windstar engine wont turn over

Hello fellow windstarians. I have a 96 windstar. Recently the engine was turning over real slow. I figured due to the cold weather here and the fact the interior lights like to stay on sometimes had drained the battery down. I bought a battery charger and charged up the battery. After a couple starts the next day the thing just wont start. When the key is turned nothing happens. The headlights still work. Any ideas? The starter motor was just replaced in June or July so should be working, i assume.

Another Windstar owner is having similar problems; note some of the items in this discussion:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=494809

I'll reiterate a few things:

- A cheap, digital multimeter can help narrow this problem down very quickly. I recommend getting one, and learning to use it.
- Fundamentally, this problem has 3 potential causes:
1. The battery doesn't have enough power to start the car
2. The starter isn't working correctly
3. The connection between the battery and starter isn't good enough
- A common form of problem 3: Clean battery terminals are critical, and can cause unusual electrical problems that don't make immediate sense.

A fast check: Does the van start correctly if jumped? If so, this almost certainly means it's the battery. It may be so old that it's no longer accepting a charge.

The car didnt take a jump. does this rule out the battery being bad?

more info: when attempting to start the vehicle the only clicking is coming from near the battery. no clicking seems to be coming from the starter. what does this imply?

I'd check your battery cables...they can get corroded, loose,etc. I've had to cut 2" of corroded wire off it to get to shiny wire and re-connect the terminal. Cables and terminals are real cheap at Walmart.

The clicking is probably the starter solenoid...it engages but not enough current to turn starter.

Checked the battery at auto parts store, it needed replacing. The starter needed a new solenoid too. When I reinstalled the starter it came on as soon as negative cable was reattached to battery. The keys were not even in ignition. What the heck does this mean??

Checked the battery at auto parts store, it needed replacing. The starter needed a new solenoid too. When I reinstalled the starter it came on as soon as negative cable was reattached to battery. The keys were not even in ignition. What the heck does this mean??

I would guess that the spring was put in the solenoid so it's pushing the solenid aginst the contacts to run the starter. Was the bendex (small gear on the starter) sticking out when you put the starter together?

Check this out.

Regards

Dan