92 Ford Club Wagon XLT no hot start

Tiny
PSIMONSON
  • MEMBER
  • 1992 FORD FIVE HUNDRED
92 ford Club wagon XLT, 200 000 miles. When cold, it starts right up. After It has been driven, if I turn it off, the engine turns over slowly, for a second then stops almost as if it had a dead or dying battery. But if I let it sit for at least forty-five minutes, it turns over and starts fine.

I just bought it, and the prior owner tells me that he has changed the battery, alternator, and solenoid while trying to fix the problem. He included a new starter with it, and I have put it in. The battery cable connections both positive and negative appear tight at both ends, though the negative termina clamp was broken, so I just changed it tonight.

Other than having the battery load tested, I am not sure how to procede in troubleshooting this.
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 AT 8:03 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,754 POSTS
Does that have a relay on the positive cable before it gets to the starter?
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Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 AT 8:15 PM
Tiny
PSIMONSON
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  • 3 POSTS
The cable splits at the battery with one side going to a relay for electrical systems and the other going straight to the solenoid, which is attached directly to the starter, and was changed with it.

I haven't noticed the problem since I changed the battery terminal clamp, but it seems both too easy and too soon to declare it fixed.
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Friday, November 24th, 2006 AT 8:04 AM
Tiny
PSIMONSON
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More details: On examining the connections, I noticed that the cable right next to the negative battery terminal clamp was excessively flexible (as if corroded on the inside) and that the clamp on the end of it was actually broken, though it seemed to be on tight. I cut off and replaced the end of the cable and cleaned off some of the corrosion at the same time. Since then, I have been unable to recreate the problem, so I believe that this fixed it. [I will be replacing the whole cable at some time in the future]

The moral is don't overlook the simple and easy things. Though I am not sure what I will tell the person who sold me the van.
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Sunday, November 26th, 2006 AT 5:25 PM

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