hey i have a issue that im not sure what it is.. i have a 1999 ranger 4x4 3.0l and yesterday it started just fine the first 4 times i started it but then suddenly i stop for gas and came back out and went to start it but as soon as i turned the ignition to start it just clicked once and all power was gone then nothing when i tried turning the key over. but i take the negative cable off the battery and mes with it for a sec and put it back on and all power is just fine again but does the same thing when i try to start it. happens over and over. i changed the oil a couple days prior and as stupid as it is the ooil filter is directly above the start and oil got all over it so i put in a new starter today and still same thing. my battery is good full charge. i would assume its a ground issue but figured id get more opinions on the issue. any ideas? thanks

 

It may just be coincedental and you may just have oxidized mating surfaces on the + and - battery posts. Pull the connectors off the battery and clean the posts and inside connector surfaces ( I use a scotchbrite pad for this). Apply a thin film of dielectrical grease to the post and connector, then reconnect. Seen this numerous times. With this senario, lights and everything works fine, but the starter doesn't work as it requires both good voltage and amperage at the same time.

 

i clean the posts and cables everytime i take the cable of the battery. the issue is definitely not that as i went through battery troubles for months with this truck until i finally replaced the battery and installed new + & - wiring.. problem solved for a long time til this issue came up outta no where.
the cables somehow got covered with oil down by the starter and surround area.. i would assume thats not good right

 

It is possible that the oil caused a short path. I would disconnect, clean and reconnect the cables at the starter.
there are lots of ground connections that can be missed on a search. I.E. the mounting points for the alternator make ground connections to the engine.
There should be a grounding strap from the engine/transmission to the body.
Follow the battery negative cables to their other end and clean the connections there.
The PCM is involved in controlling alternator output. Any corrosion on pcm connector pins could mess with that.
It's no fun, but go through all these connections, disconnect and clean them. A dab of dielectric grease on them would not hurt either. you never know if you caught the culprit for sure but this beats throwing expensive parts at it and not knowing either.

A more scientific approach would be to do voltage drop test in the main circuits. That could detect a wire that has internal corrosion and other difficult to diagnose issues.

Good luck.

 

had my friend whos a mechanicd check it out and it was not a ground issue but a positive cable issue some where. starts up no problem now. thanks for your help