2002 ford ranger xlt 3.0 automatic
Trick was parked for 3 weeks
was working fine now it won’t crank
Has brand new battery
has brand new starter that works
when I try to turn on with key does nothing
everything works lights , ac just does not do nothing
went to the bottom to manually activate started and shoot some starting fluid and still won’t crank
checked all my fuses with tester all seem fine
contacted the old owner he said the problem has happened once before and mechanic shop said it was electrical / theft related
I can’t be the only one in the world that this has happened to please help as I am desperate

 

Are you 100% sure your battery connections are clean and tight ?

I've seen people spend several hundreds of dollars replacing parts due to a loose or dirty battery cable.

 

yes my radio works and ac blows and lights are on it has power , the terminals to battery were replaced there new

 

All the electrics in a vehicle add up to about 35ramps

Starter motor on its own needs minimum 60amps most need 75amps, instantly
So "everything works" just means you can access 30amps
Which was the point 2011Supercab was making

Just takes a minute to remove and re-tighten BOTH battery cables

But................I would expect to hear a "click" with key turn to START if it was a limited AMP issue, which you didn't mention

First test battery voltage, key on/engine off
12.3v to 12.8volts is acceptable
under 12.3volts can cause an issue with anti-theft system

Yes, 2002 Ranger will have PATS(passive anti-theft system), not an alarm its "passive", but it does disable starter motor and Fuel injectors if it can't "read" the key in the ignition

On the dash there is a THEFT light, should flash every 5 to 10 seconds with key off, its a warning to thieves
When you turn the key ON the THEFT light should come on and then go OFF, that means PATS got a good key code and you can start engine
If THEFT light flashes rapidly with key ON then engine can not be started, but WAIT, leave key on
After 45-60 seconds the THEFT light will start to flash a 2 digit code, 11 to 16, it repeats several times
11 Transceiver [transponder coil] not connected, or there is no power to it.
12 Transceiver internal fault.
13 No Key/no PATS key has been used to turn the ignition switch.
14 Incomplete key code received.
15 Invalid key code received.
16 CAN communications error.

PATS codes can also be read with an OBD2 reader that can access "B" codes
B1232/B2103 Transceiver internal antenna damaged. Replace transceiver.
B1600 Non-PATS Key or damaged key.
B1601 Unprogrammed encoded ignition key detected (leave ignition on for 20 seconds before trying a programmed key, in Anti-Scan Mode).
B1602 Partial detection of encoded ignition key.
B1681 Transceiver signal not detected.

Transceiver is the powered antenna around the ignition key slot, has 4 wires, can be replaced without reprogramming

If battery is lower than 12.3volts, when you turn the key to START the voltage drops TOO LOW and PATS resets as does the Computer

And you could just have a bad starter motor, one day it works and the next day it doesn't, there is no warning signs, tap it with a hammer, might be able to get a few more starts with it
If you can't manually activate it then that would be where I would start