bronco has power but wont turn over

[KhaosBronco90]

well i was driving down the road one day and my bronco started to get weaker and pop when i stepped on the gas and then it died and turned over twice but wuldnt fire and all it does is click...im just trying to get other peoples opinions on what the problem might be because a few friends have told me its the battery and my starter and i dont wanna have to spend more money than i have to to fix it. help will be much appreciated

 

[Tennessee Jed]

well i was driving down the road one day and my bronco started to get weaker and pop when i stepped on the gas and then it died and turned over twice but wuldnt fire and all it does is click...im just trying to get other peoples opinions on what the problem might be because a few friends have told me its the battery and my starter and i dont wanna have to spend more money than i have to to fix it. help will be much appreciated

If you think your starter and battery are good then it could be the headlight switch. I know it sounds silly but many parts of the entire electrical system use the headlamp switch as a junction point. You can try wiggle and pull on the switch while turning the key to start, if it changes then it is a good chance it is the headlamp switch. The pop you describe sounds as if the battery was near dead or disconnected while the engine was trying to fire, either the aforementioned switch was not getting current to the injector/fuel pump/ignition or the alternator was not charging.

 

[Seabronc]

I assume that you have a 1990 Bronco. Unfortunately, no connections are made to the battery anything else via the head light switch except lights. From your description, it sounds like the alternator may have crapped out and you were driving in the battery for a while until it got too discharged to run the engine. Try getting the battery charged and see if the truck starts. If it does, pull the negative cable while it is running, if the engine dies, the alternator is not functioning. Normal running of the vehicle is from the alternator, the battery is there for starting and supplying short term loads that may exceed the alternator capacity, like the start current of an electric fan.

Good luck,

>-

 

[Tennessee Jed]

Seabronc is right! I have been driving a 1992 and a 1994 for so long now I forgot about earlier setups even though I owned a 1986 for a long time too!

I agree that the charging system may be the cause as well. I have the found many times I get the deadly three (as I call it) when this sort of thing happens. The alternator gets weak, near kills a cell in the battery and the lower voltage from the battery weakens the starter motor. Then over the next few weeks I end up replacing all three. It can go the other way too. A bad starter can drain the battery and a slow charging battery overworks the alternator. Or a battery on the blink can start the process of draining my rent money too.

Good for us the parts are not hard to change and are (as auto parts go) not too much money. Thanks Ford and the good old USA!

 

[kgriffi1]

If it is the Alternator which I agree it more than likely is make sure you take the old one off before you go get the new one. The voltage regulator can be internal or external. It's the difference in $80 vs. $20 plus you need the old one for a core and to make sure the pulley is correct on it. :-B

 

[missioncontrol]

If you think it's the Alternator pull it out and take it to Autozone, they will test it to determine if that is the problem.... They can also test the battery and starter for you as well.... ****, If truly unsure, take all three... it doesn't hurt except the aggravation of taking them off and putting them back on....

If all three parts are good then it could be the solenoid going from the battery to the starter....

 

[KhaosBronco90]

thanks for all the help I just went ahead and replaced my battery, starter, and solenoid and it turns over twice and fires just fine