No crank, no start, 99 EB 5.4

[macbox]

I have a 1999 EB 5.4 Expedition with a no crank, no start situation.
Last Wednesday night after work, it wouldn't start, started perfectly fine when I left for work, no signs of trouble, just didn't start all of a sudden. Tried jumping it, but no dice. Battery was 11.9 volts, and was 5 years old, so I bought a new battery since winter is coming, everything has power but it doesn't crank.

This is what I have tried so far and nothing has worked:
* Replaced battery, it was 5 years old.
* Tried moving the shifter to Neutral as part of investigating whether the shift bushings were worn out.
* Checked under the dash to see if the shift bracket is loose, and it is not. Both this and the one above are from youtube videos from FordTechMakuloco.
* Battery cables appear to be good, but I have not cut the insulation to find out if there is corrosion.
* Checked the connections to the starter, and they appear to be solid without much corrosion.

I have not checked:
* Fuses, although the truck was running perfectly when I shut it off and went into work, so I doubt it's that.
* Starter solenoid.
* Ignition switch under the dash.
* Neutral Safety Switch.
* PCM relay.

I'm looking for advice on what to do next or if there is something I am missing. I'm fairly experienced with Saturn S-Series, but the Expy is different and I'm getting to know it better, but this no crank no start is confounding me.

There is a video on youtube about how to start an F150 by shorting two contacts with a screwdriver, has anyone tried this? I don't know what those two contacts go to.

IF YOUR 1997-2003 F150 WON’T START, TRY THIS!

If your f150 won’t start you can try jumping the starter solenoid it’s on the firewall near the battery. If you’re stuck in a pinch this will get you home if...

www.youtube.com

I could tow it to a shop but my favorite shop is booked two weeks out and might have to find another shop that could take it in sooner.

 

[tekrsq]

Is your odometer reading normal, or ---------------- ?

My 99 EB was doing the exact same thing, and the odometer had the dashes. Tried a TON of things, but it ended up being either the PCM relay, or the PCM fuse. I don't know which one because I replaced them both at the same time. I forget what their numbers are, but they're in the power distribution box under the hood. Your owner's manual has them listed.

 

[macbox]

Thank you for your response. I just recently read about the odometer reading -------- but that wasn't it.

I ended up towing it to the shop yesterday morning, and picked it up this morning. It was a bad battery cable with corrosion not visible under the insulation, and a bad starter with a corroded connection. They replaced the starter, battery cable, and starter cable end. All in all, for me not being familiar with this platform, I'm happy to get it back on the road and out of the work parking lot. And I replaced the 5 year old battery, so I feel like I'm in a better position to face Winter as it begins.

There are so many causes for this vehicle when things go wrong, it's not simple. For example, I chased a symptom for about 10 days where I needed to keep my foot on both the gas and brake and the same time to keep the engine from dying. Looked for a broken vacuum hose, didn't see one, then at some point I found that the hose in question had broken comepletly off, so then I went to get a new piece of hose and replaced that was causing the problem. Presto, no more problem. Electrical issues are a little bit more complicated, and I couldn't deal with it in the parking lot, so I chose to tow it.

Still a few things I need to look at before winter such as the belt tensioner and idler pulley.

I hope to not ever have to troubleshoot anything dealing with the PCM like you have, because that can be tricky.

 

[Spaznaut]

I had a start issue that was my starter. Did my battery cables at the same time because of age and some corrosion. Just had an issue pop back up and ended up being my 9 month old battery not being able to hold a start load after sitting for a couple of days. Got it replaced under warranty through NAPA. Was a AAA brand. Be sure they did a good job on the cabling near the starter where it goes over the frame rail. It gets real close to the exhaust manifold right there.