2003 Ford Ranger Stalls and Won't Start until I take off battery terminals

Asked by chaser430 Sep 19, 2016 at 05:41 PM about the 2003 Ford Ranger 4 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a weird problem- about a month ago I went to Kmart and parked my truck on a really hot day. I came back, the radio was on, the windows etc but the truck would not turn over. It made the sound like it was almost starting but couldn't turn over enough to start.
I thought like everyone else that it has to be the battery bc the indicator on the dash showed it was low. So I undid the battery, went to auto zone and guess what? Not the battery- When I came back to my truck we reattached the wires to the battery and it started!

About a month later I stopped for gas, I was about at a 1/4th of a tank- and it stalled again! I unhooked the terminals from the battery again and almost immediately it turned over. I don't know why its doing this and what I figure is I am resetting whatever is wrong by unhooking the terminals- but I don't know what the What is??
Any suggestions???

1 Answer

485

are the battery terminals clean? check the charging system for corroded wires. get a code checking device and plug it in to see the codes and try erasing them that way. Almost sounds like the old corroded wire to the starter but a little different.

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