not starting please help

ric812 · Mar 21, 2015

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.

Andy D · Mar 21, 2015

How is the battery/connections?

killj0y · Mar 22, 2015

Do you have long jumper cables? can you run straight from the battery to the starter? try that and see it it'll start?

ric812 · Mar 22, 2015

i had the battery tested and charged at the parts store. replaced the cable from battery to relay. If I jump the battery to the starter and it turns, could it be a bad cable or relay wired wrong? Also I just replaced the alternator and this is when all this started with not turning over.
:EDIT:
I jumped the battery to the starter and nothing but a spark. May take the starter off and have it tested but that will be a day or two since it is back to work today

scotts90ranger · Mar 22, 2015

I bet it's your ground cable... if you've only replaced the positive side it's either a bad ground where it connects (should connect at the frame rail and the engine block somewhere, some of them connect to one of the starter bolts)

ric812 · Mar 22, 2015

scotts90ranger said:
I bet it's your ground cable... if you've only replaced the positive side it's either a bad ground where it connects (should connect at the frame rail and the engine block somewhere, some of them connect to one of the starter bolts)

Can I jump the battery ground to the starter and jump the positive to the starter to test the grounding problem? It may just easier to drop it out and take it back to be tested too. (can get a new ground cable too)

killj0y · Mar 23, 2015

ric812 said:
Can I jump the battery ground to the starter and jump the positive to the starter to test the grounding problem? It may just easier to drop it out and take it back to be tested too. (can get a new ground cable too)

Just hook up the positive jumper lead to the battery positive and the negative jumper lead to the chassis or engine block and the other ends to the starter and if still nothing I would suspect a bad starter or bad battery but since ones been tested... :icon_thumby:

ric812 · Mar 23, 2015

Changed the ground cable and fixed the body and frame ground and now it cranks up but runs horribly. When I press the gas it tries to die, like it is loaded up on the carb, I am going to do a carb adjust tomorrow. Thank you to all that helped. The ground wire looked to be factory.

killj0y · Mar 23, 2015

ric812 said:
Changed the ground cable and fixed the body and frame ground and now it cranks up but runs horribly. When I press the gas it tries to die, like it is loaded up on the carb, I am going to do a carb adjust tomorrow. Thank you to all that helped. The ground wire looked to be factory.

Glad you got it working! :icon_welder:

ric812 · Mar 23, 2015

ok one problem fixed and another one shows up. It was running fine until i replaced the alternator and starter and ground cable. Now I get a rough idle that shakes the truck and when I go to drive it bogs out.

ric812 · Mar 24, 2015

Nevermind, after a once over this morning I found one of the wires had come off the distributor and it was running on three cylinders. Truck is running great.

Mark_88 · Mar 24, 2015

Yahoooooo~

I love happy endings...

ric812 · Mar 24, 2015

yeah me too

killj0y · Mar 24, 2015

Well that'll do it haha!

ric812 · Mar 24, 2015

And it runs like a top now

not starting please help

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