explorer starter

schrade

Member
Wifes 02 explorer suddenly won't start just clickes. Jumping does nothing. Could it be solenoid or would it be complete starter?
 

I'd be check the cable connections @ the starter motor..
But it is 13 years old & could very well be the starter..
 
Better hope it's something simple so you don't have to take it out. The one in the wife's Explorer Sport Trac is murder to get out of there. There's a balance weight or some such thing,bolted to the frame,right in the way of getting to the starter. After it's unbolted it won't come out because of the shape. I had to alter it with the cutting torch.
 
Check your connections first. At that age very well could be the starter is gone. Give the starter a few good whacks with a hammer and then see if you can get one last start from it and then drive it to where you can get it replaced.
 
Start with the simple stuff. Remove the cable ends and clean them. Put a voltmeter on the battery. If it's fully charged it should read 12.6-12.7. Jump starting while the jumper vehicle is running can be a bad idea.
 
I had a similar situation last fall, my 07 saturn suddenly did same thing, they do not sell starter seperate from solenoid for it, when I removed the starter found the heavy ground wire that runs from the solenoid to the starter rotted in half. It ran perfect, started perfect, right up to when it didn't. If jumping it did no good, certainly sounds like the starter has to come out.
 
Can you get to the starter with a test light? If so, connect the clip end to a known good ground on the engine. Touch the point to the battery cable connection on the starter.

Light should come on bright. If no, check your battery cables, ground connection, etc.

Have an assistant try the starter.

Did you feel the solenoid click? If no, move the test light to the small exciter wire. If the light comes on when trying to start and no click, there is a problem with the starter.

If the solenoid clicks, put the test light back on the battery cable. If the light goes off when the solenoid clicks, there is a bad battery connection, or weak battery.

Move the test light to the starter post below the solenoid. Try the starter, if the light comes on, the starter is bad.
 
Remove the ground cable at the battery and clean all the connections down to the starter until they're shiny. Then see if the engine will start after reconnecting the ground cable. My wife's mother had that problem on a Mercury
car. There was corrosion on the battery cable at the starter. Hal
 
NOT sure about a 2002, as of a couple of years before that, they had a fender-mounted solenoid that operated the main solenoid down on the starter.

If that's the way it's set up, wiggle the quick connect on the solenoid down at the starter, and see if that helps (have seen bad connections there).

Also, if it has the fender-mounted solenoid, jumper between the 2 big posts and see it the stater kicks in or the solenoid down there just clicks.
 
Just like Bob I've had 2 or 3 Fords with a solenoid on the inner fender the female connector to the small spade on the starter solenoid looses its tension.
 
hard to say this without sounding insulting or like I'm stating the obvious, but I don't mean it that way at all.

I've just seen it happen WAY too many times not to ask:

Are you SURE you have a solid connection on the jumper cables, and that you're using GOOD jumper cables?

EVERY SINGLE time I've had somebody repeat those "it just clicks" words to me, they'll swear up and down they've jumped it properly - I'll put my heavy jumper cables on, dig them in real good - and their vehicle fires right up. Worst case I'll take my exploding-fumes chances and go terminal to terminal on the negative side if I can't get a good ground connection.

General rule of thumb: if you paid less than $25 for your jumper cables, throw them away.

I do apologize if I am stating the obvious!
 
You are so right about cheap jumper cables JR...and add to that "good" clamps,,some clamps you can put on your fingers and not hurt you,,, but you don't want "Good Clamps" on your fingers, that's for sure. Most auto stores and Department store jumper cables are no good at all, the better Truck shops offer good ones and the bigger construction supply stores have good ones, they need to have heavy copper cables and strong clamps..
 
Exp and ranger starters in the mid 90's had brushes that when worn down would not contact the commutator. You can guess how I know this. Jumper cables won't help. Happens with NO warning. Just quits. Last time I bought 2 of the brush assys so there is a spare on the parts shelf. You may get it to work if a good hit to starter is done. The wire leads on the brushes are short and it does not take much wear before contact is lost. Easy fix, with starter out, it takes about 2 minutes. Brush set was about $30 at napa.
 
(quoted from post at 10:45:34 03/31/15) I had a similar situation last fall, my 07 saturn suddenly did same thing, they do not sell starter seperate from solenoid for it, when I removed the starter found the heavy ground wire that runs from the solenoid to the starter rotted in half. It ran perfect, started perfect, right up to when it didn't. If jumping it did no good, certainly sounds like the starter has to come out.

You are right, kinda, sorta, that wire will rot apart.....But, it is not a ground wire. It is the hot wire from the solenoid to the starter motor.

The starter motor grounds through the mounting bolts.
 

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