95 Ford Taurus won't start

Good Afternoon,

Here's my situation. I have a 95 For Taurus sedan. The car won't start, won't turn over, you hear small clicks, maybe. I changed out the starter but then took the old starter up to parts store. It works fine. The clerk suggested that it might be the ignition switch. Question is: Is that difficult to switch out? Do I need special tools for that. Everything else works, battery tested, alternator tested. Both good. Please help. Thanks

Terry

Don't replace parts blindly. Use a wiring diagram and see what wires are suppose to have power when you turn the ignition switch to start.

I would check the battery cables, starter relay and ignition relay first.

Was the battery tested on the car?

You could have a bad starter. You took the starter off the car to have it tested. If you have worn brushes, they may have not been making contact when on the car, but after jostleing the starter motor to get it off the car and to the store, they seated against the commutator and caused the starter to test good.

With everything back on the car, try starting the car with the headlights on. If you still get the clicks, what do the headlights do? If they dim badly, then I'd suggest making very sure that the battery cables are clean, tight, and that you aren't using the bolt on temporary battery ends. Also make sure the connections are tight at the other end of the battery cables as well.

A co-worker's battery tested fine at Sears and at Autozone. However, with the battery in the car, during a start attempt the battery voltage dropped below 9.5 volts. We verified the starter was not shorted and opted to replace the battery anyway. The car started without effort with the new battery. That was two years ago and the battery still starts the car fine (ie: the problem was the battery and not something else in the system). In my opinion, the new battery testers that perform a load and capacity test in 30 seconds are not sufficiently testing battery capacity.

If you have a multimeter and understand the basics of using it, monitor the battery voltage during a start attempt and let us know what it's doing.

-Rod

Here is the latest on the 95 taurus. First of all it is my sons girlfriends car, anyway. It won't start. Maybe a few clicks when I tried it but very faint. My son bought a used starter from the junk yard (yeah, I know), anyway, I did not unfortunately test it before I put it on, of course, put it on, no start. Just out curiousity I had him take the old one up to the parts store. Of course, it works fine. Anyway. so, the battery is fine. The radio works, lights come on etc. I put an new ignition switch in it today because alot of people said that is common in those vehicles to go out. Drum roll>........ Didn't start. So now, I'm not sure where to turn. I really don't want to take the new/used starter off and get it tested. But i don't want to pull it to the auto shop so they can warm up the cash register. Anyone out there, please help. I'd appreciate it. The car is sitting in front of my house, gotta do something fast. thanks.

Terry

Did you try starting the car with the headlights on, and if so, did the headlights dim considerably while the key was in the "Start" position? If so, you probably have a loose, bad or dirty connection at the battery, a bad cable or cable termination, etc. You may also have a seized engine due to severe flooding or other reason. Maybe you could try removing all spark plugs and cranking the engine. If the starter spins the engine over freely now, you need to look into if the starter motor is that weak or if the cylinders are filled with something (such as fuel or coolant).

If the lights don't dim, then it doesn't sound like the starter is attempting to draw current. Connect a multimeter or test light to the starter solenoid trigger wire and have someone attempt to start the car. Is there voltage there? If so, verify there is voltage from the battery to the starter motor. If you have voltage both places, inspect the grounding of the starter. If you have voltage and good ground, but the starter doesn't spin, the starter motor is shot or you have a loose or corroded connection somewhere that prevents the starter from receiving adequate current.

If you'd like the wiring diagram for the starting system, I can e-mail a PDF copy of the diagram for a 1993 Taurus which should be similar to your 1995. Send me a private message with an e-mail address for you that can accept attachments if you'd like the diagrams.

-Rod