92 Ford Explorer will not start

[chezglt]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and let me thank everyone in advance for any help received.

Here is my dilemna: I just purchased a 1992 Ford Explorer from my step-son's friends' dad. Whew! It has about 147,000 miles on it. It also has sat for 6 months and I live in Michigan and it is COLD here. It ran good when we first purchased it about 2 days ago. Now, the Explorer will not start and I already tried to "jump it" to no avail. I am not a mechanic but I have replaced a few starters, solenoids, and battery cables for an older Ford Aerostar and a Pontiac GrandAm. Can you tell me what I should check for and what are the first things I should look at? Is the solenoid separate from the starter like the Ford Aerostar was? How can I check the started without "taking it in"? Should I use a multimeter to test the battery? Can I jumpstart the solenoid, will that help? Thanks again.

[BlitzKeg]

are you sure its the starter system?

sorry but theres too many variables in your story.
what noises is it making when you crank it?

and plz I know your gratefull and all but quit thanking people so much.

[cdk001]

OK...your welcome does the explorer turns over at all..? If not, and you have power..( lights ) then check the starter like you said....it's easy to remove, get a couple of wires and try to hook it up to the bat. Directly...if it doesn’t do any thing. It’s your starter....if it turns over, but doesn’t start...check to see if it's getting fuel also check to see if it's getting spark...go from there...

[chezglt]

I jumpstarted the starter relay and it worked. It was very cold the day we tried to start it. Does this mean I need to replace it because I had to do that?