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1998 won't start


SpeedNinja

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I picked up a salvage title 1998 (in signature) mostly for parts. I'd like to get it running now. PO didn't speak much English, but was going to sell it to family in Guatemala or something. They said it may have a bad fuel pump (only about 88K on the truck). It looks like it may have had an aftermarket alarm in it at one point. It also had aftermarket fog lights hooked up at some point too. It had no battery when I got it. It is also missing the driver side inner fender and the radio. I'll give a list of what has happened, and some pictures.

- At one point we tried starting it off a jumper box. It turned over, but wouldn't fire. I chalked it up to the fuel pump being dead and didn't touch it for a while. I did not know the clutch harness was not plugged in at this point.

- I looked at it all again much later and I saw an odd, lone gray wire under the hood going through the firewall at the clutch. Went inside and popped off the knee panels to get a better look. It ran up and spliced into the red/light blue wire coming out of the ignition module (I guess that's what it's called). The other end of that wire had a purple wire crimped to it, but that went to nowhere. There was also a yellow and a green/gray wire with tape on them. I noticed the clutch harness was unplugged so I plugged that back in. I got a battery and tried starting it with no luck. All it would do was click once and blow a fuse. I replaced the fuse and walked away from it for several months. I'm looking through the owners manual trying to jog my memory and I think it's the 7.5A fuse in slot 24: clutch pedal position (CPP) switch, starter interrupt relay, anti-theft.

- Found the EVTM I bought for my 2000 2.5L 5-speed. Everything looks the same so far. The red/light blue wire that's cut on the C213 ignition switch (page 13-21) is in PIN STA, circuit 32 and is labelled as Hot In Start Output. Everything else looks in place. That wire feeds the clutch position sensor directly (and the GEM and radio, I think).

- I got the Red/blue wire crimped back together. It was running from the ignition module all the way to the starter motor. I'm not sure what the point of doing that is, other than to bypass the clutch safety switch maybe. Whatever the reason, it's all pulled out and corrected now. The yellow and green/gray were stripped a little, but never severed. Next step is to find a battery or jump box and see if it wants to fire.

-I was given a weird little jump box for Christmas. I decided to hook it up and see if the truck did anything. Nope. Deader than a door knob. I'm not sure if the jump box couldn't handle it, or if I just need to get a legit battery. Figured I'd tried this first to save $115 on a battery if I could... assuming more things need to be done before I can make real use of a battery.

-Got the battery installed. I got inside the truck (key was already in it) and didn't hear a chime or anything. Turned the key to "on" and the gauge cluster lit up. Turned the key to "start" and I heard a click, then everything was dead again. Key off, out, on, start... all dead. The click sounds like it's coming from behind the dash. There's no radio in it, so I could hear the click pretty well. I didn't hear or see a mini-fuse blow this time. I noticed another wire was tampered with to the right of the steering column. Looks like a very small yellow/green wire, patched up with black electrical tape. I also saw a white/gray wire going to a plug that had nothing plugged into it. I'm not sure what that's for either. (Picture below.) The battery is disconnected for now.

I'm guessing there's a relay or fusable link behind the dash somewhere. I'm not sure why it's being tripped though. I'm also curious as to why all this botched wiring was done.

Clutch harness plugged back in. You can see the gray wire coming through the firewall.


You can see both ends of the red/blue wire here. One end is crimped to a black wire, which is the same as the gray wire, they just extended it by twisting it together with the gray one.


Overhead shot, where you can see the gray wire I first spotted it. (I figured out where that yellow vacuum tube connects to as well.)


To the right of the steering column. Haven't figured out what the yellow/green or white/gray wires are for yet.
 


RonD

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Looks like a real wiring chore.

Having an EVTM will help alot, can't say anything in the pictures jumps out at me as far as where they go.
 

SpeedNinja

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I'm going to try and bypass the clutch safety switch to see if that's bad. It was half taken apart so it could be. I don't think it's the only problem, but it might help eliminate some of these weird symptoms. I've read the automatic trucks have a bypass in them so I'll look for one while I'm at the junkyard getting an inner fender, a passenger seat track and a radio, if I'm lucky.
 

RonD

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Automatics have an NSS(neutral safety switch) just above the shift linkage on the transmission, it is also the Reverse light switch.
It is a push button type switch that screws into the trans, the button rides on a Cam attached to the shift rod inside the trans., when you shift the button slides up and down, making and breaking connections for Park/Neutral, "in gear", and Reverse

Clutch switch, manual trans, is, of course, on the clutch pedal's push rod, it is used for passing starter solenoid voltage from key switch to solenoid but it is also used by the computer(holds RPMs high when shifting, turns on injectors when coasting) and in a 4x4 it is used to shift into 4low(0mph on speedo, clutch pedal in), it is often better to replace this switch than by pass it on '95 and up vehicles.

When you are coasting in a fuel injected vehicle the computer shuts off fuel injectors which save gas, carbs just keep feeding gas to engine.
When RPMs get down to about 1,100 computer restarts injectors, at idle levels, in a manual trans it will restart injectors at 1,100rpms or when clutch pedal is pushed in, which ever happens first.
 
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SpeedNinja

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I thought it would be odd for an automatic to have wiring included for a clutch sensor. I'll try the other bypass method to test if it's the clutch switch that's causing me problems, or something else. As I mentioned, if it is bad, I will get a new one. I just don't want to throw $40 at it and hope it's the solution.
 

SpeedNinja

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It's been a while since I could work on the truck. Life stuff. I think I'm a smidge closer to getting it solved...

I wasn't sure about the clutch safety switch and wanted to rule it out, so I jumped with 14ga. wire it like so...


Hooked up the battery, cranked they key, dash lights flashed and I got a single chime, heard a click, then... dead. Nothing would come back on at all. Same as before.
I unhooked the battery and turned the key to the on position. (Don't know why I never tried this before. Derp.) The chime rings (not sure if for the door or something else) and the gauge cluster lights come on. Right after the second chime, I hear the click, but the truck doesn't die. I turned the key off and back to on a couple times and notice that the ABS light turns off when I hear the click. So I go through ALL the relays in the box under the hood, taking one out at a time, and it changes nothing. All the relays look original. I had dad help me out and we can't tell where the click is coming from, other than it sounds like the driver side. I don't see any more spliced wires. In the engine bay. It could be behind the dash, but it sounds like a relay clicking. I had lost my help at this point so I tried unplugging the harness going into the RABS control block. Started it and everything was the same as before except the starter did try to bump the motor for a split second after the click, then everything completely died again. It seems very bizarre that the entire electrical system completely shuts off until I disconnect and reconnect the battery.
[

Side note: This might be totally unrelated, but the PO's son is such a hack that it wouldn't surprise me if he mangled something important while installing this... It had an aftermarket crappy fog light kit wired into it. The only places that harness was still attached were at the marker lights, and one of the fog lights that is still on the truck. It looks like they set the fogs to come on with the driving lights. The rest of the fog light harness was already cut or detached. I was hoping to find a relay improperly spliced in somewhere random, but I don't see anything unusual in the engine bay.
 

SpeedNinja

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I wasn't entirely convinced the click sound I've been hearing is coming from the engine bay, so I started digging into the interior this afternoon. I started with the radio bezel, which was just resting in place and originally came from an Explorer. After I pulled that out of the way I only noticed what I had seen before: the radio wires had been cut from the connector. (There is something else wrong here, but I didn't notice it yet.)


Since I didn't notice anything unusual, I moved on to the gauge surround panel and steering column cover. Holes had been drilled/punched in them so I figured I might find something. NOPE. Then I pulled the cluster out and saw a large wire that looked out of place. I started pulling it out and found an antenna of some sort.


I followed the antenna where it split into a Y about dead center of the dash, between the firewall and the defrost duct. I can't tell what it's spliced into below, but I followed the other wires around and back towards the hole where the radio should be. Two wires were spliced into a plug towards the passenger side of the radio bezel area. I'm not sure what that plug is for, but it's wires were black and the other was dark gray/magenta.


That's where I hit a stopping point. I probably have to pull the dash back a bit to see what else that antenna is spliced into, and if any of the original harness has been damaged or disconnected because of it. I'll probably be able to work on that Wednesday.
 

SpeedNinja

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So that plug is the 12v power source on the radio bezel. I feel like an idiot for not remembering that.

I finally got a chance to dig around on the truck after a week of family emergencies. Other than losing my 7mm socket (in the defroster duct, I think), I tracked down those mystery wires. I had to unbolt the dash to lean it back far enough and found what appears to be a LoJack box. So that's another wiring trail run cold. I'll attempt to get the truck moved to were I can see underneath it better this weekend.
 

SpeedNinja

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So I listed the truck for sale just to get it out of my hair. Then I remembered to take a peek at the negative terminal at the motor mount. I looked above and below and didn't see it. Walked away. Decided to trace it from the battery to the motor mount and noticed a tie down clamp on the driver side had been removed at one point and not retained with a nut when put back on. (First picture, from under the truck.) So You kind of lose sight of that wire bundle along the cross member, but on the other side it looks normal from above going up to the alternator. However from underneath... not so much. I don't recall the factory using any white tape. I also got a shot of the starter, because I'm not sure what wires are supposed to run where and I don't have my old truck to reference. Something could be very wrong here...





I figured I'd ask what this was supposed to look like before tearing it apart, in case someone comes looking to buy it and gives me enough money to not care anymore.
 

SpeedNinja

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Well, that was a dead end. I started pulling that harness out and found a Ford tag on it. I'm stumped on this truck. Might just look for a truck with a blown motor, swap in this one and scrap the rest.
 

RonD

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1998 will have the starter relay on the starter motor.
So will have the large Battery "+" cable connected as shown.

But there should be a Red/light blue stripe wire connected where the Yellow wire is now, so now sure whats up with that?

Ford has been using Red/lt Blue for START wire from ignition switch for many many years.

Wondering if that yellow wire is a splice, or if it was suppose to be a 12v source wire for something else that needs power 24/7, so would be hooked on same posts as battery cable, and red wire is missing
 
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SpeedNinja

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Alright, you could be on to something. I can't find my EVTM at the moment (for a 2000), but the truck did have what I think is a LoJack installed. Maybe there are some more things that have been rearranged, possibly well enough that they didn't stand out as much as the botch jobs done for other sections.

Where would the other end of the red/lt blue wire run to? Maybe I can trace it backwards.
 

SpeedNinja

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I went out to the junkyard looking for an underhood loom to pull and swap into my truck. I only found one truck, and it was botched up as well, but I did verify that the wire should be red/lt blue. I should probably pull as much of the harness out as possible and trace that to see where the circuit has been altered.
 

zekew64

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Hey, I've got some things for you to do to track down your starting issue.

First, as you've mentioned a clutch switch, I'm assuming you've got a manual trans.

Second, hook the battery back up and check for power at the power distribution box. If that check is good, check the voltage at the ignition switch itself. Go through a voltage test on the switch by checking the switch voltage before and after for the ACC, START, and RUN positions. If that check is good, go to the next test.

Next, check the voltage incoming at the clutch position switch. You should have battery voltage. Next, check the voltage at the starter relay (pin 30). If you verify voltage here, have an assistant try and start the truck. You should feel/hear the relay click. You should also check for voltage on pin 87 when the relay activates.

Next, check for continuity between the starter solenoid and the relay. The wire to check on the solenoid is the signal wire coming from the relay (should be the wire attached to the small nut/terminal). Also get the starter motor tested and check that it works; if not, replace it.

Next, check the fuel pump relay to make sure the pump circuitry is working (with the key on, but not trying to start, you should hear the pump come on). Also check the EEC relay and make sure it is working (both relays should have a voltage check at pin 30 on each, and then at pin 87a while the truck is attempted to be started -- this will check and verify that the relays are good).

Next, check your grounds. With the key off, check continuity at each ground with a DVOM. Once this is done -- and circuits are repaired, if need be -- your truck should start, electrically. Also check the condition of the following: Coil resistances, wire resistances, plug conditions, and fuel filter conditions. Also, check your truck's EEC (main computer) and make sure that it passes a system check. Lastly, make sure the motor physically turns over by taking a breaker bar and socket and turning the motor by hand in the direction it would normally turn.

After doing all this, if it still won't start, get back to us.
 
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SpeedNinja

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Thanks. If I can find some time in the next month or so, and the truck doesn't sell for parts, I'll try to go through that list. You're assuming I know a little more about electrical than I do, but I'll figure it out.

Is there a particular tester that is good to buy? I don't have a full set of my own tools and I'm buying them as I need them.

Just a couple preliminary responses, or recaps from earlier posts:
- Yes, it's a manual. I bypassed the clutch switch. I'm not going to buy that now if I don't need to.
- The motor is free.
- The starter is good.
 

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