How to diagnose a bad starter, ignition, neutral safety switch!

[chamblizi]

very well put to gather tutorial my bother. right now my vehicle will not shift out of park (its locked)) in place some dicks try to say its my whole transmission on Ranchero USA form we dont get along. i've been working with 2 different forums trying to get my vehicle back up to par... so with that being said right now my vehicle is locked in park it starts but does not allow me to take it out of park.

[ImRamro]

@chamblizi What kind of vehicle is it? It could be a couple of different things, get back to me on the make, model, and year and I will try and help.

[chamblizi]

@ImRamro  its actually a 1975 Ford Ranchero 6.6L but i found the problem the column is worn out and broken.

[ImRamro]

@chamblizi My wife has a 1974 Ford GT Ranchero, if you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask. Glad you solved the problem.

[chamblizi]

@ImRamro ty hey check out my new video i just put in fresh carpet today. I am still doing some editing .... /watch?v=7ZoygFYS2nU&feature=y­outu.be

[darkstorm98611]

we have a with a "Random" start no start issue, I pulled the ignition wire. Hard to believe that small of a wire can cause so many issues.

Ok, I have one weird issue, I didn't hear a "clicking sound" on top of the solenoid there are 2 distinct clicks. After letting the car stand for an hour with out touching it , I took my continuity tester out and removed the wire, weird thing is after doing this , I heard a distinct click of a relay some where. and the light on the continuity tester was

[darkstorm98611]

Yes I had to recover from a dead battery (fiance left door open) before starting the thing this time around , now for the life of me after charging the battery, How ever this remains the same.The car starts when it feels like it. How ever the norm is when the car runs for 5 minutes you shut the thing down, it will not restart unless it sits for an hour. when hot it runs fine, starts fine.

[darkstorm98611]

it is a constant on that one , we take a quick trip to the store, it hasn't fully warmed we shut it down..were screwed for an hour.. I removed the solenoid and tested to make sure, heard a click while turning the engine over where as before there was no click. I know its a relay some where, so upon hearing this click and seeing that the light was turning on every time I bumped the switch..I plugged it back in and the dang thing started.

[darkstorm98611]

so 2 questions, maybe dumb or not , 1 does a 93 Toyota have some kind of a circuit protection that gets activated when something happens liek lets say when a battery dies and one tries to start it and

two, why the heck won't it start when it doesn't warm up all the way? Yet when it is warm, it starts? I would give any thing accept for my soul to have a car that were like the ones then made in the 60-70- and early 80 lol something that just works and is easy to fix with out all the extra junk.

[ImRamro]

@darkstorm98611 My daughter had the same problem with her Toyota. We ended up swapping out the entire electronic control module?? I think that is what it is called? It is shaped like a 4" by 4" fuse panel and the problem stopped. We sold the car just afterward so I am not sure it solved the problem.

[ImRamro]

@darkstorm98611 Let me find out the part name you have to replace and I will get back to you.

[darkstorm98611]

we have a with a "Random" start no start issue, I pulled the ignition wire. Hard to believe that small of a wire can cause so many issues.

Oh and a strange will be followed up as well

1 I removed the solenoid wire, connected that continuity tool that I have had no need until now for the last 5 years,

2 ) connected to the battery ground. I wanted to make sure I had a ground.

3) Barrowed my fiance for a minute, and had her stand where she could see the light

[GeeWhiz59]

you're an idiot. That terminal is not a ground. The case is grounded. The terminal is the back side of the solenoid switch and is positive hot when the solenoid is energized

[karmakristiful]

dewey219 --- you should be removed, so funny with you super dooper great understanding of a starter its sad that someone like me who has no exp with car problems just fixed her car because of this video. jfyi--next time go get a 10 yr old kid to help you translate the common sense use of these skills to help you understand this correctly



[ImRamro]

@karmakristiful Thanks for the back up Kristi. I was only trying to help someone out and I am super glad it did.

Craig

[karmakristiful]

4u250ut ---- no confusion here.... understood and completely relevant....

[karmakristiful]

I had an analog multimeter laying around, my car wouldnt start, tested both the battery and the starter, both were good, then i found this video and tested the troubleshoot with my multimeter which shown 12volts against power running to starter,and nothing while turning the key and touching the ignition wire's bolt, went to autozone and bought a ignition switch ($20) based on the tips in the video. The new ignition switch started the car THANKS!!!!!!!

[4u250ut]

I understand the concept of the starter, solenoid,, and neutral switch,I think this video might confused some people..

[SmellyTurdBucket]

the 3rd wire is a ground moron, total trash video

[dewey219]

The video should be removed as the third wire you report as ground is actually the hot lead going into the brushes on the starter itself. When the little wires (from the ignition switch) provide juice to the solenoid it pulls in and shorts the big red power cable to the third wire you speak of. The current at this moment is in excess of 200amps and it can melt just about everything. If you mistakenly ground the third lead and then turn the start switch you will have 200 amps directly to ground.

[jeepdudeful]

the third wire that goes into the starter is NOT a ground.thats a 12volt b+ wire once that starter engages. do not and never add a ground wire to there or you will melt your brushes inside and any other wires comming outta the starter. and you cant compair a direct drive chevy starter to a gear reduction nippendenso starter. thank you and good day. and not all starters have 3 wires. some starters have a R terminal which only has power when the starter is cranking.

[Ibringthetruth1]

Clean your starter up. just dirty probably. commutators. youtube . com/watch?v=UhOen1rbZk4&featur­e=related

[rickysarmienta]

wow bro...nice video. thanks for helping us all,i appriciated it a whole lot. god bless and good luck in ur future videos if any!!

[Jnm349]

Respond to this video... I let them fix this time, but i'm never going back there again. In fact i will do everything myself until i get a new car

[Jnm349]

@brandon9966 I could actually do it myself i guess. I just think those guys don't like me cuz last time i had a problem in my engine, they asked me for $ 4,300. So I took my car and fixed myself for about $450, i even did the timing belt while i was at it.

Now that i went back there, the lady was like "why do you bring your car here if you got it fix elsewhere" ?

[Jnm349]

@brandon9966 My car actually broke down miles away from my house. I thought it was gonna be cheaper to tow it to a mechanic rather than all the way to my house. Now the mechanic is telling me that i need a starter assembly ( about $535). I have a hard time believing the mechanics but i don't have a lot of options here.

[Ibringthetruth1]

@Jnm349

repair it  youtube . com/watch?v=UhOen1rbZk4&featur­e=related

[x1ofakind1x]

thank you for this. i have a 02 camry and im having trouble even turning the car over. my friend tapped on the starter and my car turned on fine. did idle a bit roughly at times and the audio system doesnt work efficiently anymore. im hoping if i change the solenoid or the entire starter itself it'll help my car out.

[88burban1]

my truck got a problem it started it self up no remote start and the starter was kicking on and off had to pull the negative

[Jnm349]

So, i turned off my car for about 10 min and when i tried to start it sounded like a dead battery. Like there is not enough power to the starter.

I tried to jump start, it still did the same thing. After few trials, nothing was happening expect a click sound from the starter. Tired on a good battery, still the nothing but the click from the starter.

What would be the problem with that?

[ImRamro]

@Jnm349 If the starter is clicking it should be the solenoid. The sound is the power reaching the starter. It could be the flywheel or the starter shims, but sounds like a bad solenoid. If you remove the starter and leave the wires connected, just have someone turn the key. If the gear inside the starter gear does not jump out (every time) and spin VERY fast it is the solenoid. The solenoid is the problem a lot of cars have, its normal. At least you have power reaching the starter. SOLENOID!

[Jnm349]

@ImRamro Thanks for the response.

I'm also worried about the fact is that initially the starter was cranking for maybe couple of revolution and half an hour after it was just that clicking sound.

I was thinking that maybe if the solenoid was bad , it would have made the clicking sound from the beginning.

[ImRamro]

@Jnm349 That is a valid point, but sometimes the problem is intermittent. The only way to be sure that the starter is getting a signal every key turn would be with a tester light or a multi meter. I have had starters make no click and then crank a few times and then click. It is almost always the solenoid. You van set up a tester light with any 12 volt light and a few wires. Just put one on the solenoid power wire and the other to a GOOD ground and connect them to any extra bulb.

[Jnm349]

@ImRamro Alright , thanks a lot.

I guess a bad solenoid is better than a bad starter

[Logjam5]

Thanks for the video.

[jayguy173]

is the battery fully charged or not

[2screenboy101]

check fuse box

[ImRamro]

@2screenboy101 LMAO! You are 100% correct, check the fuses first.

[TheGreenPlague]

... I wish I was smart

[ImRamro]

@TheGreenPlague Thank you, but it has more to do with being that broke, lol. I guess I was forced to learn a little because I hate purchasing things I might be able to fix or do myself. Thank you for watching.

[AMDGuy64]

What would you say about my battery dropping from 14(middle of gauge) to like 11 or a little under a 1/4. between dead n halfway. Point being when air, heat, radio is on my battery gauge goes down & does not bounce back up. New battery, new alternator, & new belt. so any ideas? Also great video, very helpful

[ImRamro]

@AMDGuy64 Sounds like the alternator is not charging enough or the alternator is fine and the battery is not accepting the charge. Since you have a new batt and alternator, then it could be the large black negative cable from the battery needs to be mounted to the engine block "not" the frame and cleaned of all paint at mounting contacts. It may be something in your distributor or just bad/dirty/loose battery connections. I would start with the batt cables and move to the distributor wiring?

[AMDGuy64]

@ImRamro Thanks a lot for the response, I really appreciate it. I'm gonna look at it this weekend. I'll try to post back. The full situation is it isn't my truck it is my moms I've just been trying to help her. I know my dad did replace the cables on the battery so he may of connected the ground to the frame instead of the block.

[ImRamro]

@AMDGuy64 I had a Chevy that I replaced all the major components on and used huge industrial cables a friend made me. When I installed the new 1 inch thick cables I mounted them to a spot on the frame where I sanded the paint off. They looked sweet, but my voltage was dropping and sometimes the lights were dim. I tried everything I could think of and when I removed the ground cable I mounted it to a accessory bracket on the block. That fixed the problem...weird. Good Luck!

[BarrBarrBinks]

i have a 93 f150, my starter has a black wire, a small wire, and a red main wire. the starter is clicking when i turn the key- what could be wrong with it?

[ImRamro]

@BarrBarrBinks I don't know if I responded to you or not, sorry? If the starter is clicking, then most likely it is the solenoid on the starter that is going out. You probably have to replace the complete starter as a unit, but this should fix the problem. The ignition is sending a signal to the starter and that is the click you hear, so it is probably just a starter replacement, or shim the starter so the gear grabs the fly wheel.

[BarrBarrBinks]

i have a 93 f150, my starter has a black wire, a small wire, and a red main wire. the starter is clicking when i turn the key- what could be wrong with it? you can email a response if you would prefer at wthrngrose@yahoo.com

[shotox21]

Sure helped, thanks a lot.

[ImRamro]

@shotox21 No sweat, good luck!

[ImRamro]

@shotox21 No sweat, good luck!

[charlesknx]

Great video. Is it possible to remove and replace the Corolla starter from the top? I don't currently have ramps and even if i did . . . can't drive the car up on em!

[ImRamro]

@charlesknx Yes, we pulled our starter from the top. The only trick was that it has two mounting bolts that were in two different directions. In the starter you have one bolt that comes into the block from the housing of the starter and threads into the block. The second bolt comes through the block "the opposite direction" and threads into the housing of the starter. If you pause the video at 8:22 you will see one of the bolt holes on bottom right "starter housing".

[charlesknx]

@ImRamro Thanks so much!

[charlesknx]

@ImRamro Thanks so much! I'm about to change it!

[jdubb408]

what would u test next if u saw no power to the starter when turning the key and how?

[ImRamro]

@jdubb408 Do the lights or any other power item turn on? Sounds simple, but check the battery connections. Next if there is no power reaching the starter it could be the fusible link (thick wire, but not as thick as the battery cable main power wire to the starter). These tend to burn up if there is a short some where. Next I would check the ignition. If you remove the steering column and get to the wiring you can check to make sure the ignition is working. Sometimes it is just 1 bad wire.

[scodurh]

how about just jumping the post hot to ground it will turn over if good...then you dont need a light right?

[ImRamro]

@scodurh If the key is on it constantly has power without turning the ignition. You could turn the ignition on and walk over to the starter and jump the solenoid. This should force a start but you are just jumping the power from the battery and grounding it on the starter. This does not guarantee you are getting power from the ignition.when the starter is making zero noise we had to test the wiring. The starter did not even click so we thought it was the ignition or the neutral safety switch.

[scodurh]

@ImRamro ahhhh ok ...thanks for taking the time to edumacate me :)

[starlordish]

Thanks for info.not much of a repair person on cars.good job

[LadyGardenHoe]

Now I know who to ask on YT about cars! I can change the bty, a tire, and oil and other fluids, but other than that I am pretty clueless. It's important to know these things. I'd have to open the hood and look at my car while watching this video to be able to recognize things. I drive a 2005 Ford Focus. Thanks for the video.

[Sheila6325]

Outstanding Information! Thank you.

BUT I wish you had told me that the thing was unplugged BEFORE you started to touvh things with a metal piece of something, I had to tie myself to the chair to be able to watch it!!!LOLOL I'm scared to death of electricity! Especially batteries! when I heard it was unplugged, I was ok. Man you scared me. Chickens getting heads cut off is nothing compared to a man with a battery and a metal "stick"

Thanks for the video, Very Good!!! I understood it too!!!!!

[TheGorillatavern]

Sorry its late, if you turn the key and it makes the click/tap/thump sound it can only be one of two things: a dead battery, or a dead starter. if the headlights are dim or dim significanty when you try to turn it over its the battery if they stay bright even when you turn the key its the starter

[TheGorillatavern]

An easy way to test the safty switch is if it won't start in park put your foot on the brake, put it in nutral and try again, if it starts its a bad/dirty switch, if it still won't go check the ignishion. If when you turn the key you hear a click its not the ingnision, if no click turn the headlights on and check if they are dim if so its your battery. If none of this helps then start pulling wires, that will most likly save you time and effort.