How To Test The Starter Motor (1992-1994 2.3L Ford Ranger)

This tutorial explains how to test the starter motor on the 1992, 1993, and 1994 2.3L 4 cylinder equipped Ford Ranger (Mazda B2300).

The cool thing is that testing it isn't hard and you don't even have to remove it from your Ford Ranger to do test it.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar El Motor De Arranque (1992, 1993, 1994 2.3L Ford Ranger) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 2.3L Ford Ranger: 1992, 1993, 1994.
• 2.3L Mazda B2300: 1994.

STARTER MOTOR CIRCUIT WIRING DIAGRAM: You can find the starting system wiring diagram, of the 1992, 1993, and 1994 2.3L Ford Ranger here:

• 1992-1994 2.3L Ford Ranger Starter Motor Circuit Wiring Diagram.

Important Safety Tips And Precautions

TIP 1: Place your Ford Ranger on jack stands when lifting it to access the starter motor. Don't trust the jack!

TIP 2: The starter motor tests in this tutorial are done with the starter motor in its place on the engine, but if you have removed it, you can bench-test it with the help of the following tutorial: Bench Testing The Starter Motor.

TIP 2: To get and accurate test result, the battery on your Ford Ranger must be fully charged. Also, the battery cable terminals and battery posts must be clean and corrosion free.

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

Symptoms Of A Bad Starter Motor

For the most part, when the starter motor fails, the engine won't turn over when you turn the key to crank and start it.

In some cases, the starter motor will fail intermittently. In other words, it'll work some of the time and some of the time it won't.

If you're testing an intermittent 'no-crank' problem, you have to perform the starter motor tests when the engine won't turn over. Otherwise, the starter motor will test good.

You'll also notice one or more of the following symptoms:

1. Jump starting the engine doesn't make it crank over.
2. The battery has been charged and/or replaced and still your 2.3L Ford Ranger 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

To test the starter motor, you'll need a few tools. Nothing that'll break the bank. Here's the list:

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, O'Reilly, Pepboys, etc.).
2. Multimeter or a 12 Volt automotive test light.
   • If you don't have a multimeter or need to upgrade yours, this is the one I use and recommend: Tekpower TP8268 AC/DC Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter (Amazon affiliate link).
3. A wire piercing probe.
   • This tool is not 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.

Nothing expensive as you can see. 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

We're gonna' apply battery power to the starter motor's S terminal. This terminal is located on the starter motor's solenoid.

What we're doing is basically bypassing the ignition switch and the neutral-safety switch by applying battery power directly to the starter motor's S terminal.

The fastest, safest, and easiest way to do this is using a remote start switch. You can see an example of this tool (and where to buy it), here: Innova 3630 Remote Starter Switch (Amazon affiliate link).

If the starter motor cranks the engine, when we apply this voltage, then we can conclude that it's OK (not defective) and that something else is causing it not to engage the engine when we turn the key to crank and start it.

IMPORTANT: Before you perform this test remove the key from the ignition switch to prevent the engine from accidentally starting. If your 2.3L Ford Ranger is equipped with a standard transmission, place it in neutral.

IMPORTANT: Place your Ford Ranger 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 battery negative (-) 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 Ranger 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.

6. 6

   You'll get one of two results:
   
   1) The starter will activate and will turn over the engine.
   
   2) The starter motor won't do a thing.

Let's examine your test result:

CASE 1: The starter motor cranked the engine. This is the correct test result and confirms that the starter motor itself is functioning correctly.

You can also conclude that the starter motor IS NOT cranking the engine probably because it's not getting an activation signal from the ignition switch.

So our next test is to see if the start signal is present when turning the key to turn over the engine. For this test go to: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.

CASE 2: The starter motor DID NOT crank the engine. This test result usually means one of two things: either the starter motor is defective or it's not getting enough current.

I'm gonna' suggest that you do a voltage drop test on the battery cable that attaches to the starter motor. You can find this test here: TEST 3: Voltage Drop Testing The Battery (+) Cable.

I'm also going to suggest that you make sure that the starter is getting an activation signal: TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal.

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 Ranger's starter motor is bad and needs to be replaced.

TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal

If in TEST 1 you're able to get the starter motor to crank the engine with the remote start switch but won't engage when you turn the key, there's a good chance it's not getting its activation signal.

The wire that connects to the S terminal on the starter motor's solenoid is the one that carries and feeds the start signal to the starter motor.

In this test, we're gonna' check to see if it's present or not.

OK, let's get started:

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 Ranger (Mazda B2300).
   
   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 tells you that the starter motor is receiving its activation signal.

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: Your 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 itself as defective.

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

What we're gonna' do is check the battery cable that connects to the starter motor. The purpose of this test is to see if hidden corrosion on the cable is keeping the full amount of current (available from the battery) from reaching the starter motor.

If the starter motor doesn't get a certain amount of current, it won't turn over your Ford Ranger's engine.

This is a very easy and simple test that's done with a multimeter and is known as a voltage drop test.

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

Let's get started:

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 (.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. With this result you can conclude that the starter motor is getting enough current to crank the engine.

You can conclude your Ford Ranger or Mazda B2300's starter motor 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 result tells you that a voltage drop does exist and that the battery's full power is not 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 2.3L Ford Ranger Tutorials

You can find a complete list of tutorials for the 2.3L Ford Ranger here:

• Ford 2.3L Index Of Articles.

Here's a sample of the tutorials you'll find there:

• 1992-1994 2.3L Ford Ranger Fuel Injector Wiring Diagram.
• How To Test The Throttle Position Sensor (2.3L Ranger, Mustang, B2300).
• How To Test The Ignition Module And Crank Sensor (2.3L Ranger, Mustang, B2300).
• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (2.3L Ranger, Mustang, B2300).
• How To Test The Fuel Injectors (1990-1997 2.3L Ford) (at: troubleshootmyvehicle.com).