1989 Ford ranger wont run
Asked by Zack Aug 08, 2018 at 11:25 PM about the 1989 Ford Ranger S Standard Cab 4WD SB
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
1989 Ford ranger wont start even when I push start
battery was hooked up backwards I have power to
lights radio etc. when I turn ignition i get one click
then lose all power to everything????? Help please
10 Answers
Check the fusible link, I believe your Ranger has one. One of the starter wires may have burnt or the starter solenoid which should be fender mounted could have taken a hit from being hooked up backwards also. The battery itself may be damaged also, have you tried another as a test?
Put new battery in and what I described is what happened. but like I said it's not the starter I cancelled that out but trying to push start it (pop the clutch)it wont even try to start just acts dead in the water Where is the fusible link located
Truck ran great prior to this so I know its somewhere electrical and not mechanical
Fusible link would be on the positive battery cable
So you hooked the new battery up backwards? If so remove it from the equation by trying another battery if you have one or unhook it and attach the cables to booster cables to another vehicle. Process of elimination is what's going to be needed to solve your issue
No battery is replaced with battery hooked up the right way some dumbass hooked it up wrong and fried it I unhooked it and put new battery in and now (as described in comments and question) it will not start or try to start with me turning the key and also wont start by push start. It will not start either way
No fusible on battery cable it is old and very simplified
Okay gotcha. My 94 b4000 has a fusible link on the positive wire just a few inches from the battery, its two smaller wires that are inline with the main cable. The fact that after trying to engage the starter you lose all power tells me that there is probably a bad wire or connection on the main circut (battery,starter,alternator). Have you tried jumping the starter at the solenoid to see of you can get it to crank? Have you checked all fuses and relays? I wouldn't be surprised if something has melted together and is shorting the circut. You're in a tough spot right now and youll need to eliminate one thing at a time to find the root cause, I would start with the main circut and remove and inspect one wire at a time. Check the grounds that go from the motor to the frame and the firewall also, you can use booster cables to simulate those safely for testing purposes
