How To Test The Starter Motor (1992-1994 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger)

Testing the starter motor on the 1992, 1993, or 1994 3.0L Ford Ranger isn't hard, in this tutorial, I'll explain how to do it in a step-by-step way.

This is an on-car test of the starter motor, so you don't have to remove it from your Ford Ranger to find out if it's bad or not.

NOTE: This tutorial also applies to: 1992-1994 3.0L Ford Aerostar and 1992-1994 3.0L Mazda B3000.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar El Motor De Arranque (1992-1994 3.0L Ford Ranger) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger: 1992, 1993, 1994.
• 3.0L V6 Mazda B3000: 1994.
• 3.0L V6 Ford Aerostar: 1992, 1993, 1994.

STARTER MOTOR CIRCUIT WIRING DIAGRAM: You can find the starting system wiring diagram, of the 1992, 1993, and 1994 3.0L Ford Ranger here:

• 1992-1994 3.0L Ford Ranger Starter Motor Circuit Wiring Diagram.

Important Safety Tips And Precautions

TIP 1: No need to remove your Ford Ranger's starter motor to test it, since the starter motor test in this tutorial is an on-car test.

If you have removed it, you can bench-test it and the following tutorial will help you: Bench Testing The Starter Motor.

TIP 2: Your Ford Ranger's battery must be fully charged to successfully test the starter motor. Also, the battery cable terminals and battery posts must be clean and corrosion free.

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: You'll need to raise your Ford Ranger to access the starter motor. Use jack stands to keep it up. Don't trust the jack!

Symptoms Of A Bad Starter Motor

The most common symptom of a defective starter motor is a 'no-crank' condition. This means that when you turn the key to crank the engine, the starter motor doesn't come out to play (engage the engine and turn it over).

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 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

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 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.

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

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

The first test, we're gonna' do is apply battery power (12 Volts) to the starter motor solenoid'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 applying 12 Volts to it, then you can conclude that the starter motor is OK and that some other problem is keeping it from cranking the engine.

IMPORTANT: Before you perform this test remove the key from the ignition switch to prevent the engine from accidentally starting. If your 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. 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 Ranger'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 Ranger'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 Ranger's starter motor is bad and needs to be replaced.

TEST 2: Verifying The Start Signal

If you've reached this point, then you've confirmed that the starter does crank the engine only if you directly apply power to the S terminal of the starter solenoid.

The next step is to check that the starter motor is receiving the Start signal when you turn the key to start the engine.

You can use a 12 Volt test light for this test or multimeter (the test instructions below call for a multimeter).

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.
   
   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 as defective.

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

If you've reached this point, you have confirmed that:

• The starter motor is getting a 'start' signal (TEST 2) but when you turn the key to crank the engine, the starter motor doesn't do anything.

There's a good chance that the starter motor is getting the battery's full power to turn the engine over.

We can find out by doing a simple voltage drop test (with the multimeter in Volts mode) on the battery cable that connects to the starter motor's solenoid.

This is a very easy test and it'll let your know if hidden corrosion is keeping your Ford Ranger's starter motor from cranking the engine.

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 (.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 tells you that the starter motor is receiving all of the battery voltage and amperage it needs to crank the your Ford Ranger's engine.

You can conclude your Ford Ranger'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 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger Tutorials

You can find a complete list of 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger tutorials in this index:

• Ford 3.0L Index Of Articles.

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

• Tune Up And Torque Specifications 1991-1994 3.0L Ford Ranger.
• How To Test The TPS (1993-1994 3.0L Ford Ranger).
• How To Test The Fuel Injectors (1992-1994 3.0L Ford Ranger).
• How To Test The Fuel Pump (1992-2000 3.0L Ford Ranger) (at: troubleshootmyvehicle.com).