help 2002 XLT Won't Start

[tbenusa]

Cold day in Dallas, thought I'd warm up the bus before I left for first job this am. a little rough start, but pumped accel and idled fine. turned on defroster, and went back in for another cup of coffee.
came back out 10 min later and EXPY not running, tried to restart, but got Nothing, no grind,, nothing (new battery, filled up on Friday).
attempted to jumpstart from other vehicle, nothing. thought I would wait for a few degrees of warmth to see if that made a difference.
went back out to start and now have a clicking from relays in cp/fuse panel, they seem to be cycling, (even with key out of ignition).
The hood/engine compartment light is blinking with the relays, the locks are cycling open close...... but can't get any response from engine.
Disconnected battery for 3 minutes to see if gremlins would disappear on reconnect, but all is still nutso. Been a great workhorse for the past 125K miles, all regular services, well maintained.
really need for getting to customers and hauling materials/crew.

Any advice/suggestions/help appreciated
Thanks in Advance.

 

[FordandPolaris]

Do you have a spare key you can try? What weight oil is run in it? Can you check the voltage at your battery? New does not mean it is not faulty, just means it could be replaced for free...

Now that you get lights, maybe try jumping it again. Turn off the defroster to disengage the A/C pump and see if that makes a difference.

 

[bedrck46]

check the voltage of the battery

 

[tbenusa]

Stickler for turning everything off when jumping or parking.

Voltage on battery 12V (11.935), all fuses checked ok.

Dash is dead. no readings. running board lights come on, no interior/courtesy light....


thanks for the suggestions

worried it is major issue and I won't make the million mile club.... ;-)
I REALLLY like this beast.

 

[bedrck46]

have you had any signs of a leaking windshield water on the floor under the drivers side near emg brake pedal

 

[bedrck46]

do you headlights come on

 

[tbenusa]

oil is ford recommendations.... never had issue with cold cranking in much colder weather... this beast has endured some winter fun in Chicago with no issues...
either set of keys same results.

no headlights, no lights, just the doors unlocking/locking/relays cycling, flashing engine compartment light....

checked for water leakage after reading other posts... did not notice any indication of leak or abnormal corrosion. Have not had the dreaded windshield leak (or noticed it during some hellacious storms).

GEM Issue???

Thanks again for all the help...

 

[bedrck46]

the power for the running boards comes from the Battery Junction box Your interior lights the power comes from the Central Junction Box How did you check the fuses?? you will need to see if you have power into the central Junction Box Check fuse #103 its a 50 amp fuse located in the battery Junction Box this is the fuse that powers the CJB If you have your owners manual you can see the fuse panels. If you don't have a manual you can download it at ford.owners.com

 

[tbenusa]

check fuses:
visual & meter(continuity)
all good....

 

[bedrck46]

ok Pull fuse 103 and after you pull the fuse take a volt meter and test the contacts where you just pulled the fuse from to see if you have 12 V you should have it on one side but not the other with the fuse pulled . Then go into the Central Junction box and pull fuses #1,2 and 3 check to see if you have voltage on one side but not the other with the fuse pulled should be 12 V Make sure fuse 103 is good and reinstall prior to testing the CJB fuses

 

[tbenusa]

Pulled battery earlier today and brought into garage.
Had to reinstall to run voltage checks suggested.

getting voltage as suggested. all good

and.... wait for it... no cycling relays, no flashing light in engine compartment.

started right up..... all good?????

stay tuned as I run it over to my buddy's shop for error codes... will post tomorrow.

thanks for all the help from this forum.

I am impressed. I have tried other forums, but not have had the depth of knowledge with the little nigglers that "experienced (read lots of miles) car 'enthusiasts' " come across.

I am excited to follow up on several cool posts of "upgrades/mods"
I have been looking for this info for quite some time

HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL!!

 

[stamp11127]

Your not out of the woods yet. Charge the battery and load test with true load tester. As a battery looses it's charge the specific gravity drops and will become water. Your battery may have frozen in a few cells resulting in lower cranking amps and dropped voltage.

 

[bedrck46]

Glad its running Sounds as it may have been the battery or maybe a connection problem if your interested

Ford workshop manual on DVD can be obtained from seller "morpheousking" on e-bay cost about $10.00 much better than Clymer, Haynes or Chilton and also includes wiring diagrams

Don't waste your money on a Clymer, Haynes or Chilton Manual.
It is well worth the $10.00 just make sure you get the DVD for your year as the seller has different DVD's for different years

 

[tbenusa]

first thing I did when I started checking the forum....order the dvd! was Very happy to finally find a decent source of factory info.

swapping the battery out (under warranty). I have no desire to get stuck in the middle of BFE due to a bad battery. I just purchased before Christmas knowing the cold weather was upon us.

heading to shop tomorrow to pull codes.


Standing by with deep cycle marine battery and cables... biggrin:
Thanks for all the posts; I would have been way out in the weeds trying to figure this out.

 

[bedrck46]

I have 4 of the DVD covering 1997 to 2007 They are very good and the price is excellent as I tell people better than Chilton Clymer and Haynes and you can copy print or save the information and no worry about pages getting torn or grease covered