I am sorry! There should be two terminals on the solenoid. One of them the battery is connected to. The other goes to the starter. If you hold a screw driver (preferably an old on as it will marr the finish a little) across the two terminals while someone tries to crank the truck over, if the solenoid is bad the truck should start normally. If it doesn't it still might be the solenoid, but it is probably something else. Basically you are bypassing the internal switch in the solenoid with the screwdriver. When power is applied it will travel through the screwdriver taking over for the solenoid. It is kinda a redneck repair check but it works.

~HJ

(P.s. Wear gloves cause it can spark like a b****)

 

Gotcha. Well... there is only one wire coming off of my solenoid.

 

If you run 12v to the little terminal on the starter sylenoid it will turn the engine over if the sylenoid is good. This is the trigger wire from the ignition switch that activates the sylenoid which engages the starter. what John is saying...on many sylenoids there are 2 large terminals and the little trigger teminal. The large terminals are normally alike (sorta looks like a bolt with a nut on it) and can be arced with a screwdriver..bypassing the trigger terminal completely. This test method bypasses all safety switches like clutch depressed or if a automatic in park etc. so be aware so the truck dont run ya over :)

 

Actually I think I have a better understanding of this now. I was confusing the solenoid with the starter.

 

---------------UPDATE #3-------------------

I pulled the battery to make sure that wasn't my problem and replaced it with another one. I ended up with the same exact results, so that proves that the battery is not my problem. With the new battery still on, I tried starting the truck by connecting the starter directly to the battery via jumper cables. This caused the voltage to drop again in the wires to 0v. I also tried having a friend start the truck while I held a steel hammer accross the terminals of the solenoid. When I touched the two together, it sparked, when he turned the key, we got nothing. I don't think there is a problem with the solenoid because you can here it click when you turn the key - but only if the starter is disconnected.

There is a local shop that is able to test starters to see if they are good or not, so I am going to try and get the starter off and take it to them tomorrow. I managed to get one bolt off tonight, but the other is being a pain. I stripped it alittle, so I sprayed some penetrant on there - I'll be trying again in the morning.

If the starter is messed up, then I can see why I had my problems while driving. If it were engaged, there would be a very large amount of current being drawn from the battery/altenator, enough to kill the engine on me even while moving.

 

what you need to do is turn the key to the on position, meaning just before you actually turn it once more to start it, then you would hold a screwdriver to the two post on the seloniod, if it starts, then its the selenoid if it doesnt then you got problems else where. hope this helps...........

 

I dont think it is the solinoid it sound's more like a NEG battory cable. or it could be the body ground cable also.

 

For your fuel it could be because of the electrical problem or it could be the FPR (fuel pressure regulator).

 

ok time for Mr Distributor Replaced to chime in....

im too lazy to read every word, skimmed it tho... heres MY thought.

check ur alternator over time. if its dipping, or spiking that could very well be ur problme... if u sheck it and it reads normal output, dont just say, well its fine... try it over a period of time, if possible, actively monitor voltage output, as it could very well be the source of all ur probs.

 

Can't check it out for spikes if I can't get the truck running

 

John, I tried to PM you but the system says you aren't set up to RECEIVE them. Therefore I'm posting this.

I'll bring some testing equipment, for sure. What time are you looking at? Give me directions to get to your house coming up 295 from the Commodore Barry/Route 322 (about exit 14 on I-295).

I'd like to stop at Atsion first to pay for James and my campsites. Maybe directions from there would be better -- or just give me your address and I'll find my way (I oughta' -- I carry enough navigation equipment, lol...)

We'll figure out someway to determine what's wrong, don't worry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by winks

John, if you'd like to come over on Friday and try to trouble shoot the Bronco, I'd definitely welcome the help. I have not been able to pull the starter off yet to take it for testing, the top bolt is stripped. Do you know of any way we could test it while it is on the vehicle? I'm thinking I probably have a grounding issue somewhere as well - but I have no idea how I would go about testing that, and it would be good to have your knowledge there.

Let me know if you would like to come by in the morning and I will take off of work. I will probably be able to make it to Wharton with you for some exploring in the afternoon in the Ranger.

I sent you an email, but it is better to contact me through PM.

 

That really stinks all the probs you are having man. I wish there was more I could do ?

 

Ben if you want to come up Friday, maybe we can all try to brainstorm it? But... that'd be a hell of a lot of driving because you'd have to go back for Candi.

 

UPDATE - 6/10/06

Old thread, I know, but the truck hasn't run since I originally posted this. I have actually come across something odd tonight. I hooked up the truck to a battery charger and got the same results as usual when I tried to start it. I decided to try something different afterwards - I hooked up the positive on the charger to the positive on the battery, and then hooked up the ground of the charger to the frame. When I turned the key to the Accesorry position, the tach showed 1000rpm even though the engine wasn't running. I listened underneath the truck, and the starter was running. I don't know what to make of this, however I believe this is why I was losing all power when I would try to start the truck. What is happening here?

Additional Information:
I have changed out the spark plug wires, spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, ignition coil and starter. I have some new ground wires for the battery that I am going to try to install this weekend.

 

I have been told to check out the starter relay and see if that is staying open, causing the starter to run. Any other suggestions?

 

Here are tonight's experiments and the results, there is a summary at the bottom for those who do not want to read.

Note: I currently am using the bolt down/clamp on battery terminals for my wires, which allows me to test the voltage both on the battery and on the cables themselves. (this is important)

When I put the battery charger on the cables, it was on there for only a minute and then read full charge. I had no interior lights, headlights, or anything else... In other words, the cables read full charge, but the truck wasn't getting anything.

I then put the charger directly onto the battery (with the cables still attached), it charged it up for quite some time but never let it completed the charge. While it was connected in this setup, the truck was getting power, unlike the above mentioned. When I turned the key to Run, the fuel pumps pressurized the system, and that is all. When I turned the key to Start, the truck immediately lost power everywhere.

When I got power back, I repeated this proccess again and had the same results..

When I got power back again, I attached a jumper from the negative terminal of the battery to the frame. I then turned the key to Run, and the starter turned on. Note that I did not turn the key to Start.

I repeated this proccess again and had the same results.

I pulled off the wire that sends the signal from the solenoid to the starter, and this time when I turned the key to Run the starter did not turn. I then turned the key to Start, heard a click from the solenoid and nothing else - I did not lose any power.

I attached the starter wire back to the solenoid, turned the key to Run, the starter did not turn. When I turned the key to Start, I immediately lost all power once again.

Because I was thinking I may have a grounding issue, I took off my ground cables from the battery and hooked up a jumper from the battery to the frame. When I turned the key to Start, I immediately lost power.

When the power returned, I went through the process again, when the key was turned to run, this time the starter did not start turning. I turned the key to Start, and immediately lost all power.

I repeated this process again after the power returned, and had the same results.

Summary:
From these tests I have found when the battery cables are connected and I try to start the truck, it locks the starter solenoid in the closed position. This is why the starter would turn in the Run position each time after that when I tried to start the truck (with the jumper connected from the battery to the frame). When taking off the starter cable off of the solenoid and then turning the key to Start, it unlocks the solenoid out of the closed position and opens the ciruit again.

I am clueless as to why trying the same steps with the ground wires taken off of the battery did not cause the solenoid to stay in the closed posistion when I lost power. Possibility the ground coming off of my battery needs to be replaced. I also have no idea where to take this next, other than to run the jumper to the engine block and see if that does anything.

Any other ideas are welcome.

 

Okay... so on to tonight's testing...

I replaced the starter solenoid/relay and the wire that runs from the solenoid to the starter. After doing this, I came up with the same results - when I turned they key to Start, I lost all power as usual. From the advice given, I have been suspecting a grounding problem, but I wanted to change those parts out anyhow, so I did that first. After changing those out, I followed my ground to where it connects to the engine to figure out how to replace it. After a bit of feeling around for a connection and not coming up with anything, I decided to go a different route. I stripped back the ground wire from the terminal, and tested it with the battery and volt meter. I was not getting any voltage when I tried to use that cable as a ground - I was reading voltage at other ground points. Since I couldn't find where the gound wire ended, I decided to chop it off at a safe point, and then hooked up a pre-made negative terminal to another bolt on the engine. I tested it out, and it started right up. It tried to stall out on me again, but I kept giving it gas, and had it running for about 5 minutes, then shut it off.

I did my little happy happy joy joy dance, but I came to realize that I had celebrated too soon. When I went out to try it again about 20 minutes later, the starter was grinding when I turned the key to Start. I have never had a starter grind on me before, so I don't know what could be wrong. Any ideas?

 

if the starter is grinding then you may have either a bad starter or flexplate... and lets hope its not the flexplate

 

I don't think it would be the starter, it started right up on the first try after I hooked up the ground to the engine. Somebody said it might be a short, but I can't think of why it would start up the first time, unless that caused a short when it was running.

I don't think it would be the starter, because it is brand new, but why do you think it would it be the starter? And what is a flex plate?

 

I switched out the battery to my Ranger's battery. No luck, the starter is still grinding. I removed the new negative terminal off of my battery and used a jumper to ground it to the engine... incase somehow that was messed up. That did not work either. Unless anybody can think of something better, the next step is to take off the starter and have it tested.