery positive cable to the other large post, and all the other wires go to this post, alternator, and power distribution are here.

The smaller "S" post gets the smaller wire that comes from the Key switch via the NSS or clutch switch, this wire has 12volts when key is turned to START, it activates the relay.


If your starter relay has a 4th post, small one, that is the "I"(ignition) post it was used in the past to power the Coil with full battery voltage when starting the engine.
It wasn't used with electronic ignition system for the most part.

 

Thank you for the information, that would mean it is wired up correctly. The next step I am going to try is replace the main ground cable and the power cable from the relay to the starter. Hope for the best