In an effort to save the cost and bother of a tow to get it repaired, I'm trying to diagnose/fix my '92GT myself. For several years now, it sometimes (once every 50 times?) refused to turn over. I'd switch off the ignition, put it in gear then back to neutral, try again and it started. Now it's dead. New battery, so that's not the problem (I even tried jump starting from my other car). Put in a new starter solenoid (GP Sorensen SS94Z from Advance Auto) but it didn't do any good. All I still get are some clicks and that's it. The business with fiddling with the transmission/clutch previously makes me wonder if it's the starter/clutch interlock switch above the clutch pedal. Are there aftermarket copies of that or is it strictly a $50 Motorcraft part? The starter still doesn't work even if I detach the push on connector on the starter solenoid and use a jumper direct from the positive battery terminal to it (suggested in Haynes Manual). Shouldn't that work regardless of interlock switch being good or bad? Now I'm thinking a bad connection at the starter, so I'll have to crawl under the car and check that out. Or perhaps the starter is bad. If I used a jumper from the positive battery terminal to the positive contact on the starter (isn't that the only contact?), wouldn't it turn over if it's good? Btw, replacement solenoid mentioned above was supposed to be part #SS94 but the box from Advance Auto says SS94Z (my wife picked it up...I would have asked if I were there) and the terminals are actually reversed, i.e. the set of wires including the one from positive battery terminal actually attach to solenoid post closest to battery, not the one closer to the strut, as with the original Motorcraft part. That's according to the directions in the box. Also, that solenoid has two small posts for push on connectors and directions say if the original (in this case Motorcraft E99F-11450-AA) has only one, to use the silver colored post and not the copper colored one. I figure if they were wrong, I wouldn't get clicks, I'd get sparks/smoke/whatever.
Do you have any suggestions for me? I'm a mechanical novice, knowing just enough to royally screw things up! :dunce:
Do you have any suggestions for me? I'm a mechanical novice, knowing just enough to royally screw things up! :dunce: