2000 Ford Windstar, Won't Start

by Misty
(Dubuque, IA USA)

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar. One day it just won't start. We got it jumped and it worked. Something had drained the battery. We had the starter, alternator and battery tested. All were good. They also said there was no drain but if we left our battery connected over night it would be dead the within a day. We just disconnected the battery at night and all seemed fine until one day we went somewhere and when we got in the van would not start. We tried to get it jumped and it still would not start. We were told it was the starter so we replaced the starter and it turned on. The next day we went somewhere again and it wouldn't restart once again. We tried to jump it once again and it did not work. It clicked a couple of times and then just wonuldn't even click anymore. A mechanic hit the starter to get it to turn over. He told us the starter was bad that we had just put in. He tested the cable and said the power was going to the starter. We took the starter out and back to the store to get tested and were told it was not bad. We put the starter back in and it has worked for the day. It did take a lot of cranking when we started it this morning. Any ideas what exactly could be going on?

Steve Says,

Hi, Misty. Thanks for asking me your question. This sounds like a very frustrating problem! I think the answer is that you need to find a mechanic who is very good at diagnosing electrical problems. Specifically, they need to know how to do what is called a "voltage drop" test. This is a test that can tell you exactly what is bad in any electrical circuit. Believe it or not there are many, many mechanics out there who do not know how to do this type of test. If you can find a repair shop that specializes in electrical systems they will probably have someone that will know how to do it.

As to your question, there are any number of things that can be causing your problem. I have seen starters that test just fine, but when you get them installed they don't work. They can be worn out inside and not work when they are installed, but then they can be taken off of the car, get bumped around and test just fine.

I have also seen these type of problems be caused simply by loose battery cables. It is surprising how many times I have seen major problems caused by such a simple thing.

Another thing it could be is your ignition switch. If it is bad it might not be sending the right amount of voltage to the starter in order to get it turning.

As you can see and you have found out, there are many things that can cause this type of problem. If I had to guess I would say it is a starter problem, but to really find out you need to take it to a really good electrical mechanic.

I hope this has helped. Please post the fix when you know what it is.