Diagnosing abilities...
 

So yesterday I experienced a bit of bad luck on my Truck....thought I would post what happened and see if anyone knows what happened...

I figured it out, it only took me 4 1/2 hours, but let's see whose diag abilities are still sharp...

So here's the deal, I drove my pickup from one destination to another destination, approx. 15 min drive in town with traffic. I parked the truck at the 2nd destination (Red Robin for lunch with my son). We were in the restaurant about 45 minutes, came out and the truck wouldn't start, it wouldn't turn over, no clicking, no trying to start...nothing. I had power to everything, door locks, window, radio, lights, dome light...you name it there was power to it. I checked all the fuses inside the cab and in the engine compartment, all were good. The truck ran fine with no symptoms before I parked it...

So anyone have an idea what it was? Ask me any questions you want...:argh:

I'm 99% sure I know but I'll play along:
would the truck start in neutral or any other gear?

No, it wouldn't turn over or nothing in neutral or any other gear.

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I only posted this as a game...I was pissed it took me so long to figure out what went wrong, and I thought we could have a bit of fun with it so others can learn and not possibly be stranded for as long as I was in 90 degree heat.

Take a stab at it, there are no wrong answers...It's not a test, and there are no stupid answers...play along.

Possibly a bad fuseable link wire

Nooo, kind of close, I thought it was something like that as well, I mean what else could go bad so quick at the "flip of a switch"?

I though it had to do with my alarm/remote start...I pulled the fuse panel off the dash inside and started to try to make sense of all the wiring for the alarm/auto start...I've got a satellite radio wired in and 4 HD3 lights wired in as well...I am not electrically inclined whatsoever...

Another thing that comes to mind is dirty battery cable connections. I don't think I have ever seen anything with a fuse in the starter circuit.

Re: Diagnosing abilities...
 

Power to the started corroded?

Bad ignition switch? :humm:

If it's a manual, the switch around clutch pedal lever. I forgot the technical term for it. In my Toyota Previa (yes they made manuals) it happens when it is cold.

Battery cables were clean and tight fitting.

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I think we'll call this one close enough, "Winner-winner, Chicken dinner"...
It was a bad starter solenoid...

It didn't even cross my mind to check this, it has got to be one of the top failure points in a ford and, Ford puts the same Solenoid on over 1300 different cars...:jump:

haha first thing i woulda done is grabbed my screwdriver and crossed it just to get it home for further diagnosis. it actually happened to me before

Yeah I've had it happen to me before too, not in this truck, but others. I sure felt stupid not catching that sooner.:argh:

Last Wal-Mart I was working on the guy had this same issue, ended up being his starter, but that was one of the things we checked... Power-good, Key on no crank- good, Jump the starter- Nothing... But his starter was shot.

I had a similar problem after replacing my starter the bots loosened up and then it wouldn't even click. Starter wasn't grounding to the block.

it happens to the best man its always the one tiny thing you overlook

I've run into that situation when I had my '96...I too felt like an idiot :argh:

Talking about situations that make you feel like an idiot I pulled up to the ATM after only having the truck for a couple months, put in park grabbed my money then I couldn't get it out of park. I ended up having to put the transfer in neutral to roll it away but it just ended up being the wire on my brake pedal came off. :argh:

Yea, that would have been my guess. I had very similar issue and turned out to be a bad starter. Changed out the starter and cranked right up, no problem. Sometimes a big hammer works!!!!