93 Fleetwood Cordonado Ford electrical issue

[Andrew57]

Seeking help. Engine/chassis. Almost always when starting, solenoid engages and high current to starter motor kills all ignition electrical and dash before it spins, sometimes staying dead after key back off and back on a couple times. Also had engine running, and powered current to hydraulic pump for leveling jacks and it killed engine and all electrical also. I replaced starter, battery, checked solenoids already. Basically it seems under heavy load the whole chassis drains. Living in this now for a month as my sole residence and need to drive it to fill propane. Thank you

[Argosy]

Does the starter spin OK, engine fire right up?


Bad battery or bad connections, including grounds. The starter is the lowest resistance so it gets all the power. It's probably the dash ground, but all of them should be done. Factory automotive grounds are usually into sheet metal and that rusts quickly.

[SafariBen]

It may have needed a starter, and especially a new battery, but generally putting new parts on is poor diagnostic strategy. Sometimes it's the most practical way, but this case should be relatively easy to solve with a multimeter and test leads. It sounds just like you're saying, the electrical system collapses, the voltage just isn't there anymore, so get a helper to turn the key, while you check the voltage, first at the battery, then at the starter, then at various other places based on what you find.


If you want better explanations, check some youtube on voltage testing starters under load. A Powerprobe is a DC voltmeter with a long cord that makes this sort of thing easier, but not needed if you can think through how to do it with a multimeter.