Greetings all,
Please forebear if I break some protocol, my first time here. My 2005 Freestar has multiple issues, but the critical one now is I cannot start it. It actually sat for over a year, and we somehow got it started, drove it 2-3 times, and then...nothing. So, I know the battery is good. I went looking for videos, and found this one:
which is for the Freestyle, but there are many similarities. Evidently, Google and Youtube figure Freestyle is close enough to what I searched for.
Turning the key to the start position result in a single weak click, nothing more.
The deal with the 'under the hood' fuse box, where you 'jumper' (old PC lingo) two of the pins under the starter relay with a wire, that caused the engine to turn over, but not to spark or have ignition.
Running the positive line to the correct fuse (21, as far as I can tell) in the cabin did nothing. I know the positive line was live because it sparked whenever I touched metal.
The OBD fails every time. It just runs through all the possible protocols, then flashes the "link error" really quick, and starts over.
Given all this, what is the most likely cause of my problem? Or what should I try next?
My fuse boxes are found here:
https://www.startmycar.com/us/ford/f...o/fusebox/2005

Many thanks in advance.

 

If you can bypass ignition switch and range sensor and able to make the engine to turn over directly from the relay, you know there is a problem at least in between your ignition switch and your relay.

You tried to jump start it?
Everytime there is a no start you will need to slow charge your battery preferably overnight and hopefully to make it in top notch condition before you try to crank again. When your vehicle can't start your alternator can't charge your battery, and everytime you crank there will be a voltage drop (and it will continue to drop and drop) doesn't matter if your vehicle was able to start, when there is no helper to keep it in top notch you just have to slow charge it first, whether or not your battery can hold a charge or you THINK it's fine.
And then, after slow charge is complete you check the voltage with your voltmeter what you get? wait 2 or 3 hours, check the voltage again, what voltage?

 

Can you give us the voltage reading at the battery when you are attempting to start the engine ?

If it drops below 12.4 volts ,,,we have a power problem.