Posted by Troy Rudolph on January 24, 2000 at 13:44:11:
In Reply to: HELP! Weird, Intermittent Starting Problem posted by Susan Merritt on January 24, 2000 at 00:00:32:
Given that the emergency flashers failed to operate in addition to the engine, I suspect some sort of basic electrical system failure.
First, go ahead and remove the battery cables and clean the posts and lugs and hook it all back up.
While you're at it, check the cables and lugs to be sure they're in good shape. Be certain to check the ground strap that runs from the battery to a bolt on a block on the left front wheel wheel. Those things fail regularly and the results can be spectacular and confusing. If you squeeze the braided cable and it crumbles even a little bit, it's no good.
You can replace it with a factory part or you can use a Ford starter solenoid cable to rig your own. Here's how.
The main ground cable runs from the battery to a bolt on the engine block. Run the Ford starter solenoid cable (available at any auto parts store), from that bolt back to the aforementioned location in front of the left front wheel well.
This adds a small amount of resistance to the ground path, but I ran this for years and had no trouble. Peter Florance, our electronics whiz, can give a more detailed explanation.