Turn the key and there is just a click (sounds like the solenoid under the hood) but the motor does not crank over.
My real question: Does a 2000 Expedition still what I call the typical ford starting system wiring with the solenoid on the fender and the starter on the motor? Or are there any other relays or other electronics that I should be looking at?
On a side note the battery is rather new top of the line unit and my wife even hooked up the charger on it when it would not start for her. (I taught her how to do this just last week) so when I got home and tried it the battery was at top charge. Even adding the 100 amp boost did not change things. I did not take it any further as I had other commitments I had to get to and the truck is not really needed at the moment but I want to get it sorted this weekend.
So am I rite in assuming it is just a matter of me testing the solenoid and / or the starter and there respective wiring and determining what has failed or has ford made it more complicated than that on this car.
Gotta be one of those two. Can you still jump the solenoid like I used do on my F150 and 69 Cougar?
In reply to dean1484:
I think you will find a starter relay on the firewall, in addition to the starter solenoid on the starter. It will just be a case of checking to see where you no longer have 12V when you try to start it.
Danny
Thanks Guys. I am going to get into it between thunder storms tomorow.
The top bolt on these is. .. . .Well .. .. . Interesting to get out. Done worse but this one could definitely have been better engineered
Turns out it was not the starter. The end of main power cable running down to the Starter had fatigued and was barley connected to the starter. The bad part is that I discovered it after I took the starter our and I broke a stud on the starter so it gets a new one anyway. The repair to the main power lead was interesting. I also discovered that the bracket holding the dipstick tube for the trans was broken so I will be welding that up while I have the inner fender well out. It is also a good opportunity to clean up all the ground leads so hopefully when this is done the electrical system will be a bit better. I may add a supplemental ground strap between the motor and the frame as well.
You took the inner fender well out to do a starter on an Expedition?
The positive cable is available as a honkin' big assembly that includes both battery cables and the cables going from the firewall mounted solenoid (which is there to power up... the starter solenoid) Don't cheap out, get the cables.
F150/Expeditions with 4.6 either have new cables or broken cables. I can usually reach through the wheelwell and shove the cable on enough to have someone else start the truck, which is good because pushing things sucks.
And the lesson to be learned is... when routing a battery cable, secure the cable to the engine so it doesn't stress the lug. Ford secured the cable to the frame three inches from the starter lug, so engine rocking and vibration micro-cracks the lug, which corrodes and makes the cracks worse. Even if you prevent the corrosion, it will break anyway but it will just take longer.
Actually the cable was fine it was the eyelet that is crimped and soldered on the end of the cable that bolts to the solenoid on the starter. Cut it off and re crimped a new one on and re soldered it. I then coated the exposed wire up to the new copper eyelet with silicon sealant to prevent moisture from getting in to the end of the cable and installed two layers of heat shrink insulation. Looks factory!!!! I only lost about 3/8" off the end of the cable.
