Bronco not starting

[fordkid]

Hello-


You guys helped me out with my focus a little while back, hopefully we can ge my bronco taken care of, it's always something isn't it.lol.

I have a 92 ford bronco full size, 351w engine with an automatic transmission, it's not starting. when I turn the key on I have power to the radio and the lights work, but when I try to start it it just clicks, the same thing the focus was doing, however with the bronco all the turn signals and lights work properly, and the battery had fluid in it. there is a round device (don't tink it's a cylinoid) rght next to the battery and that is what's clicking, you can even feel it click. I check the starter motor for good connections everything is ok, I know it doesn't mean much but I replaced the starter motor cylinder about 8 months ago. any idea's on what it could be. it would be great if the battery was bad but I am kind of thinking it's not, we tried jumping it and it didn't work however I also triedjumping the focus when it wouldn't start and it didn't help even though it was the battery that was bad. any ideas would be appreciated.


Thanks
Ford Kid

 

[timeless2]

Have you given the battery a complete, deep charge overnight and then tried it?

 

[Darkwriter77]

I'd lean more towards it being the battery than anything else. It has enough power in it to make the lights come on, but not enough to make the starter's bendix kick out and turn the engine over. The click you're hearing is the starter solenoid relay, which means it's getting signal from the ignition switch to send current to the starter, but there's just not enough available juice in the battery to pump through there and actually make it crank over.

Take the battery out and run down to any Autozone, Checker, Advance Auto, or wherever, and have 'em do a load test on it. They may need to keep it for about an hour to see if it'll take a charge. More than likely, the battery's just shot, but if it turns out to be good, then you'll need to then track down whatever it is that's been draining it while the vehicle is sitting still or running - could be that the alternator isn't charging, could be a bad ground, could be an interior light not shutting off, etc.

 

[fordkid]

everything is closed for christmas, so I took a battery out of one of my friends bronco's, I am hearing the same sound, his bronco has a 302 and that battery was rated at 590 old cranking amps, the battery I have is rated at 700 cold cranking amps, do you think that will make a difference or is it safe to say it's not the battery.

Thanks
Ford Kid

 

[Darkwriter77]

Nah, as long as the battery is good, it should still crank. Cold Cranking Amps is just an available cranking capacity rating per a certain temperature.

Could be the starter solenoid switch, or it could be the starter, itself. If you pull the starter and run it on down to a parts store, they can bench-test it for free; if that checks out, then you've got one less item as a suspect.

Check and double-check all of your battery connections for corrosion, burn-through, or other possible shorts.

And, again, if you haven't already done so, have the battery, itself, load tested as well just to be certain.

 

[hhead]

isn't there a fusible link in the starter wire from the ignition switch to the solenoid? just a thought. or is it battery to solenoid that the link is?