2003 Expo clicking at the Starter

[Bigbrown1998]

Expedition clicks but doesn't start. I have attached a video of me under the car while the ignition is being turned. Checked the battery and its good. I even jumped it to be sure. Changed terminals. Had the starter tested and it was good. I'm thinking the next thing to do is to change all wires. Help...thanks in advance. Haven't driven it in about 2 years. Don't mind all the brownish stuff. Radiator busted a long time ago.

 

[1955moose]

You might have s frozen engine. Try cranking around motor from pulley on crankshaft with socket and ratchet. Hopefully that's not it, but before changing more parts, that's where you start. Auto repair 101, make sure engine is not frozen. It's been sitting according to your post. Report your findings.

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[Bigbrown1998]

Luckily the engine was not frozen!

After I had changed everything I could think, I went back to the basics. The battery. It wouldn't crank from a jump start so I thought the battery wasn't a problem. Got desperate and changed the battery anyways. No longer clicking. It's actually trying to turn over now.

Now on to getting this thing started!

 

[1955moose]

Batteries can be so bad that a jump, a charge, nothing will get it to turn over. If the battery has a shorted cell, or anything that won't let full current to reach solenoid, then starter, your no start situation happens. That's why you always have to try another battery, even a smaller loaner just to check. I'm betting if you load test your battery, it fails miserably!

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[Bigbrown1998]

Batteries can be so bad that a jump, a charge, nothing will get it to turn over. If the battery has a shorted cell, or anything that won't let full current to reach solenoid, then starter, your no start situation happens. That's why you always have to try another battery, even a smaller loaner just to check. I'm betting if you load test your battery, it fails miserably!

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Thanks for the info. Yea I should've changed the battery earlier.

I've been working on her today. After researching, I bypassed the fuel pump relay to test it. I got it started. Figuring it has to be the relay, I took the fuse box apart to get to the unserviceable relay. The relay looks fine compared to the videos and pictures that I've seen. No burnt out areas on the mother board. I've come to a halt.

 

[1955moose]

I'd swap in a new relay while you have it apart. If you've bypassed the relay, and it runs, you know it's electrical. Perhaps one of the other members can help with the finer points of what, besides the fuse box, might also be wrong.

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[stamp11127]

The only time you can tell if a relay is bad by just looking at is after it has burned the surrounding area.
Time to start checking both sides (control & load) of the relay circuit. I'd start with the control side.