Any mechanics here in the lounge this morning?

[Tripper11]

I have a 1998 Ford Ranger. Yesterday I stopped at the store and picked up a new headlamp(just the bulb). I talked to one of the dudes there(Having done a little research) to verify that I indeed had to remove the battery to get at the area to replace the bulb. I did.
ONce I had replace the bulb, I reconnected the battery and turned the lights on(I did not START the truck). Everything worked!
So I put everythying back in it's place, shut the hood and went in to fire it up to make sure. NOTHING! All my warning lights and noises happen like a normal start, not turn over.
The truck worked perfectly fine before I had disconnected the battery.
I know there is some kind of relay thing from the clutch to the starter so I'm thinking it's that. All fuses are fine, there's gas etc. etc.
I can roll it down the hill and pop the clutch and it starts fine. Run great. I also don't beleive it's the starter.
Anyone? I am going to be bringing it up to a shop this morning, but thought I would at least ask here just in case I missed something. Highly likely since I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination!

[Tripper11]

1. Kickin' n/t

[flvegan]

2. Is there any noise at all?

Ticking or anything when you turn the key to start it? I think Fords still use voltage regulators in some of their vehicles. Seems odd that it would stop working like that.

Are the cables to the battery on all the way and tight? The lights and stuff will work if there's a low charge/weak connection, but starting is a different story.

[Tripper11]

4. Nope, no clicking. Battery cables are on right.

A friend across the street familier with auto repair was stumped as well. As I mentioned before, the damn thing started fine until I reconnected the battery back after the minor repair.
I did call a Ford delaership and they said that it sounded like the starter(I just find that somewhat odd and VERY coincidental) or maybe some kind of relay or something from the clutch to the starter.
I do have to have the clutch engaged when I start it. Isn't there some kind of relay or something that

[Maine-ah]

3. I don't know -

I have never had a ford, but on other vehicles.. with my VW jetta, it ended up being the fuel pump. Wouldn't start, it would try it's damndest though, and we'd have to play "pop the clutch". The other time was with my Nissan. My husband changed the battery (bought the wrong one) and when he hooked it up, he blew a fuse that is necessary for starting the car.

Good luck!

[Guava Jelly]

5. Maybe your battery is defective

maybe during disconnecting it something inside the battery became damaged.
the battery could still hold a charge but not have enough cranking amps??

[Tripper11]

6. Possibly. But it has the green light thing

And we did put a meter on it and it seemed fine.

[Guava Jelly]

8. Is it grounded properly??

I don't know I really am not a mechanic.
you may still want to take it to an autoparts store and have them check it also.
they usually do it for free (the battery that is)

[Tripper11]

10. I am taking it up the street in about an hour

I just thought I'd ask here first, as I mentioned in a post below, it could be something very simple I am missing.

[trof]

7. Coincidence not out of the question, but...

I'd still suspect the battery connections, since that's the only thing you messed with.
Have you tried cleaning the posts and connectors with some sand paper and then tighten the cables WAAAYYY down?

Also, can somebody try a jump start with cables and see if the truck will start?
No noise at all usually means no juice (electrical).
Good luck.

[Tripper11]

9. Posts are clean, it's snug as a bug!

I did try jump starting with the cable. No dice. There's juice. I have a really big feeling it's something simple, but with these newer vehicles and their on-board computers etc even simple fixes can turn into nightmares.
For example, on this truck I was going to change the spark plugs....try and get at them! I don't have that kind of time and inclination...holy shit!

[trof]

12. Is truck parked outside? Do you have squirrels?

Twice they chewed through insulation on under hood wires on my truck.

[Tripper11]

13. Yes outside, and no chewed wires.

Good one though!

[durrrty libby]

11. I would check for a loose wire.

See if the ground wire from the battery is loose.
Just follow it to the engine block and see if it is loose.

I would also check to see if you accidentally loosened a wire to the starter

It can happen so easy. Vibration can loosen a nut up and then with you fooling around in there

not much pressure is needed to end a connection

[jmowreader]

14. This is actually not that weird

Assuming you haven't taken it to the shop yet...

You unhooked the battery cables, moved them around some and put them back on. Now the car won't crank.

Crank is different from start. Start is when the engine begins to run, and the car does that--you proved it yourself. Crank is when the starter motor runs.

Since all you've touched is the battery, it has to be that.

What I THINK happened, and this will be real easy to prove, is that the starter-wire connection at the battery clamp has gone bad. This happens, it's nothing to be ashamed of, but you've probably got a nice thick film of oxide or corrosion between the starter wire and the battery clamp. The oxide was passing current while it was undisturbed, but once you moved the clamp you disturbed it and fucked the whole thing up.

To prove this to yourself, go pop the hood and look at the battery. There are two wires coming out of the positive battery clamp. One goes to the alternator, which is at the front of the engine. The other is the starter wire and that goes to the back of the engine. Follow the starter wire down to the starter--it looks like a big cylinder with a small cylinder attached to the side of it. The small cylinder--the starter solenoid, or bendix if you're an old fart--has two bolts and a push-on connector. One bolt has the wire going to the battery under it. One has the wire going into the starter under it. The push-on connector goes to your keyswitch. (The push-on connector wire is where the neutral safety and clutch safety switches are connected. This isn't your problem.)

Start by chocking the wheels, putting the transmission in neutral, setting the parking brakes, shoving it up against a wall, pushing two cars against it, anything it takes to make damn good and sure your car will not move when you do this. Crawl under your car with your jumper cables and hook a red clamp to the bolt that has the battery wire hooked to it. Make sure it's not touching anything else. Once you're hooked up, have someone else hook the other red clamp to the positive post on your battery. Then have him try to start your car. It should crank right up. You've given the electricity a guaranteed-good way to get from the battery to the starter, so now it should work just fine. You can keep on doing this--the only time the starter needs electricity is when you're trying to start the car--but you don't want to.

Once you know the car cranks, and it should, there are a couple ways to fix it. The cheapest way is to go to an auto parts place and buy a new battery clamp for two dollars. Cut both wires off the old positive clamp AFTER unhooking the negative cable from your battery. Strip back the insulation about 3/4" on both wires. If your cables are like everyone else's in the entire world, both cables will be full of green shit. This is just oxidized copper, no big deal. Use an old toothbrush, a copper wire toothbrush or something like that to get all that green shit out of there. Put a little multipurpose grease on the two wires and bolt them into the new clamp, then hook your battery back up.

And while we're at it...you DID handle that new bulb with a tissue or something so that you wouldn't touch the glass, right? If you didn't, you better take the battery back out, pull the bulb, clean it with rubbing alcohol and put it back in. Any skin oil on a halogen bulb will make it overheat where the oil is, and the bulb will eventually explode.

Every era has its own mysticisms. In this era we have Auto Electric.

[Tripper11]

15. Wow..thanks for this reply jmowreader

I had already taken it to the shop. It was all about time too. Anyway, another thing happened. The wipers won't work either.
One other thing I failed to mention in my initial post was that right below my steering column I have a little switch with a red light on it. It was installed post factory. When I bought the rig I asked what that was, and the saledude said it was for trailer brakes I beleive.
Since this issue and bringing it up to the shop just now and explaining to the mechanic we now beleive this is some kind of anti-theft device. He is going to have his electrician look at it.
Honestly jmowreader if I had more time this weekend to follow your advice I would have loved to. There's nothing more satisfying then asking for help, getting advice and solving the problem(for me).
Unfortunately with time as a factor, I had to bring it in. I will however copy and paste your advice.
As for the bulb :blush:

[Tripper11]

16. Thanks everyone for the help.

Why oh why does something as simple as a bulb replacement cause so much trouble! :banghead:

[durrrty libby]

17. Come back and tell us what the final solution was n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. Because it's a 'modern' vehicle

full of computers and shit. :eyes:

Not being well-versed on the intracacies of Microsoft motorization, I'm gonna take a shot and say when you reconnected the battery, a voltage surge knocked out some computer module. (It doesn't take much with those circuits.)

Makes me appreciate my '65 Chevy all the more. :loveya:

[durrrty libby]

19. '65 Chevy surely an oldie but goodie

I drive an 83 diesel burb and it is pretty simple to diagnose.

Now if I could just get someone to help me convert it over to used veggie oil, life would be beautiful :hi:

[Tripper11]

20. Update...truck back in action

Ok, so there was this little flashing light(switch) right below my steering column that never really did anything(or so I thought). When I bought the truck(used) I asked the dealer what it was. He had said something about trailer brakes. At least that's what I remember.
Anyway, I took the truck up the street to some local guys, told them the deal, left the truck.
8 hours later they called to say it was fixed and to come pick it up. I was at a BBQ so I told them I would the next day, but asked what was the problem. The girl on the phone couldn't tell me and when I asked how much, she didn't know. That kinda worried me.
The next day I went up to the shop and it turns out that damn light was an anti-theft device!!!! FUCKIN' EH! They pulled the unit and the truck has run like normal since.
With taxes $76.00!
I don't care about anit-theft devices, if you want to steal my 98 Ranger, have at it! Hopefully that should alleviate any problems on the minor repairs I can do myself.

Again, thanks everyone for the input.