Cannot get my prized 1991 Ford Explorer XLT to start…much to the joy of my wife who wants to donate it to a tuna boat for smelting into cans. I used to hear one click. Now nothing. It has a brand new battery. I replaced some item for under $15 that was associated with the starter, however nothing changed. Could it be the starter? Help! Do not want this precious ride to go the way of the dodo bird. Thank you Car Talk!
Do you have the ability to diagnose electric problems? If so, start with the battery - you should measure 12.4 or more volts at the battery. Next does the battery voltage make it to the starter solenoid?? Does the ground? Both require clean, undamaged batter cables and connections.
Is the battery reading less than 10 volts? May be a bad battery, take it out, recharge it and have it tested. If it tests OK, there is something draining your battery. We call that a parasitic draw.
If you’ve gotten this far with me and understand… test and post back.
Otherwise, have it towed to a shop that can actually do the diagnosis to find your problem.
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