2000 V10, won't start I'm stumped please help!!!

[Heath]

Okay, so my V10 won't start with just the key anymore... This started while I was on vacation in CO over christmas during the blizzard... She's got power... Even put in a new battery... New Solenoid on the firewall, still, when I turn the key, NADA, nothing, zippo a big lot of nothing...

I can jump the solenoid posts and she fires just fine... No problems there... But its a real pain to pop the hood and jump the posts just so I can start my truck...

So, new batter, new solenoid on the firewall, what next... Any ideas...

BTW, I tried a few searches, and I kept getting over 500 responses!!!

[Heath]

Well, now in a nifty turn, I went to the store tonight, and figured I'd take it since I haven't driven the truck in a week... Well, now the battery idiot light is on like the alternator is going out.... UGH... One thing after another...

Bad ground anyone???

[mattadams]

Hmm... so jumping the solenoid works, but replacing the solenoid didn't make a difference. My hunch tells me... you got a bad solenoid even as a replacement?
I dont know thats all I can think of. If the ground was bad, I wouldn't think jumping the solenoid would make a difference, because the ground would still be bad...

[Heath]

Two bad solenoids in a row from different stores... HIGHLY doubtfull...

[Hypoid]

Ignition switch, maybe mounted on the column. Ford had a recall years ago because the switches would come apart. I had kind of the same symptoms before mine went out; but that was an '89.

Heath, verify that you are getting voltage from the switch wire at the solenoid. After getting it started, if the Bat light comes on, "jiggle" the key.

[Glass]

Im thinking ignition switch aswell. Or maybe a neutral safety switch, misallignment of the shifter linkage,. Did you have to switch keys for any reason? On alot of newer vehicles copies of keys can unlock doors, and the steering column, but wont actually start the vehicle. If you do have a copy of a key, i think you need to have Ford cut an oem style key for it.

If it has a tilt column, try starting the truck with the column in different positions, if it starts, you might have a wiring problem.

Let us know...

[rpenner54]

Battery cables?

[Heath]

She's all fixed... I'll get a pic of the problem here in a little and put up a post...

[Heath]

Okay, for the timeline and the finale...

So the problem started where she wouldn't start with the key... So I jumped the solenoid for a while until I could get back from CO at Christmas... Get home, put on a new Solenoid, she starts twice and thats it... We check the battery, well its got a dead cell so someone says well that would cause it not to have enought juice to start... While I knew it wasn't the batter I conceded and bought one anyway, and yes the truck would have needed it sooner or later anyway so its not like it was completely wasted... Still no start... So I go and swap the solenoid out with another one (warranty replacement) while doing so I arced something and blew up my alternator... So I go get a new alternator and put that in too.. STILL she won't start... Some people say it could be the ignition switch so we pull that off, and get another one.. Still nothing... Some friends suggest that I get rid of that POS alarm thats in the truck... One friend thats really good with electrical stuff comes over and says take these wires, trace them back and snip them from whever they lead to.. So I get that removed... Still no start!!! DAMN IT... Well, after playing with it we discovered that if you bump the ignition switch by hand the truck turns over just fine... So we thought maybe it was that little pin that goes from the key switch (tumbler) down to the ignition switch.. So we mess with that... Its not broken... Nor does it have an adjustment on it so we can make it go down further... By this time we've discovered that basically the pin on the ignition switch wasn't getting pushed down far enough to bump the start position... So we modified the ignition switch and tried to move it up the column a little more... Still no go... BAH... Well, we pull the tumbler out to mess with the pin some more... Pin moves fine still doesn't appear to be broken... Well my buddy mark starts playing with the tumber and notices that its not going all the way from the off position to the start position... He shines a light in there and wedged down there near the bearing is a little black piece of plastic!!! You've gotta be effin me!!! We get it out... Put it back in and guess what... Truck starts first time, every time... Basically this piece of plastic was stopping me from turning the key the full amount!!! It must have been in there when I picked up the truck in November and just gotten moved with all the starting and turning off of the truck over the next month... Well, needless to say the truck is all back together now and working...


Solenioid $20
Battery $65
Ignition Switch $26
Alternator $155
Hours of frustration $I don't care to talk about it...
Getting it fixed so I can drive my X again, PRICELESS...


http://www.rmftc.com/gallery/data/500/medium/heathstartingprob2.jpg

http://www.rmftc.com/gallery/data/500/medium/heathstartingprob1.jpg

[Richard]

well, since you are throwing all that away, can i have the 5 bucks?

[Heath]

LOL... I know, I only spent $260 in parts that we now know that I didn't need... Had I just started at the tumbler...

[thesoundmaster]

i wonder if the previous owner did that to you, that doesn't look like Ford plastic. What else did they do then? Glad you got it started, wish over the summer it was that easy for me, turns out i fried my starter.

[Richard]

i would suspect kids...

[Heath]

i would suspect kids...


He only had a teenage daughter... Doubt it was her... And that ignition switch isn't the easiest thing to get out...

[mattadams]

Pretty wild. Glad you figured it out. Bet it would've even taken a mechanic a long time, and throwing lots of parts at it, to get that sucker solved.

[Bodaddio]

Um, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Hey man, got to love it.

Hey it's nice and warm down here in Louisiana

[Richard]

so how old was this teenage daughter?

[Heath]

Dunno... maybe 15 or so...

[Richard]

damn.....

glad you got the ex working though...can i borrow it next weekend?

[Heath]

Shit, you bring me a decent skyline or Q45 and you can have it...

[Richard]

if you really want a skyline, i can arrange for you to have a 100% stock older GTR for about 16000, including importing...

[Heath]

I just really want a decent RHD car... Skyline, Q45, hell even a nice Accura (Honda over there of course)...

[Richard]

im telling you i can get it for you....tell me exactly what you want and i will find it, and if its within the price range you want, ill make the purchase, get it shipped to florida, and it will be yours

[mattadams]

Why stop at one? Heath only has 4 cars, he needs 5 or 6, heh heh.

[Heath]

I don't have any free cash right now that I could buy something... Otherwise I'd be all over it... Keep some friends in the military over there for me though...

[thesoundmaster]

So sell the Excursion to me and buy the RHD car!!!

[Heath]

You're funny...

[Heath]

I've waited 7 years to get this bad boy!!!

[thesoundmaster]

i know!!! one of these days i'll be able to get one...

[Richard]

Matt...you wouldnt be able to fit in 90% of the cars here....i am almost too tall for the Skyline GTR

[mattadams]

yeah but the difference is, I don't want one of those cars :). I dont fit in 90% of the cars here either, so I dont see what the difference is.

[Richard]

maybe if you shaved your sweater off, you would fit in more cars over there

[mattadams]

uh huh, and sawed off about 9-10" from various locations of my body.
Tell you though, the one car I really fit good in was that Park Avenue. I miss that car and regret selling it sometimes, I've even thought of getting another one since then. Damn reliable and I had more room then I could use in there.

[shawns 64 F100]

Hell, just find one of the original ford skylines from back in the 50s and youll have a nice cruiser :thumbsup: