Ok, long time no update. Auto store charged and tested the battery and says it's still stronger than OEM spec. It turns on and runs fine now, but my alternator wont charge the battery, and truck dies as soon as negative cable is taken off the battery. The 30a fuse in the power box is fine, as is the 175a mega fuse. I replaced the alternator with a brand new one (not re-manufactured) and no change.

Still confused and frustrated.

edit: I took a week off of work so I could work on it. Next up on the list is to replace the battery terminals (because why not), and voltmeter test the alternator. Even though the battery is supposedly good, it is 3 years old, might just replace it anyway.

Since the original problem is fixed and I've moved onto a different one, i'll get a new thread going. For anyone that finds this by searching, I never did find out what was causing my problem, it just started turning over one day. Probably a combination of charging the battery, replacing the starter, replacing the alternator, and checking all the fuses with a multimeter (none were bad, perhaps re-seating them)

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1999 Ranger XLT 2.5L 2WD Auto