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Car mechanics please read

ISU Boomer

ISU Boomer

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
694
Location
North Carolina
Ok, we recently bought our daughter her first car. It's a 2002 Ford Taurus. Everything has been good until a couple days ago. Daughter called and said the car won't start. She was at a gas station and I came to check it out. It wasn't a battery problem. I pretty much knew it was a starter issue. The starter clicked, car never turned over, but all accessories worked. I tried jumping the car just in case. Nope, nothing. Had it towed to the shop and my suspicions were confirmed. A bad starter. Got it replaced yesterday and everything seemed good.

Until tonight. Daughter called again and said her car won't start. I came home and messed with it for awhile. It actually started for me after a couple cranks. I shut it off and started it again. Did this a couple more times and thought all is well. But when I tried again it would not start. It turns over but nothing. Then I noticed smoke. Like lots of it coming from under then hood. I popped the hood and see that it is coming from the negative terminal of the battery.

Also, the new starter is very hot to the touch. The negative battery cable is very hot to the touch. What could be the problem?

My non car mechanic mind tells me maybe the battery cables have a short? Maybe the new starter was installed incorrectly? Just wondering what to check. I doubt the starter was installed incorrectly. Do I buy new battery cables? Any advice from the pros would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Sounds like a bad connection on the negative terminal of the battery. Is there a lot of corrosion on the terminals? Not tightened completely? May want to clean them off with a wire brush and 1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed with 1 cup of water. Make sure to disconnect the terminals from the battery first (negative first). It gets messy so I would put some newspaper down under the terminals you are scrubbing, and wear some latex gloves. ;)

A poor connection will cause all the current to travel through a small area, and will get very hot.
 
Agree with checking neg terminal on battery.
Don't forget to check the other end of the negative cable. It should have a solid clean connection with engine.

Good luck.
 
Also , check where the ground cable is bolted to the engine block . It could have rusted causing a bad ground at that area . And , most importantly , do not leave the car in the garage at night until you have definetely corrected the problem .
 
hawgdawg said:
Also , check where the ground cable is bolted to the engine block . It could have rusted causing a bad ground at that area . And , most importantly , do not leave the car in the garage at night until you have definetely corrected the problem .
Click to expand...

I unhooked both battery cables to be safe. The smoke coming from the terminal and the fact that the starter was very hot made me nervous.
I'm going to clean or replace all cables tomorrow. Reading online, it really seems like there is a bad connection somewhere with the battery cables. I wonder if that is what caused the starter to go bad in the first place?? Or maybe I paid for a new starter and didn't need one 😕.
 
Crumble said:
Sounds like a bad connection on the negative terminal of the battery. Is there a lot of corrosion on the terminals? Not tightened completely? May want to clean them off with a wire brush and 1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed with 1 cup of water. Make sure to disconnect the terminals from the battery first (negative first). It gets messy so I would put some newspaper down under the terminals you are scrubbing, and wear some latex gloves. ;)

A poor connection will cause all the current to travel through a small area, and will get very hot.
Click to expand...

This 100%^

ISU Boomer said:
Or maybe I paid for a new starter and didn't need one.
Click to expand...

Possibly...

Good luck!!

<*)))>{
 
The other reason the starter could be hot is from cranking so much. Of course you didn't say how much and how long you cranked it before it started so I am assuming a lot.
 
Replaced the battery cable and found out that the ground in the old cable was attached to a hose backet of some sort! Reattached the ground to the block and everything seems to be fine now. The mechanic assured me that the old starter was bad and he tested it before replacing it. I'm surprised the car even ran before with the ground being messed up like that. We have only had the car for a couple weeks so who knows how long it's been like that.
 
You shouldn't ever have to buy a new starter......starter's can be rebuilt very cheap by local shops. Our local guy charges $10 to $15 and you'll get another 10 years of service or longer out of it.
 
jkernea said:
You shouldn't ever have to buy a new starter......starter's can be rebuilt very cheap by local shops. Our local guy charges $10 to $15 and you'll get another 10 years of service or longer out of it.
Click to expand...

Come on! rebuilding starters is a thing of the past!
:roll:
 
Change shops now

As a mechanic for over 50 years and a Snap On Dealer for 20 of that I would suggest you change shops you deal with. I can tell you I sold tools to customers that called them self's Mechanics! It was a shame they had the best tools but not the knowledge to use them.
 
Smart man!! I don't know how old you are but I am 63. The term in the repair manual's was R&R. That used to mean remove and repair. Now it stands for remove and replace. I liked to take things apart see why they failed and got great joy in repairing it.
 
I'm 64 and spent too much time and money learning I couldn't tell a good mechanic from a bad one until it was too late. I apologize to all the good ones, but you've got some pretenders in your midst.
 
Yeah I do almost all of my own work, can't afford it any other way...

Most "mechanics" are simply parts replacers anyway..

<°)))>{
 
i think the ford taurus had an issue or one of the recalls for the bad under ignition plastic part under steering column inside by the ignition lock cylinder. maybe want to see if your daughters car was one of those recalls and if it was replaced by the ford dealer. anyhow about all I know about cars if has a short will cause overheating. 2002 is not computer controlled for the starting though. However little known thing about the
fords is the inertia switch. The inertia switch will shut the fuel pump down with the slightest movement to the vehicle. Just teach your daughter where its at. Just have to touch another car with a bumper. I like that feature but frustrates some people thinking it their fuel pump. The ground on the taurus is usually a bolt with a nut that goes to the starter and another smaller wire to the chassis./ reference google research today http://blog.daveg.ca/2011/06/28/taurus-repair-a-sad-tale-of-two-grounds/ Also sometimes the park neutral safety switch will go bad or short causing the car not to start. Ford was funny also the brake switch not working correctly will not work the starter on some model fords. Also ford has a brake switch on the master cylinder if it shorts or stops working will cause the no start issue. I know most the Ford later model trucks and vans had a recall on those dang things. I ve replaced my neighbors and someones in a shop where I worked.
 
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