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04-27-2018, 12:13 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
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2002 Ford E450 Super Duty Commercial Cutaway Won't Start
Good morning! I am new to this forum and hope you can help resolve my problem. I purchased a 2002 Four Winds Fun Mover last year and have have had no problems with it until now. I cannot get it to start and am located in an U.S. Army Corp of Engineers campground as a volunteer. Other volunteers and Army personnel have tried to help me but the closest I've come to fixing it is when I hired a Mobile RV Mechanic and all he did was come and bypass the starter by going underneath the vehicle and tapping the starter? I have done the following myself to try and fix it:
1. Replaced the main battery
2. Replaced the solenoid the mechanic indicated wasn't working. This is the solenoid mounted on the firewall in front of the driver's side in the engine compartment.
Neither worked. I drove my car to the nearest town and inquired at an Auto Repair shop where I met an employee that owns an RV. He said it sounds like the starter solednoid/starter need to be replaced. This is how the mechanic bypassed the starter when he was here and got it to start temporarily.
I have contacted another mobile mechanic as this has been a 2 month saga that's costing me financially and emotionally. The Army has approved my move to a location at the Headquarters/Visitor Center but I can't start it to move there. Until the mechanic arrives next week is it possible for me to do what the mobile mechanic did to get it started long enough to move? It would be much more convenient for me while waiting for him to arrive if I could be parked in a location closer to the park entrance.
I would appreciate any feedback/help you can give me in this matter. This repair has taken over my life in priority and I'd like to go back to enjoying the beautiful park and my RV home again. Thank you!
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04-27-2018, 12:29 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,230
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The solenoid on the drivers side that you replaced is for jumping the house batteries to the vehicle battery, that is not in the starting circuit.
If the RV mechanic banged on it the the starter solenoid that is part of the starter is bad. ( don't think these things have external start solenoids)
If the RV mechanic jumped something under the RV then he jumped the battery wire to the solenoid, in that case your start circuit is faulty which includes the neurtrual safety switch.
Get a volt meter and troubleshoot the issue quit guessing or throwing parts at it.
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04-27-2018, 01:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Vancouver Wash
Posts: 7,227
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If your starter has a big terminal (battery cable connection) and a small terminal (start wire), with it in park, turn key on, use a screwdriver, place it temporally across those two terminals....it'll start if the starter is any good...if no small terminal on starter, follow the cable on the starter to the starter solenoid.....solenoid will have cable from battery on one side, either one or two small terminals and the cable going to the starter.....if there's one small terminal, use a screw driver and jump from battery cable, the one coming from the battery, to the small terminal, with the key in the on position.....
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04-27-2018, 01:58 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,409
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On my 1999 E 450 there is a typical ford starter solenoid, just to the left of the battery, well hidden.
I haven't had any starting problems, so I'm not sure if its in the start circuit but the small wire could easily be knocked off while changing the battery.
Looks like this.
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04-27-2018, 04:54 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,230
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Here is the starter from a 2003, the big wire should have batter voltage all the time the little wire should have battery voltage in start.
If not
Something is wrong with the start circuit, if you do have battery voltage then bang on the solenoid it's the thing these 2 wires are attached too.
If you do not have voltage in start then use the screwdriver as mentioned above and jump the big wire to the little wire, key in the on position.
If you never done this before it's gonna spark and the starter is gonna try and start the motor.
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04-29-2018, 12:56 AM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
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You are so right thanks! I had a mechanic come out and he made the determination that it is a wiring problem. I think he said a wire that runs from the ignition to the solenoid by the main battery was no good. He will return next will to make the repair.
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04-29-2018, 01:01 AM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
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Thanks for responding to my post. It turns out the solenoid wasn't the problem, it's a wire from the ignition to the solenoid by the main battery that needs replacing. I am almost a "solenoid expert" so I did learn a lot from this problem.
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04-29-2018, 04:04 AM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 3
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Fords have been known to have problems with the netural safty switch. Try turning the key to the run/on position shift to netural and turn key to start.
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04-29-2018, 08:14 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,230
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Also on the older Ford's there was issues with loose screws on the steering column causing shifter position problems.
Not sure if it was on the E series but had it on my F250 and explorer.
All it takes it tightening 2 text head screws in most cases.
X2 on the post above this try starting in neutral or moving the shift leaver around while trying to start.
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05-01-2018, 11:28 AM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
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Why i joined this forum
Wow! You all have so much knowledge about this subject I am totally impressed! I knew when I bought this vehicle there was a lot to learn but I had no idea how much. Fortunately there are people out there with the knowledge and willingness to share what they know. As life goes on we just keep learning, even if it takes awhile, right? Will post results of mechanics's visit.
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