starter not engaging

so I bought the falcon DCW van about a year ago.



I was too busy to do anything with it, figured I’d get around to it in a month or two.

so it started and drove when I bought it. drove itself up on that trailer and all.

then one day it wouldn’t turn over, the solenoid just made a loud buzzing sound. I removed the solenoid from my other econoline I had at the time, swapped them out and got the same result. I walked away for 6 months. I convinced myself the battery was bad.

so today I decided I’d throw a battery in it and give it a start. nothing. brand new battery, and also brand new battery cables as the old ones were fugly and brittle. so I just ordered a new solenoid from mac’s, they are cheap so I figured it was a good place to start.

any advice on what else I should do? should I try to jump the starter manually? it’s been a few years since I’ve done that. my volt meter is at my place in the hills, but I’m assuming I should bring that back to start chasing down my problem if the new solenoid doesn’t work like magic.

oh, and I also ordered a new ignition switch from Mac’s. the previous owner had lost the original keys and they have a universal switch wired up under the dash, just dangling there.

so I had to go and mess with it some more. used some jumper cables and tapped the positive cable to the starter and got it to spring to action. first it was just a couple clicks then it cranked and cranked and cranked and I removed the positive cable and it kept cranking and cranking.

I turned the key to off and it quit. didn’t somebody else just have this sort of a problem?

Any auto parts should have that standard ford solenoid. Likely thats whats bad yet-Id pull the starter & have an auto parts test it too =lube the drive up 1st also .

solenoid

we all ways called them solenoids relay it is

If you're into fords, keep an extra "good" relay around. Great for debugging issues. Swap in and see if thats the fix. If it is, they're so nice and cheap who could complain. If thats not it, go with the Hammer solution and give that a shot. Between the two, Fords'll almost always start.

I don’t think I have that wiring schematic, I’m probably going to need a manual. I’ve suspected that it’s a matter of one wire being misconnected/disconnected.

it’s probably going to be january before I get back at it. it was a lot easier when I had two econolines. I didn’t need a book or diagram when I had working example to reference.

wow, THANKS! when you put it like that, so simple even a caveman can do it. I’m starting to suspect something has come loose from that universal ignition switch that I have dangling from wires under the dash.

^^^ This is why I run Ford Solenoids on ALOT of the cars I build. Easy to troubleshoot, easy to fix, cheap and easy to find. Win win win!!!

I jumped 1-4 with jumper cables and starter spun. disconnected 2-3 and jumped 1-2 and the starter spun again (and spun and spun until even after I removed the jumper and only quit when I turned the key off). I jumped 1-3 and got nothing.

I also noted a small spark when I reconnected small wire to #2, would that indicate #2 and #3 have been swapped?

well, to bring a fun wire chase to somewhat of a conclusion… I didn’t really have time to trouble shoot today. but I was walking past and thought to myself “why not just try swapping wire #2 and #3?” I did and sure enough, starter now engages, and stops as it should, from the ignition switch.

I’m hoping to get back at it first week of january. now that the starter turns as it should, I’m not seeing any fuel volunteering to go into the carb bowl. it’s very likely I need to add some to the tank. but I’m also planning to replace or at least flush the metal fuel line and replace the filter. and if that doesn’t work, R&R the fuel pump or quite possibly install an electric one.

I had replaced the tank when I first got the van, back when it ran. the fuel line for this one comes out the front of the tank, from the sending unit. that hose was ok, but I went ahead and replaced it with new while I was down there checking it today.

while the hose was off, I also unscrewed the metal end where it goes into the carb. I used my air compressor to run air through the fuel line. I was sort of expecting (hoping) a bunch of gummed up oily fuel sludge. but I heard nothing but air coming out, and the other end by the carb was dry. put fuel line back at both ends

I replaced the starter RELAY and it sure turns over like a champ now. the old relay was unreliable. it would sometimes crank, and sometimes just make a single click and do nothing.

then I noticed a bit of smoke coming up. I might have dripped a little fuel when I poured some into the carb. but it didn’t stop. then I heard some bubbling. I saw the smoke was coming from the coil, and the oil was bubbling from it.

I removed the positive battery cable real quick like! I removed the black wire that goes from the relay to the coil and found it was hot (even when key was turned off).

so I’’ve made progress in the fact that I can now confidently command the starter to turn the engine over. I’ve replaced some fuel line and the battery cables.

I have NOT yet replaced the universal ignition switch the previous owner installed when he lost the keys. I’m going to suspect that his quick wiring job was enough to get it started to show me the vehicle, and drive it onto my trailer (he didn’t keep a battery in it). but my problems have continued since I installed a new battery and I likely fried my coil.

so I guess my next big move is to get a locksmith to replace that universal ignition switch. then I decide if I need professional help or continue with the replacing of parts. so far, I’ve put about 2 gallons into the empty tank. it’s possible my fuel problems are low fuel related. but now I think I have no spark, but I’m out of time for today.

donivan65 wrote:

This is what I thought was suppose to happen but does not on my van. Terminal 2 is marked I and terminal 3 is marked S. When I jump 1 and 2 nothing happens, but if I jump 1 and 3 it will crank, which, being marked "S" seems to make sense since I guess that means starter and terminal 2 marked "I" would mean ignition? Plus I dont really know what happens with that "I" terminal, where does the current flow from/to?

Im kinda confused because for years I would just use a screwdriver to jump 1 and 2 and crank an engine to test it or set the dwell....IDK!

donnivan, I didn’t burn the van up… but almost. I went inside for a drink of water, came back out about ten mins later and smelled smoke. we have a high risk of wildfires here, they are no joke. so I anxiously followed my nose to a van filled with smoke.

for some reason, that is painfully unclear to me, the coil is hot even when the key is off, removed or whatever. I had to QUICKLY jump in and disconnect the battery cable. I’ve not (knowingly) moved any of the wires in the ignition circuit and it’s had a good battery in it for months, but all of the sudden… if I reconnect the battery, the coil starts a bubbling and sizzlin almost right away.

end result is, I’m not enjoying the tinkering and trouble shooting, especially knowing that the universal ignition switch was hastily wired and something has apparently gotten jostled loose or shorted. I have four old vehicles and two newer (expensive to maintain) that are also begging for attention. I have a vintage airstream I need to get back to, a house to build on some land out in the country (on the blanco river), and this house to maintain, along with a marriage, three kids, two dogs, a cat, pool of fish and a blog (photo-hobby)… I just don’t have the time or patience for this one. I’m sending it out, and very possibly selling it after it’s running once again. can’t win them all, I’m off to drink about it at the mardi gras. I have a box of stuffed moose and rats to throw at the people.