2001 Ford E-350


The symptoms:


The other day after driving and parking my van, I went to drive it again, turned the key, and nothing happened. No relays clicking, no lights, no needles on the dash moved. The only thing that was on was a USB phone charging light I had plugged into the cigarette lighter (this is typically always on even with no key in the ignition). Every time I did anything electrical related, this USB phone charging light would turn off (if I stepped on the brake, it would turn off, if I turned the key to crank the engine it would turn off, if I pressed the hazard light button, it would turn off). I moved the shifting lever from park through all the gears, and back to park. Nothing. I set the shifter to neutral. Nothing. I wiggled the key and lock cylinder. Nothing. I opened up the hood, checked the battery connection and it was rock solid. After I closed the hood, I tried the key again and it magically started right up.


I drove it for four more days with no issues, but then it happened again. This time the little cell phone light wasn't even on and there was zero power anywhere else. I went through the same protocol as before, and just as before it started up only after I touched the rock-solid battery terminal connections and closed the hood. I am at a loss. Any ideas would be helpful.

 

You stated the battery connections "looked" rock solid, that's not good enough. I would remove those battery connections and clean them as well as the cable lug and mounting pointing on the engine block where the negative battery cable attaches.If any cables look in poor shape, change them.Try these suggestions first.

 

That's a good start. I replaced the battery terminals a few years ago, the old original ones were crap in poor condition.

 

The battery terminals that were able to be installed after cutting off the original molded terminals were called ,"Emergency" terminals because they were intended to be used in an emergency. Folks found they would suffice until the vehicle was sold or follow up repairs were required They corroded just like the other terminals.

What was often overlooked or ignored was the internal condition of the remaining battery cables.which were corroded internally and left problems to develop.
There is only one way to verify battery cable condition and that is with voltage drop testing while attempting to start the vehicle (under load)..

 

That makes sense.
Is it as easy as looking at the digital voltage indication on the electrical panel that I recently installed on the console while starting the engine?
If so, that's easy.

 

Start from the battery and work your way inside. I would pay special attention in the engine compartment where the connections get exposed in a more harsh environment. Especially the large connectors near the firewall.

 

If anyone wants some reference numbers, today I started the van.
It has a battery that is about a month old and the vehicle had not been run in about a week.
Battery voltage with engine off was 12.3 volts.
During engine cranking the voltage dropped to 10.2 volts.
With engine running the alternator is putting out 14.8 volts.
So I consider normal voltage drop during cranking to be about 2 volts.

 

Hi Greg,
Th info you posted only tells us the starting system is not pulling excessive current. The acceptable figure for the check you did is around 9.6 volts. 10.2 is fine, only that doesn't tell us the condition of the cables.. The voltage drop must be measured between the positive terminal on the battery and the other end of the positive cable when the vehicle is being started. You will measuring the drop inside the cable only. It will/ should measure in millivolts.

 

Hey Hanky, yeah, I wasn't getting into the cables, just giving folks a baseline to see if they need to look deeper, such as checking the cables as you suggested.
When I'm troubleshooting a problem I always want to know what "normal" looks like so I know which way to go.
With some of the weird electrical problems I've heard of, some people don't need a mechanic, they need a priest.

 

i had this issue. it was from an oil leak and grime on the starter. disconnect the connections and clean them. i couldnt believe such a thin layer caused such a massive voltage drop