How To Test The Starter Motor (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape)

The starter motor is the heart of the starting system on your 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 2.0L Ford Escape or 2.0L Mazda Tribute.

So, when this bad boy fails, your Ford Escape is going to suffer a 'does not crank' condition.

The cool thing is that testing it is not difficult. In this tutorial, I'll explain the 3 basic tests that you can accomplish to find out if it's defective or not. All 3 are explained in a step-by-step away and in plain English.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar El Motor De Arranque (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 2.0L Ford Escape: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
• 2.0L Mazda Tribute: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.

Important Safety Tips And Precautions

TIP 1: You don't have to remove the starter motor from your 2.0L Ford Escape, since the starter motor test in this tutorial is an on car test.

But if you have removed it, you can bench tested and this tutorial will help you do it: Bench Testing The Starter Motor.

NOTE: In the illustrations, the starter motor is shown removed from the vehicle only to clearly show the test connection points. Do not remove the starter motor or disconnect any of its wires unless the test instructions specifically tell you to.

TIP 2: It's very important that the battery on your 2.0L Ford Escape be fully charged. Performing the test without a low battery will gave you a false test result and you might end up replacing good parts.

TIP 3: If your vehicle has a standard transmission, make sure that it's out of gear and in neutral, and that the parking brake is activated/on.

TIP 4: If you need to raise your Ford Escape (Mazda Tribute) to access the starter motor, use jack stands to keep it up. Don't trust the jack!

Symptoms Of A Bad Starter Motor

Without a doubt, the most common problem that you're going to have when the starter motor fails, is an engine that won't crank.

Now, the starter motor will also fail intermittently. In other words, it'll work fine some or most of the time but every now and then it won't crank the engine.

Here is a basic list of things will see when the starter motor has failed:

1. Jump starting the engine doesn't make it crank over.
2. The battery has been charged and/or replaced and still your Ford Escape does not crank.
3. When you turn the key to crank the engine, all you hear is a small knock and nothing else.

Tools Needed To Test The Starter Motor

Testing the starter motor does require some basic tools. The cool thing is that they aren't expensive. Here's a basic list of what you'll need:

1. Remote starter switch.
   • If you'd like to see what a remote starter switch looks like, you can follow this link: Innova 3630 Remote Starter Switch (Amazon affiliate link).
   • You can either buy this tool online or you can buy it at your local auto parts store (AutoZone or O'Reilly Auto Parts, etc.).
2. Multimeter or a 12 Volt automotive test light.
   • If you don't have a multimeter or need to upgrade yours, check out my recommendation here: Tekpower TP8268 AC/DC Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter (Amazon affiliate link).
3. A wire piercing probe.
   • This tool isn't an 'absolute must-have tool' but I can tell you from experience that it makes it a whole lot easier to probe the S terminal wire for the start signal.
   • If you'd like to see what this tool looks like, you find out more about it here: Wire Piercing Probe Tool Review (Power Probe PWPPPPP01).
4. A helper.

As you can see, you don't need anything expensive. OK, let's turn the page and get starter with the first starter motor test.

TEST 1: Applying 12 Volts To The Starter Motor S Terminal

NOTE: In the illustrations, the starter motor is shown removed from the vehicle only to clearly show the test connection points. Do not remove the starter motor or disconnect any of its wires unless the test instructions specifically tell you to.

The very first thing that we're gonna' do is to manually apply 12 Volts, from your Ford Escape's battery, to the starter motor solenoid.

To be a bit more specific, we'll be applying this battery power directly to the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.

This basically bypasses the ignition switch and lets us know right off the bat if the starter motor is OK or not.

If the starter motor is functioning correctly, then this will cause the starter motor to activate and crank the engine.

This is a very simple test but it does require that you use a jumper cable or a remote starter switch to apply power to the starter motor solenoid.

The fastest, easiest, and safest way to do this is with a remote start switch. You can take a look at this tool here: Innova 3630 Remote Starter Switch (Amazon affiliate link).

IMPORTANT: Before you perform this test remove the key from the ignition switch to prevent the engine from accidentally starting. If your Ford Escape is equipped with a standard transmission, place it in neutral.

IMPORTANT: Place your Ford Escape on jack stands if you raise it to access the starter motor!

OK, these are the test steps:

1. 1

   Disconnect the battery negative (-) terminal.
   
   You'll reconnect it back in one of the following steps, for now, it's a safety precaution as you set up the test.

2. 2

   Attach one of the alligator-type terminals of the remote starter switch to the S terminal of the starter motor.

3. 3

   Reconnect the negative (-) battery cable to the battery negative (-) post.
   
   NOTE: Make sure that the battery cables and posts are clean.

4. 4

   Connect the remaining alligator-type terminal of the remote starter switch to the battery positive (+) post.
   
   IMPORTANT: If your Ford Escape has a standard transmission, make sure it's out of gear before you make this last connection.

5. 5

   Activate the starter motor with your remote starter switch. As you apply these 12 Volts (to the S terminal of the starter motor), you'll get one of two results:
   
   1) The starter will activate and will turn over the engine -OR- 2) The starter motor won't do a thing.

Let's examine your test result:

CASE 1: The starter motor cranked the engine. This test result lets you know that your Ford Escape's starter motor is OK and functioning.

If the starter motor is NOT cranking the engine when you turn the key to start it, then it's probably not receiving the activation signal from the ignition switch.

To further test this, go to the next test: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.

CASE 2: The starter motor DID NOT crank the engine. This usually means that your Ford Escape's starter motor is bad and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

I suggest 2 more tests and these are make sure that the starter motor is getting its 12 Volt signal signal and to test the battery cable (that attaches to the starter motor solenoid) for corrosion. This can be accomplished very easily with a voltage drop test.

• Go to: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.
• Go to: TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable.

If the above two tests confirm that the start signal IS present and there's no voltage drop on the battery cable (feeding battery power to the starter motor), then you can confidently conclude your Ford Escape's starter motor is bad and needs to be replaced.

TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal

In this section, we're gonna' make sure that the starter motor is getting an activation signal when you turn the key to crank and start the engine.

As you're probably already aware, the starter motor has two wires connected to it. The thicker wire is the one that connects directly to the battery positive (+) terminal.

The other wire, which is are they lighter gauge, is the one that feeds the activation signal to the starter. This wire connects to the S terminal of the starter motor solenoid.

So then, we're gonna' connect a multimeter to the S wire and see if it's feeding the start signal to the solenoid when we turn the key to crank and start the engine.

OK, these are the test steps:

1. 1

   Connect the red multimeter test lead to the S terminal of the starter motor.

2. 2

   Attach the black multimeter test lead to a clean and rust-free spot on the engine or on the vehicle frame.
   
   I recommend that you use a battery jump start cable to Ground the black multimeter test lead directly to the battery negative (-) terminal.

3. 3

   Have your helper crank the engine from inside your Ford Escape.
   
   The engine won't turn over, but the idea is to verify that the starter motor's internal solenoid is getting the 12 Volt start signal from the ignition switch (or not).

4. 4

   Your multimeter is going to register one of two results: Either 9 - 12 Volts DC or no voltage at all.

Let's analyze your test result:

CASE 1: The multimeter registered 10 to 12 Volts. This is the correct test result and is good news, since it lets you know that the starter motor is getting its activation signal (when you turn the key and crank the engine).

This test result eliminates the safety neutral switch and the ignition switch as being faulty. The next step is to do a voltage drop test on the starter's battery cable. For this test go to: TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable.

CASE 2: The multimeter DID NOT register 10 to 12 Volts. This result tells you that the starter motor is not getting its activation signal. Without it, the starter motor will not crank the engine when you turn the key to crank and start the engine.

Usually, when the starter's activation signal is not present on the wire that connects to the starter solenoid's S terminal, it's usually because:

• The ignition switch is faulty.
• The starter relay is defective.
• The neutral safety switch is faulty or misaligned.

Although it's beyond the scope of this article to test the neutral safety switch, the starter relay, or the ignition switch, you have eliminated the starter motor as defective.

TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable

In some cases, even though the battery positive cable terminal and battery positive (+) post are clean and look corrosion-free, there is still some hidden corrosion that is preventing the full amount of battery current from reaching the starter.

When this happens, the starter just makes a clicking sound and doesn't turn over the engine.

In the majority of cases, when this happens, it's due to hidden corrosion on the battery cable that connects the starter motor to the battery positive (+) post.

The best way to find out if the cable has a problem is by doing a simple and easy voltage drop test with a multimeter.

IMPORTANT: Don't disconnect the battery cable from the starter motor's solenoid. In the illustration the battery cable is disconnected from the starter motor just to make it easier to show the multimeter test connections.

Let's get testing:

1. 1

   Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.

2. 2

   Attach the black multimeter test lead to the center of the positive (+) battery terminal.
   
   If the positive battery post isn't clean, clean a spot right on the top of it. It's important that the multimeter lead make contact right in the center of the positive battery post.

3. 3

   Connect the black multimeter test lead to the center of the stud to which the big battery cable attaches to on the starter solenoid.

4. 4

   Have your helper crank the engine even though the starter motor isn't cranking the engine.
   
   This is important, since a voltage drop test has to be done while the component in question is working (or trying to work).

5. 5

   If all is good (no voltage drop), your multimeter will register 0 Volts (0.5 Volts is still 0 Volts).
   
   If there's a voltage drop (which is bad), your multimeter will register voltage (usually above 5 Volts DC).

Let's take a look at what your results mean:

CASE 1: Your multimeter registered 0 Volts (no voltage drop). This is the correct test result and lets you know that the battery cable, that connects the battery positive (+) post to the starter, is OK.

You can also conclude that the starter motor is receiving the full amount of battery current it needs to start.

Now, you can conclude that the starter motor, on your 2.0L Ford Escape is defective, if you have:

1. Confirmed that the starter motor doesn't work when you apply power to the S terminal wire of the starter motor (TEST 1).
2. Confirmed that the starter motor is receiving the crank signal (TEST 2).
3. In this test step, you have confirmed that no voltage drop exists on the battery positive cable.

Replacing the starter motor should solve your no-crank condition.

I'm going to make two more recommendations to you:

• Before removing the starter motor, manually turn the engine using a 1/2 ratchet and the appropriate socket. This is to make sure that the engine or the A/C compressor have not locked up and causing the no-crank condition.
• Bench test the starter motor after removing it. This is a super easy test to do and this tutorial will help: Bench Testing The Starter Motor.

CASE 2: Your multimeter registered 5 Volts or more. This test result lets you know that there's a problem with the battery cable that connects the starter motor to the battery positive (+) post. To be a bit more specific, this voltage drop test result lets you know that the full amount of available battery current isn't reaching the starter motor.

The good news is that this can easily be corrected, since a voltage drop is always caused by some sort of corrosion issue on the battery positive cable or terminals or the battery positive (+) post.

The solution is to thoroughly clean the battery positive (+) post and the battery positive (+) terminal (both the end that attaches to the battery positive (+) post and the end the connects to the starter motor's battery (+) cable stud.

After cleaning, try cranking the engine. If it cranks and starts, no further testing is required.

More 2.0L Ford Diagnostic Tutorials

You can find a complete list of 2.0L Ford Escape tutorials in this index:

• 2.0L Ford Escape Index Of Articles.

Here's a small sample of the tutorials you'll find in the index:

• How To Test Engine Compression (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
• How To Test The Throttle Position Sensor (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
• How To Test The Fuel Injectors (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
• Oxygen Sensor Heater Test -P0135 (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).