starting problem 94 explorer

I just had to walk home tonight so please bear with me.

I have an automatic 94 Explorer XLT 4x4 with 146,000 miles

I went to start my truck tonight after work.

I got in and turned the key. I got 1 loud "click" and the lights all flashed and then nothing. The little red light on the left side of the dash above the headlight switch started to blink. I bought this truck used so I have no idea what the red light is or does.

I have a remote starter with 2 buttons from a company named Avital. There is no sticker on the back so I can not give you the make. The right button starts the truck remotely but the left does nothing normally.

However when I pressed And held the left button tonight the light stopped blinking. When I tried to start it again I got no click and the red light starting blinking again.

I tried the headlights and they did not come on. I tried the interior dome light and it would blink along with the little red light on the dash. All the dash lights were weak and would almost blink along with the little red light as well.

I am very frustrated right now. If anyone has any ideas what to try I would greatly appreciate it. I am not mechanically inclined so please use laymans terms.

I am hoping its just the battery or starter or some other easy fix. I've only had the truck for a couple of months and never had a problem starting before.

I am going to sit down and have a drink and check back in the morning.

note: normally the little red light on the dash is always on even if the engine is off and the key is out of the ignition.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

I went back to the truck this morning and tried to start it again with the same results.

I checked the ignotion fuse under the hood in the fuse box and it was fine. I noticed the posts on the battery were somewhat corroded but I did not think it was enough to keep it from starting.

Lucky for me that the maintainance department where I work had a jump kit. I hooked up the pos and neg cables directly to the pos and neg posts on the battery and the truck started right up.

I noticed a loud squealing noise coming from the altenator which was audible over the noise of the engine. bad bearings?

I drove the truck home ( about 3 miles ) and tested it as I went. Every time I used the power windows, turned on the radio, tried the wipers ect the volt meter on the dash would drop real quick and then go back to normal. I never noticed this before but then again I never really watched it closely. Just before I got home I saw the ABS light come on and stay on. I am not sure if this is related to the starting problem but I sure as hell hope so and its not a new problem.

When I got home I put everything in park and turned off the ignition. I waited about 10 seconds and tried to start it again.

Nothing happened. not a click, not a whir nor any little clowns coming out of the glove box singing zippity-do-da. No lights blinking this time as well.

I am now wondering what would be the next logical step?

check for worn wires to the battery or altenator?
replace the battery?
replace the altenator?

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

Sounds like you are having altenator problems. POssibly the voltage regulator. They are usually incorporated into the alternator any more. Get a haynes manual and go through the checks on the battery and alternator. If you have any shops specializing in battery sales, they are usually more than happy to check it out, hoping for a sale. You can check your belt and tensioner to make sure it's not slipping. That can cause a voltage drop at first. Not sure what your red light indicates but it could have something to do with undervoltage. If you can't get your hands on a haynes, reply and I'll pull it out and walk you through it.

I checked the belt with engine stopped and all is tight.

I then had a neighbor jump start the truck to see if perhaps the altenator had siezed up and the belts were slipping. The altenator is turning but the sound is coming from it.

The local autoparts store can order me a manual but they won't get in shippments until Thursday.

B33p3r: if your offer to help walk me thru some of the checks is still good I would be greatful for your help. My normal mechanic is gone for a while as his daughter is getting married this weekend. I've always wanted to learn how to repair my own vehicle and save some money.

If I am correct... once the engine is on and the altenator is turning, power to the vehicle come from the altenator and not the battery. As I was able to jump start the vehicle and drive it home with a dead battery would the altenator be working as intended?

Thanks,

Jeff

Do you have a auto zone or something like that nearby, if so take your alternator out they will check it for free. The squealing your hearing does it kinda sound like a winde up car, cause thats what my alternator sounded like. You possibly have bad bearings, STOP jump starting it though if you want to save your battery. The more you drain it the less life it has, usually you have to replace with the alternator because of the constant draining.

Good Luck,
brett

Get a voltmeter and check the battery voltage with the engine off. Should be approx. 12 volts now start the engine(jump if you have to but disconnect cables before testing) voltage reading on battery should be 14-15 volts. The(while engine is still running) turn your headlights on. Voltage should drop and then come back up if charging system is working. If voltage is higher than stated, replace the voltage regulator.
If voltage is lower:Backprobe the "b+" terminal on the back of the alternator. There should be 12 volts present with the ignition key off.
With the ignition key on(engine not running) there should be 12 volts at the "A" terminal, 1 volt at the "I" terminal, and 12 volts at the "B+" terminal. Then start the engine, raise to 2000 rpms and there should be 14 to 14.7 volts at the "A" terminal and the "B+" terminal and 13 to 14 volts at the "I" terminal.
If the voltages are as listed above, check the wiring harnesses going to the alternator. Give them a good look. If they seem ok replace the alternator.
Try that for now. If you say there is a squeel from the alternator, chances are the brearing is bad and keeping it from putting out the correct voltage. New alternator is in order if that is the case.
FYI: Old days it used to be called a generator because it generated electricity to run the vehicle. You could disconnect the battery and the car would still run. Today, an alternators only job is to replenish the battery. The battery supplies al power to vehicle. If you unplug the battery, the vehicle dies. Because of this, it is a good idea, especially in colder climates, to put a trickle charge into the battery once or twice a winter to keep it up to snuff.
Also, do yourself a favor and pull the battery cables off and clean them. Reconnect and tighten down good. The electronics today are very fussy about having a good ground path. You can't imagine how many problems are cause by poor grounds. You end up changing a $$$$ part and in doing so you improved the ground which corrected the problem and you think the new part was the real fix. This is true of all grounds, not just the battery ground.
Good luck. Let us know how you made out. If you need anymore help, just ask. Beeper

if you had a bad alternator your car would die in motion.....prolly about 10 minutes of driving.

that click you heard was the stater soleniod...it was trying to move the starter...it prolly didnt have enough juice to move it.

you said you can jump the car so your starters good.

Chances are you have a bad battery...
I agree with b33p3r about check the volts of ur battery.

if the battery is fine clean the cables and the battery terminals...seach for any corroded wires or disconnected wires....the smallest wire can make a big difference.

alot of the time people will ghetto rig some shit just to make it work ....the bad part is the next owner doesnt know shit about the previus job done to that vehicle.

gl on you exploder

oh yea that sqeelling noise can come from your belt....
a bad bearing would make a wineing noise.

If I am correct... once the engine is on and the altenator is turning, power to the vehicle come from the altenator and not the battery. As I was able to jump start the vehicle and drive it home with a dead battery would the altenator be working as intended?

Thanks,

Jeff


no man.....the car runs off the battery, and all the alternator does is charge the battery.

sorry but I didnt read all the post...

After following your well written guide for testing the alternator and battery, I discovered that the battery is fine but the alternator is the culprit and will need to be replaced.

My explorer has a few after market parts such as a towing package and a CD system with changer and audio amps. The guy who helped me at Autozone suggested I get a new alernator with a little more power which I did.

Now comes the fun part of replacing it.

I disconnected the battery and removed a black plastic housing from the top front of the engine to get a clear shot at the Alt. The Alt is held on by 2 bolts on the left side and 1 single bolt on the right side which looks like it will allow the alt to swing out.

As I do not have my repair manual yet (Dam UPS) Could anyone who has done this is the past give me a quick walk thru?

I have a single serpentine belt with a tensioner just below the Alt. This tensioner is my main concern. It looks like it may be spring loaded to keep tension on the belt but I am not sure.

Do I even need to worry about it and be able to replace the Alt without dealing with the tensioner? This is my first time ever working on a vehicle and I do not want to screw anything up.

I also do not have any sort of torque wrench and was wondering if I need to have the alternator attached to the vehicle with any sort of torque specifications?

I can rip a computer apart and put it back together blindfolded but this is all new to me so please be kind =)

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

I had a friend come over to give me a hand with replacing the Alternator. All went well and the truck started right up after the work was done.

We did notice another whirring noise coming from the engine that would come and go as the truck was running. My buddy said I may have another pulley starting to go. I have an appointment with our local Ford company to get the oil changed and tranny fluid checked so I will ask them to give it a quick look.

The new Alternator has a smaller pulley than the origional. It is not a big difference but there is one. Will this casue any problems down the road? With the belt tensioner the belt is still nice and tight and all is spinning well.

Thank you all for your help!

Jeff

How much smaller is it? Did you check it with micrometers or dial calipers. As for the noise maybe its your idler pulley, just a thought.

How much smaller is it?

I would say at most it is 1/4" difference.

I still have the old Alternator as I have not returned it for my Core charge as of yet. For the hell of it I tried to remove the pulley from the old one but could not get it to budge. There is one bolt on the front holding it on.

Does the size of the pulley matter on the Alt?

Jeff