My SUV cranks but will not start

JBERRIOS

MEMBER
2003 FORD EXPEDITION
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
180,470 MILES

My SUV will not start at all. I have tried turning the key to the on position and back to the off position three or four times and then trying to start it. I have tried putting it in neutral and starting it. I have tried jumping the battery even though I do not think it needed it. Still nothing. I had a few incidents in the past few weeks where it would cut off on me. The first few times it cut off when I was at a red light with my foot on the brake. Then it cut off when the truck was on but in park, and last week it cut off while I was driving on a fifty mph highway. I felt the truck slowing down and realized it shut off. On each of those times, I was able to get it to turn back on by taking the key and turning it four times from the off position to the on position, and then taking the key out of the ignition and pressing the panic button on the key chain remote of the trucks alarm on and then off again. Then I put the key back into the ignition and started it up with no problem at all. About four days ago another car hit my truck on the front drivers side. There were no damages to my car as far as dents or scratches go. Nothing was leaking, smoking, at all. It has been running and starting up fine ever since the accident. Then today I drove around to run my daily errands, got back and parked the truck. An hour later I went out to start it and it would not start at all. It cranks non stop but will not turn over. Please help. If there is a quick, easy fix so I can start it and get it to my brothers house so his friend can look at it, that would be awesome.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

Your second-to-last sentence almost told me what the symptom is. "Crank" and "turn over" are the same thing. Both refer to the starter spinning the engine. Your clues about what you tried when it "would not start" cover a couple of different potential symptoms, but it is the stalling while driving that suggests the symptom is the engine cranks just fine but does not start and run. If that is correct, the place to start is by having the diagnostic fault codes read and recorded. The people at many auto parts stores will do that for you for free, but be aware, those codes never say to replace parts or that one is bad. If a sensor is referenced in a fault code, it is actually the cause of that code only about half of the time. First we have to rule out wiring and connector terminal problems associated with that circuit.