2010 Expedition, starting issues. Starter replaced twice, need next culprit...

So my Expy has started an issue where all a sudden you turn the key and nothing, no partial crank, nothing. I almost got stuck at a gas station on a road trip, trailer in tow until after 20 tries is just starts. Local shop claimed stater even though there was no progression of starting capabilities. Starter replaced and issue happens again. Shop claims "bad starter". New one replaced and now issue is happening again.

Behavior is when it shows up there is no partial crank, that is until I try to restart like 3-4 times in quick succession and you get a partial crank. Wiggling the key doesn't seem to change it, but that is not 100% for sure. Remove key, put back in, wiggle, try again, try again and then it just starts like there is no issue. Drive, turn off. Starts up, turn off, and then maybe it appears again, maybe not. Frustrating.

So, what's next. I'm thinking maybe ignition switch? I think I recall people saying they are a common issue on these trucks? Should I replace the ignition starter switch? Any other thing it can be? Anti-theft?

Not fun when you can't use your ride for fear you'll get stuck.

Can you put a wrench on the front crank pulley and see if the engine turns freely? * Maybe you have an injector leaking fuel into a cylinder causing hydro lock, or a head gasket leak doing same. * do this with ignition OFF!

Fasttimes said:

So, what's next

Click to expand...

check voltage at the starter
check the starter to ground cable

Just to be sure you are not running in circles for nothing.

A voltage drop test is a quick and easy way to check all the
battery cables and connections. Positive and negative sides.

Fasttimes said:

So my Expy has started an issue where all a sudden you turn the key and nothing, no partial crank, nothing. I almost got stuck at a gas station on a road trip, trailer in tow until after 20 tries is just starts. Local shop claimed stater even though there was no progression of starting capabilities. Starter replaced and issue happens again. Shop claims "bad starter". New one replaced and now issue is happening again.

Behavior is when it shows up there is no partial crank, that is until I try to restart like 3-4 times in quick succession and you get a partial crank. Wiggling the key doesn't seem to change it, but that is not 100% for sure. Remove key, put back in, wiggle, try again, try again and then it just starts like there is no issue. Drive, turn off. Starts up, turn off, and then maybe it appears again, maybe not. Frustrating.

So, what's next. I'm thinking maybe ignition switch? I think I recall people saying they are a common issue on these trucks? Should I replace the ignition starter switch? Any other thing it can be? Anti-theft?

Not fun when you can't use your ride for fear you'll get stuck.

Click to expand...

Sure sounds like a defective battery and/or loose and/or corroded battery terminal connectors or posts.

Sounds exactly like a starter relay going out. Go under the hood and locate the starter relay and swap it with another relay of the same type (usually AC relay).

The fact it doesn't even attempt or even click really points to a relay issue, the shop changing out the starter twice is ridiculous and I would hoped that they did the second one free of charge. .

your symptoms exactly match mine when my starter motor went out, however as it has been replaced 3 times, I think we can rule it out, as stated, it sounds electrical (due to the sudden works/no-working nature) so as stated, I would be checking the main electrical connections and the starter relay. No other ideas..

I'm going to replace the ignition starter. This video seems like exactly what is happening to me and the Expy is a 2010 just like mine...

I'm interested to know if that solves your issue, keep us posted.

My 2012 XLT had this happen in 2018. I sill have it in 2024, 96,000 miles. Its fixed !

This is a known issue with series 3 Expeditions. my Goodyear mechanic knew about from fixing so many. He says it's common on Jeeps too. I had repeated no crank issues..new battery, checked neutral safety, computer, ignition switch, no codes, new starter. Towed to several dealers even in different states. All under warranty or extended Ford warranty.

This may be related to states with salt on the road, which my state has. Or near the beach which I do in Florida too.
My non Ford mechanic says "It's the connector on the end of the hot cable where it hooks to the starter."

After months of this the Ford dealer shop goes over some sort of Ford written notes on this..not a TSB....and replaces the entire wire. And at my insistence removes all crud and oxidation there and coats it all in Silicone dielectric grease.. Problem solved!!! It did not need a starter. A new end could have been put on the existing wire. Bozos. So many car repair people these days can only do what diagnostics tells them.

The grease should be reapplied as needed to protect from corrosion. At the battery end make sure those felts with grease are on the terminals.

5 years later and it hasn't done it again.

Note my avatar is being towed for this problem,.

Does your anti-theft light in the dash flash quickly when this happens? Had an issue similar in an 07 Lincoln MKZ that I had, and the problem was the PATS (anti-theft module) in the instrument cluster was bad. It was an intermittent problem, which made it hard to figure out, but replacing that seemed to help the problem.

I would also agree to check/swap the starter relay to eliminate that possibility. And the corroded cable end seems to be a possibility as well.

The fact that it starts fine when it does start, eliminates the battery as the problem.