No crank, no start diagnosis (bad block ground) - Ford SHO

How to troubleshoot a bad engine block ground with just a simple test light. The key with this type of troubleshooting is in understanding how to "load the circuit", which in this case is achieved by holding the key in the crank position.
Engine Performance Diagnostics chapter 1
Symptoms
- no crank, starter does not engage
- various dash lights flickering on and off
Fix
- relocate engine ground to the block
Tests shown
- how to "load the engine block"
- how to test for a bad battery cable
- how to test the engine block ground circuit
Tools used
- incandescent test light
www.jbtoolsales.com/otc-3633-...
Playlist
- Starting, Charging and Battery system problems
• Starting, Charging and...
Related videos
- Engine does not crank (bad block ground) - Cadillac
• Engine does not crank ...
- How to test a starter motor (no crank from a bad block ground) - Nissan
• How to test a starter ...
- Engine does not crank (seized alternator) - Mini Cooper
• Engine does not crank ...
- Multimeter basics, voltage and resistance tests (a free SD Premium video)
• Multimeter basics, vol...
- Week 1 Part 17 finish volts amps and ohms tests (SD Premium)
• Video
For more information on this topic, I have written a “field manual” called Engine Performance Diagnostics which is available at www.scannerdanner.com as an eBook or paper book.
Want even more diagnostic training? Whether you are a DIY trying to fix your own car, someone looking to become an auto technician, or a current auto technician that wants to get more into diagnostics, subscribe to ScannerDanner Premium www.scannerdanner.com/join-sc... There is a 14 day free trial.
On ScannerDanner Premium I will bring you right into my classroom at Rosedale Technical College. You will find page for page lectures taken right from my book as well as exclusive classroom type case studies. What is so special about these classroom case studies? I pull live problem vehicles directly into my classroom and we troubleshoot them in real time, using and applying the theory and testing procedures we learn during the classroom lectures. There is no better on-line training of how to troubleshoot automotive electrical and electronics systems anywhere!
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of ScannerDanner LLC, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. ScannerDanner LLC assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. ScannerDanner LLC recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of ScannerDanner LLC, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not ScannerDanner LLC.

[@RageKage1776]

Hands down one of the best videos demonstrating voltage drop.

[@nutsandbolts7407]

I got my Auto technology book..I went straight to electrical...but ur are the most talented teacher..can't never stop learning from yu

[@roadkill5333]

That's a great example of the simple ground fault issues! Beautiful! I recently found a ground issue on a friends 99 Cherokee. It would skip lightly under moderate or more acceleration, and around left turns with moderate speed. Found a no hold down battery, and a battery negative cable to body ground with a 99.99% broken terminal end. There was still the most minimal connection, and the short length was still pushing against the broken terminal, not pulling away. When the no hold down battery would wobble under movement, it would relieve pressure against the broken terminal, and would cause the skipping. I showed it to my friend, and said that was the cause. He looked UNAMUSED!! I repaired the broken terminal, we took it for a test ride, and the problem disappeared! He was no longer UNAMUSED. I added a hold down, and the problem has completely disappeared! These vids you guys produce (the ERIC TWINS, IVAN THE WONDERFUL, YOUR OWN BROTHER MR JAMES DANNER, and (of course) YOURSELF) are so informational, and entertaining. Thank you so much!

[@kennybeard9024]

1a1a⁰a 00q00

[@haywardsautomotive6156]

That amazes me how someone can connect a ground wire to a non-metallic surface or an isolated metallic surface consciously & not realize what condition they are creating. That high amp current will find a way to ground & if it finds a low amp ground circuit path it isn't fuse protected...bad news but they should see the smoke before the fire :-) Eric O just did the same test yesterday on a chassis ground using a test light aka scope on a rope & jumper cables & today you covered block grounds using same tried & proven method.... Key is loaded circuit, loaded circuit, loaded circuit!!! Great video Paul & I highly recommend your Premium channel to anyone wanting to learn automotive diagnostics at a bargain price!

[@northpostman]

Hi Paul, great video. Voltage drop testing is such a fundamental electrical test, and yet is the most under used test in the industry. I am also a college professor, and I push VD testing so heavily on my students, I'm sure they do it in their sleep. Before teaching I was a tech. for 30 years, and I can't count how many times this simple test fixed vehicles that other techs. threw in the towel on. I teach them this method with the test light, and also with a voltmeter. I love your channel, and I use your videos in the classroom.

[@faustogonzalez8397]

northpostman well done buddy, they never taught us this voltage drop test in college, all theoretical, no common applications!! scannerdanner is the man!!

[@Chrisallengallery]

I had the same problem once. Wouldn't crank sometimes but then be fine for days. It was a ground wire from the top of the block to the starter relay. Only figured it out once I saw the smoke. I had no idea about cars back then and it took me 3 days to find the fix. Proud moment when I fixed my first car.

[@MobyMB24]

I am hoping that is the issue that I'm having. My Mitsubishi Outlander won't start intermittently. Sometimes it does fine, sometimes I can't get it to start for hours or even days. I'm thinking there might be a damaged ground wire somewhere on the starter or something.

[@dgruvers]

I have this problem, no crank once a month. Can jump relay starts right up.

[@spelunkerd]

The more I think about this the more elegantly simple it becomes. A few ohms of extra resistance will paralyze high current devices, even though most low current circuits do fine. The test light showed the problem but it robbed power from the starter, allowing more current to flow but not enough to turn the armature. Excellent demonstration. Great point about the risk of backfeeding through sensitive electronics.

[@EXOVCDS]

Back in the 90's, we used to get a lot of cars that would not start after someone changed the clutch... same idea, bad ground at the transmission / block, BUT... the injector driver(s) would fry, because the starter found a ground path through the ECM. Depending on how the driver blew, it would no longer squirt fuel, or the injectors would be stuck open... flooding the cylinders.

[@baxrok2.]

Outstanding demonstration Paul. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.

[@nandor690]

I can appreciate how they put the clamps on uniformly. Very nice. And nice video Danner. Seen the other videos awhile ago and use this any time I can

[@jayrockjunk]

Have a 2010 VW Routan(Chrysler). I had the problem of one click, no start. This fix may not fix everyone's but it did mine. It is likely not the starter or the battery. If the starter is clicking then it is not the NSS at all. The NSS prevents the starter from doing anything. So check that off. Switching your gears is NOT fixing the problem. It's only a coincidence that it works after. I have this problem after my first OEM starter blew and a new (re-man) one was put in by dealer and sometime after my trans was replaced/fixed for a whirring problem. This problem went on for several years and slowly got worse. This year.(2020) It would happen everyday and almost everytime I tried to start it. Put 2 starters on it, same thing, battery good, etc. Weird it hardly ever happened in the winter. I'm believing now it's because of the drier weather. Now after watching this video I decided to check the grounds. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5W2YoWrZthpfpY). To make this short. I replaced the broken ground strap that is on the passenger side engine compartment that grounds the block to the frame. Mine was broken as you will likely find yours to be. (www.chryslerminivan.net/threads/ground-strap-broken.170175/) Then I removed both cables on the starter (There are 2) and cleaned them with a power drill with wire brush attached. (nice and shiney) Then I removed the eyelet ground wire from the battery to the frame (located inside engine compartment behind drivers side headlight) Cleaned that the same way.(nice and shiney, both eyelet and post). Next do the same for ground wire that screws onto the transmission housing. (power drill, wire brush, bare metal) Tighten up. Clean battery posts too if yours are crappy. Basically, you're just not having a good enough ground to spin that starter. Haven't had the problem since, over 2 weeks now. Problem: One click, no start. Solved: Cleaned ground connections and the "hot" connections to starter.

[@francisScrnName]

Thanks ScannerDanner for the bad block ground diagnosis, very helpful

[@gvvq-pi5ml]

Nice Video Paul, you can find a lot out by doing voltage drop tests, people dont realize...cheers from Fred in England...

[@christopherreynolds1960]

hi scanner danner i watch your videos everyday to learn something new an i find this one very interesting i am a auto Electrian at Mazda car company in Jamaica you teach me so much please keep doing the good work. thanks far all your information.

[@ScannerDanner]

Thank you!

[@hectorserrano4948]

Oh my God , I love this cel phone, I went and changed about 3 starters and nothing, Im goin back to my pick up, Im sure this time it will crank, Thank you man.

[@MrGMATech]

voltage drop testing one of my favorite and the most basic and simple tests to teach :)

[@QuinBash]

Excellent teaching on ground simple and to the point....

[@wyattoneable]

Love it. It's cool when the problem is an easy fix.

[@WeGo2UMechanics]

I really appreciate what you do brother. Watching your videos has helped me immensely. 🙏

[@ScannerDanner]

I appreciate that. Thank you!

[@faroukkhan6777]

Thanks you sir excellent work,,,stay blessed,, have a great day 👌

[@robertoz5154]

By the way thank you for the fast response..you are one of the best in the buisness..

[@smid2550]

Outstanding work; I'm beginning to learn a lot. Thanks -

[@dianapotoski4035]

Excellent SHO ...W! Good Job with diagnosing block ground. (Short Circuit) Im foing through same trying to locate starter ground, ignition. Basics..advice id helpful too

[@rrmech11]

Great video Mr.Paul Danner as always

[@philh9238]

south main auto had the same video on a focus just yesterday!! sweet

[@chrisblankenship7624]

I agree Paul James should come down next year to etch meet be even more exciting to see more of the worlds best techs and James falls right in with best techs as u all do

[@jamesrowe4316]

Thank you I had the some proplem i went out to the car hookup jumping cables and it started , and again thank you

[@tocsa120ls]

Nice video. I have seen older cars run with the engine grounding out only on the throttle linkage :-)

[@tubester4567]

I have a test light that also has a digital readout for exact voltage. Its the best thing ever.

[@fixitman8028]

Paul. Thanks for the great example with test light and jumper wire. I am a premium subscriber and have learned a tremendous amount from your video’s. Quick question on body grounds. I have a 05 Caravan with a corroded G101 ground stud. The stud snapped when attempting to remove the corroded nut. No problem though I drilled a 1/4 hole next to it and reattached the ground eyelit there. If I run an additional wire attached to the ground stud to batt negative do you foresee any problems? I am thinking more paths to ground the better. Just curious in case I am somehow bypassing chassis ground system. Thanks for all your help and explanations.

[@IlianNachev]

Great episode! Thank you!

[@turenolevin4672]

awsome test for bad ground. subscribed your channel.

[@whitetiger8652]

Nice job Paul.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Can't believe the garage couldn't carry out that simple test themselves. As an ex Nissan technician & foreman I would expect every mechanic to know those basics, even the apprentices.

[@LynxStarAuto]

One of the most common mistakes in the industry. I have gotten dozens of no start/hard start/stall no start conditions, and in most cases a bad ground being the culprit. I see it way too often with body shop cars.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Very common but not always due to error sometimes the cables just break, the old style earth braids were more flexible --- if called out to a no crank no start a jump a cable engine or gearbox to battery negative was always the first quick and diry test. Increasing even finding a good ground on the engine to hook up the jumper cable is becoming more difficult,

[@ScannerDanner]

In this garages defense. They realized their mistake but allowed me to film it.

[@LynxStarAuto]

ScannerDanner An honest mistake. Lord knows I have committed my fair share.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Yes often block grounds aren't in obvious places. For anybody building or restoring a car it is a good idea to locate the grounds in a visible place, or even run an extra ground strap between engine and body.

[@carslover3509]

very useful information thanks friend

[@wyrtwister4260]

Makes perfect sense . God bless Wyr

[@Pablo_Automotive]

Great work Paul =)

[@stevencsawyerss]

Need to change my negative batt cable, works ok it's just old. I have a nice new cable, I just need to track the old cable to see where it's grouded to. I have a 96 Ford F-150 with a 5.0 V8. I wished I could afford some diagnostic tools, like the ones you have.

[@markferraro5250]

great point paul thanks

[@laurentampa2054]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[@robertcsims]

This video was helpful. I stumbled across a bad ground recently, thinking it was a bad starter but it was just the ground wire connected to the frame. Once connected to starter, no problem. Would the battery not charge properly with a bad ground to starter or block? The vehicle has charging issues, alternator shows good.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

In the old days when cars still had carbs with manually operated chokes we used to see old style BL Minis where a lower engine mount would fail and would be only restrained by the block ground. Eventually the extra strain would break the block ground braid and the customer would complain that the car was very slow to crank and smoke was coming from the dash as the engine grounded through the choke and throttle cables.

[@ScannerDanner]

That's crazy! And awesome at the same time!

[@pcno2832]

It's easy to ignore floppy engine mounts, but they can really wreck havoc. My '92 Dodge Monaco (near-Renault 25) had a cracked fuel line, then all the transmission fluid leaked out a hole in the side of the casing, at which point I caught on and replaced all the mounts. More recently, I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law and complained that their VW was so loud I couldn't hear them talking. Turned out everything was going wrong at once, including electrical glitches and exhaust leaks; I suggested they look at the engine, transmission and subframe mounts. They were all bad, but the car was too far gone.

[@zerocool1ist]

Very informative.

[@PotatoeChipz]

Wonder if the bad block to ground would cause a crank but no startup situation. Thanks for the visual.

[@bosaadbosaad6792]

Folow you from saudi arabia you are the best am one of your student

[@ScannerDanner]

Thank you!

[@jesusmalagon4336]

Thanks Paul Danner

[@matutenoel4833]

good video amigo exselente

[@scowley86]

I found this video to be very grounding. ;-)

[@ChicoDeon]

YOU ARE THE MAN

[@toyotatechMDT]

Great tutorial of basic tests and basic tools. Nice case study Paul. Thank you.

[@billrimmer5596]

Always look for your comments. I was wondering, I am sorry don't know your first name, when u work on a friends car, do u sometimes use aftermarket parts. And which ones can we cheat on? I have used aftermarket coils. New af sensors always bite me. Older o2s sometimes ok. Thank u for your input.

[@toyotatechMDT]

+Bill Rimmer Depends on what kind of job they want. If they're keeping the car and can afford I use genuine from the dealer or aftermarket OEM. If it's a cheap job, cheap crap parts! Tom.

[@billrimmer5596]

Thank u Tom!!

[@jamesdanner7850]

I was using an ked test light when I found a bad ground on my Chevy van no start vid. but I'm with you. just an incandescent seems more precise.

[@ScannerDanner]

Hey big brother, thanks for the comment. Enjoy the beach man. I'm seriously going to miss it this year.

[@jamesdanner7850]

It looked like the out west trip and the KZbin etcg thing was a great time, but there is nothing like shutting down at the beach

[@ScannerDanner]

Exactly. By the way, you should come next year to the e etcg meet up. You're presence was requested by many

[@billrimmer5596]

Was hoping for a smart Alec remark. We need more videos James. Was watching and older video on 4 wire Toyota/Lexus cops and was wondering if u guys insist on OE coils at the James Danner romper room. Hoping Toyota Tech would chime in from Brexit land?? The video was on Scanner Danner. Which is fantastic. Only thing better is premium, which I wouldn't go with out. I have KZbin Red. The only time I have to watch an ad is on Scanner Danner Premium. Why is that Paul?

[@rrmech11]

James hope to meet you next year at ETCG'S. Bring your shop friends too

[@faustogonzalez8397]

The way I see it Paul, is during starting due to a lack of a solid block ground, the starter cannot source it's 150 amps required for cranking. At that time, it's trying other ground routes for the starter current back to the battery ground. There may be paths available but with the high amperage trying to be conducted the available grounds are dropping to much voltage and the starter is getting less than the minimum required approximately 10 VDC. Once the car is started, the remaining power circuits required for ignition, etc have ground routes available that do not draw high amperage and are satisfied providing ground paths for these ignition/computer/sensor circuits that are required for the engine to run? Thanks Paul.

[@americanpatriot5836]

Great video

[@christopherdeleon7204]

Awesome stuff

[@maxpower3949]

I sure hope this is what's wrong with mine. Can't wait till morning. Thanks for the video 👍

[@ScannerDanner]

Looking forward to hearing about it!

[@maxpower3949]

Still chasing 😭

[@ScannerDanner]

@@maxpower3949 what's going on and what tests have you done?

[@maxpower3949]

2003 3.8 mustang. Cranks fine, then nothing. Checked, battery, cables, grounds, and fuses. Just took the starter out because I couldn't get to the wires to test it 😓 Now to test or get new one. Sidenote: I watched a video where a guy took the relay fuse out and jumped the starter with a wire to test it. All I did was blow a fuse. Or at least that's all I hope I did

[@maxpower3949]

It was the solenoid. Didn't have a way to check that first 😥

[@wysetech2000]

Everyone always buries themselves in high tech testing but the good ole' KISS theory still works on a 2016 car.

[@ghazanfarsmith6608]

thanks a lot for video could multimeter b used in place of test light. thanks again.

[@Mikeywil0003]

I hope they welded the cams on that engine when they replaced it. So many of these cool little Yamaha V8's are in the junk yard because of crappy cam gears.

[@ozzstars_cars]

That was awesome

[@pisanski]

Nice video thx

[@brentowen9480]

Hook jumper cables to the blockand battery ground is something I've used as a test.

[@Mark1944089]

good job

[@-bro7453]

good old tale my father would say. what are the 3 things you need to start an engine. spark.fuel,compression and when looking into electronics. BV,CV and EV. is all u need to know

[@numbrenine9414]

do you have any videos on the immobilizer system , specifically gm passlock which seems to be prone to malfunction

[@muhammadimran-yh3gl]

Very good

[@stevepalenicek4690]

I'll be getting your premium soon.been rebuilding 99civic and lincoln needed some work .few others 😊 start next week ordering book to .thanks for your knowledge

[@ScannerDanner]

Thank you! Looking forward to seeing you there www.scannerdanner.com/join-scannerdanner-premium.html

[@RC-Heli835]

Only trained mechanics would expect to see a test light light up touching an engine block that has a bad ground with the test light hooked to ground. Ive been around mechanicing for a long time and have never come across this particular situation. This is one of those wow! Moments for me. I have come across a 24 V alternator on a bulldozer not charging because some one lost the insulator washer at the alternator to battery term. After much head scratching I found it because the eye on the red lead going from the alternator to the battery had turned glowing red. I'm still not exactly sure how a direct short like that on a 24 v system did not instantly burn the wire in half maybe there was a protection circuit in there somewhere..

[@garylewis3641]

I don't really understand why the test light should not light up, I thought the idea was to get electricity to flow through the engine block back to the negative terminal. Good video!

[@ScannerDanner]

Because voltage potential is 0v on all good grounds. And my test light is connected to battery ground!

[@garylewis3641]

@@ScannerDanner Thanks so much!

[@ice44567]

Were the cams on the new engine welded? Otherwise this one will fail just the same as the last one :D

[@Leekautorepair]

Im currently working on 12 Avalon that has a problem with the climate control and radio lights flickering....leaning towards a ground wire as well

[@ratbag359]

When I see this it makes me want to check the other ground in particular the engine to body and body to battery as those wires and connections are only rated for vehicle loads usually around 50Amp max. I have also seen systems where they go battery - body - engine they seem to be the worst for bad grounds due to corrosion on the body where the wire is fastened.

[@foreverwood1963]

This is interesting. I had an issue once where my tail lights weren't getting a good ground and I connected my jumper cable from the battery to near the tail gate. I left it running for 20 minutes and when I disconnected the cable it too stayed on, but from this the lights came on without me cleaning a ground for about 3 months. That blew my mind. I started thinking trying to see why. It's like the electrons remained in the metal. I asked everyone had they experienced that no one had until I saw this although this didn't last nearly as long.

[@mommie46now]

This helped, trying to find the ground in a 98 Chrysler Sebring. It was difficult finding the battery, but after watching your tutorial, I have discovered it's the ground to ecu? if you have the time please respond with any theory of location of the ground for my vehicle. Thank you. WONDERFUL job!

[@ScannerDanner]

Post your question here. www.scannerdanner.com/forum/post-your-repair-questions-here.html I'm sure we can help you. Thanks! Hope to see you there. It is free to join my forum.

[@cccdetective787]

Hi ScannerDanner I notice you mentioning the braided strap. can you clarify the difference between what I am familiar with as a "BONDING STRAP" to an actual Ground. I think your viewers would appreciate the explanation.

[@shopyard87]

I need to recheck this one.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Tools? Test light and jumper cables. How cool is that?

[@jonbarfield4915]

Eric O did a video yesterday. cool.

[@jonbarfield4915]

Eric O did the same thing with a car.

[@emmabridgers8683]

jon Barfield â

[@faustogonzalez8397]

Awesome, Awesome Paul. Of course if the battery ground was connected correctly to the engine block or starter casing and the ground cable connector at the block or starter case had corrosion, then the test light would not have lit the way you had it hooked up, right? Thanks Paul , keep up the great work on the videos!!

[@konstantinusstoyanov9749]

Awesome

[@Tedybear315]

Ah the old "Scope on a Rope........" Well done

[@IamKurr]

Working on a chrysler at the moment. Where would 150mV come from on the block? And would that be enough to mess up a tcm which is grounded on the block? Already replaced the alternator which tested bad. After replacing the alternator, the block voltage (and tcm ground) dropped to 90mV.

[@Ottonic6]

Thank you so much! I believe this just confirmed that I have a bad block ground. Cause there are times when I try to start my car (battery charged w/good clean connections) I get no crank. But as soon as I hook the jumper cables, it starts right up. Funny thing is on a normal temperature day it will start on its own. When it is real cold or hot outside sometimes I will turn the key and it will take a second or two before it cranks and starts, or I have to turn the key two or more times before I get my crank. Someone said it was my starter or ignition switch, but the fact it starts right up with my jumper voids that suggestion (plus, I did have my starter go bad and it was replaced) I have also gotten a new battery (twice). Like you stated in this video, I think the reason it starts on normal temp days is it is finding some alternate way to ground, then on the hot or cold days it can't get that ground... I will watch your other videos then run some test to confirm this. S.D. Thanks again!

[@ScannerDanner]

Thanks so much! Here is a playlist I created for starting, charging, battery issues. I'm sure these will help you if you cannot find a bad block ground. kzbin.info/aero/PLAFYVCyenqcpZM-kQg5MUX0OvrIPSirz5

[@StealthShadow5]

Do you have any information about a car losing power only going uphill and sometime on flat road but at soon pass the 4K rpm run normal?

[@tunercars3]

vary interesting like the video had a lose ground on my silverado dash would go in and out and i had a service 4wd on the dash turns out it was lose ground from head to firewall

[@MrMrBigro]

hi i have a no rpm tach running and also water temp gauge in the dash but sometime it does it work so i was wondering if a bad ground is involve but which is at fault my car is a 1990 ford sho should be about the same thin i would think

[@robdonaldson2124]

Question. What if test light has a dim constant flash while engine is running? Wouldn't that mean a bad engine block ground as well? I clamped test light to negative (ground) battery post and probe at the block while engine was running.,and light constantly, flashed.

[@juanaguilar6440]

This urges me to get the in the field study guide . Ive register to the website but havet purchased the mauel .

[@teardowndan5364]

I'd go with grounding through the transmission as the most likely path: with the vehicle stopped, there is no torque on the gears to keep contact between them and no thrust on the input shaft (from meshing with gears) to make solid contact through the bearings.

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

I have a question: Whenever I go through a car wash or have my truck outdoors in heavy rain at an angle (back end of the truck higher than the engine on a sloped driveway), my engine gets grounded. Clicks but no crank and starts draining the battery. Been trying to track this issue but no luck. Is it really as simple as Battery Negative to Engine block ground?

[@Jettrap505]

I'm really hoping this this the probmel with my car

[@rhkips]

I wonder if an LED test light would have actually worked in this instance or not! The voltage differential was opposite of what it should have been when you loaded up the block, and since LEDs can only pass current in one direction, I'm not sure we would have seen it function the same way your incandescent did.

[@qford3299]

how to change the computer the starter the ignition switch oil at in a 2003 Cadillac DeVille and I still can't get it to crank

[@RipRoaringGarage]

It took me months to figure out I had a bad ground in my Crown Vic....Its very easy to get tunnel vision and start firing the parts cannon. I replaced starter, neutral safety swtich, even suspected the PCM, and bought a Zeus (I work on carbed cars typically). So, yeah, now Im positive (ha) its a ground. I just have to find where the suckers are, and check each one. The car has enough ground for ACC but it cranked over maybe 15 degress, then one solenoid click..then nothing since. I AM STARTING this car today though..even if I use jumpers lol. One this about Fords though. I loved this car since new and babies it..but the rust problems are terrible. The engine serial number, flaked off...thats how much they rust.

[@ScannerDanner]

Let me know what you find!

[@joehyundaitech7961]

where can I buy 2 of those terminals for my test lights ? I could really use some

[@ScannerDanner]

What time frame, thanks!

[@PaolaDiaz-zt6lg]

Gotta go check

[@michaelsabella5924]

I find using this test light a little confusing, wouldn't it be easier, just my opinion, to use an Ohm meter to check for resistance between the neg batt connector and ANY metal surface that should be connected to engine ground. Of course this may cost more with the need of a multimeter - digital is the best... Food for thought -

[@ScannerDanner]

And NO, the ohmmeter is THE WORST tool for this situation. I have a few videos to show where a high resistance circuit can show perfect resistance when tested with an ohmmeter. In short, it does not stress the circuit. Watch this one. Move to near the end of the video where I show the ohm tests kzbin.info/www/bejne/amXHgWmOaLaGa6M

[@hiazn69]

Hopefully you can answer this question? I had a 89(?, not sure about this) Toyota pickup. It was parked on the street and got hit in the front drivers side. Before the accident, it was running fine. After the accident, it would turn the engine over but wouldn't start. However, after a couple of minutes of turning over the engine before it would start. I would need to go through this everytime I needed to start the vehicle.

[@ScannerDanner]

Check fuel pressure when it is not starting. My money is on a problem with the fuel pump cut off switch circuit of the vane airflow meter on your truck

[@hiazn69]

But would it start after cranking the engine for a couple of minutes?

[@ScannerDanner]

Do some tests and find out. Need to know what you're missing when it doesn't start. If you need more help post to my forum scannerdanner.com/forum/post-your-repair-questions-here.html

[@NortheastVintage]

Just had the issue with my 2003 Dodge Durango. Ground straps were completely deteriorated. Resulting in a no crank, no start. Sounded like the starter went out as I was getting a click. Replaced ground straps and it starts perfectly.

[@ScannerDanner]

Nice! Good job

[@WorthyNFL.]

Old post so I’m hoping you see this comment. So will this work for vehicles with a bad ground strap like you see alot of gm’s and fords have with no starts. Run test light negative battery to block and the block will be in a sense energized. Is this true for all engine grounds?

[@ScannerDanner]

If it is a no crank situation, yes, absolutely.

[@robertoz5154]

Hey Scanner Danner..i had a question about sensor grounds...lets say if a sensor ground is spliced originally to all sensors like in fords..map..tps..maf..o2s..tfts..and lets say a tft trans temp sensor has a bad sensor ground is it possible to splice in an external ground lets say to the chassis

[@ScannerDanner]

you can do that to see if the circuit comes back to life (and it will), it's just not a good fix from a noise standpoint

[@robertoz5154]

Ok...i was a lil confused with that...i know i read somewhere about it but was not sure if its ok to do..

[@ScannerDanner]

It would be better to find your open ground and fix it or at least splice it into another sensor ground circuit rather than to the body of the car. Make sense?

[@robertoz5154]

ScannerDanner.. definately makes sense...i know i heard about that..i wasnt sure if its ok to do...i have another question.. a 1999 chevy s10 p/u 2.2L came in..blown ecm fuse..i saw that the placed the main battery ground (fat wire) in front of the bell housing of the A/T..i looked on the schematic it shows it in the same area but behind where it is currently at on the engine block side..would that have any affect on other grounds or on the starter considering its bolted on to the block..

[@ScannerDanner]

That should be okay because of the steel bolt that is threaded into the block.