location of starter 93 Taurus 3.8L station wagon

[manaswee]

I have a 93 Ford Taurus 3.8L station wagon with a starting problem. It happened so suddenly. Whenever I try to start, it only produces ..click..click sound, but it does not crank or kick over. I suspect a bad starter, and intend to check and replace it if necessary. Where is this starter located? I would appreciate any inputs on this matter.

[shorod]

Assuming you'd prefer to diagnose the starter before just replacing the part, please provide a bit more detail. When you turn the key to the Start position and hold it there for a couple of seconds do you get a single click, a single click followed by a series of clicks, or a rapid sequence of clicks.

If you get a solid, fairly loud single click, the problem is likely in the starter assembly. If you get a series of clicks, that typically suggests the problem is due to low voltage to the starter and starter solenoid. That could be a weak battery and/or dirty connections or cables. If you get a single rather quiet click your PCM relay may be engaging but not the starter relay. That could be an issue with the Digital Transmission Range Sensor (another common issue). For that you might try shifting to neutral and trying to start it again.

-Rod

[manaswee]

Thanks for your response, Shorod. When I try to start I can only hear one faint click, one faint click per start at the ignition key. However, I have reasons to believe that the battery is on the fully-charged side. Head lights brilliantly strong, so is the sound of the horn. I even try to jump it with my Jeep Cherokee; only that faint click is sounded, not hing else. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Gee

[manaswee]

Starter located; problems found. There is a bad ground for battery terminal (negative), cracked and thereby making poor contact. The wire that feeds power to the starter motor is loose at the connecting terminal on the starter. The battery is fine and so is the starter. All systems go.

[shorod]

Glad you found the issue and it was a relatively simple, inexpensive fix. Thank you for posting your findings, and congratulations!

-Rod