1994 F150 5.0L was starting fine, now it clicks and will not turn over. Battery charged, battery terminals clean. Started once, now just clicks. Suggestions on what to check?
Sounds like your starter has decided not to work anymore.
Does your shifter lever feel "sloppy" or does it feel real tight moving it through the gears? If it's sloppy, behind the dash are 2 torx bit screws that like to back off and cause the neutral safety switch not to work properly. The screws are along the shaft of the steering column.
It's not the fact that the shifter clicks into each detent, it's if the shifter is sloppy back and forth. Check at the transmission where the wiring is for the neutral safety switch. If you have a wiring diagram by-pass the safety switch by closing the circuit and see if the truck starts. If the truck starts, replace the neutral safety switch. Use a push button on the starter solenoid, put the ignition switch in "on" and use your push button and by-pass the solenoid and see if the truck starts. Make sure to disconnect the ignition switch trigger wire from the solenoid when you do this.
You're in Seattle? Boy, small world. We have an auto repair business in Tacoma. Unplug the trigger wire off of the starter solenoid and place key in "on" and start the truck that way. This completely by-passes the neutral safety switch. It should start and run. Our shop is called TIQ Auto Performance. Our email address is [email protected]. Send me an email and I'll get you a couple of phone numbers. This way we don't have to keep emailing and I may be able to walk you through this over the phone.
I have a couple of customers that come down from Bellevue. I also deal with Blue Oval Pony Cars on 8th St. Yeah, your right about the snowing thing. I'm getting tired of all this cold, nasty weather period. Check out our website as well. It hasn't been updated recently but it's www.tiqauto.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.
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Thanks, have considered that. After trying off and on for a week, I tried starting at mid day today, and it immediately cranked and started. This leads me to believe the starter is ok, when properly motivated. But... I foolishly shut it down, to move some cars out of the way and put it in the driveway, but when I came back 15mins later, it was back to the fuel pump whine, and one click, but no crank. Reading online I'm wondering about the neutral safety switch, and/or the "clip on" connection on the starter.
Another troubleshooting step. After thinking about this last reply comment, I went out to the truck, turned the key to "on" and moved the auto tranny shift selector thru the positions. In the PARK and Neutral positions, I did hear the click, and the other positions, did not hear the click, so the "safety start" switch seems to be working. The issue is further downstream. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.
Comment on reply "Does your shifter lever feel "sloppy". Your comment showed up for me after I had replied the second comment about trying the tranny selector positions. But I don't know if you had seen my second comment when you replied. Yes, the detents click firmly to each shift position, and I only hear the click under the hood when the gear lever is in the Park and Neutral positions, so I do believe the neutral safety switch is working, and the issue is somewhere past this point. I went back to the truck a second time and while turning the key to the Start position, "wiggled" the gear selector around in Park and Neutral to see if I could coax it to start again. Nothing good happened. Thanks for the comment, looking for "next things to try".
Comment on "it's if the shifter is sloppy back and forth" I understand, and will check when I can get underneath when it is dry here in Seattle. I found a basic component layout diagram at:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g91/su...
Hoping it will allow a URL in a comment here. My thinking is that the neutral safety switch does appear to be working, because in the Park and Neutral positions, I do hear the starter relay activate. In other positions, Drive and Reverse, I do NOT hear the relay click. If sloppy gear selector position was the issue would the relay still fire in Park and Neutral? The shift selector has felt the same, but I don't drive this rig as much as I like, so I should check into it when I can. Thanks for the thoughts.
"You're in Seattle? Boy, small world."
Yeah, actually in Bellevue. Will send you email from a Hotmail acct. Thanks. Will be working on this on a day off on Tuesday, if its not raining or snowing. Have other cars to drive, but want this back in my driveway. Thanks.
Clicks once when starting
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