1996 Ranger, no crank after oil filter change

I guess it's possible when the wrench hit the solenoid post, it could have engaged it and jammed the gear. If you can, get under it and tap it good with a heavy hammer handle and see if that knocks it free. Or maybe the solenoid got fried and needs to be replaced.

Here are the tests to perform (from the shop CD):

PINPOINT TEST B: ENGINE DOES NOT CRANK

² B1: CHECK BATTERY CONNECTIONS ² B2: CHECK BATTERY ² B3: CHECK STARTER MOTOR ² B4: CHECK CIRCUIT PROTECTION ² B5: CHECK BATTERY FEED TO FUSE ² B6: CHECK GROUND AT THE ENGINE BLOCK ² B7: VERIFY GROUND AT THE ENGINE BLOCK ² B8: CHECK POWER SUPPLY TO STARTER MOTOR B TERMINAL ² B9: CHECK POWER SUPPLY TO STARTER MOTOR S TERMINAL ² B10: CHECK POWER FOR BATTERY VOLTAGE AT THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID RELAY SWITCH ² B11: CHECK GROUND AT THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID RELAY SWITCH ² B12: CHECK FOR BATTERY VOLTAGE AT THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID RELAY SWITCH ² B13: CHECK FOR BATTERY VOLTAGE ON CIRCUIT 32 (R/LB) ² B14: CHECK BATTERY FEED TO STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID RELAY SWITCH AT THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR ² B15: CHECK FOR BATTERY FEED TO THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR ² B16: CHECK FOR BATTERY VOLTAGE AT THE ANTI-THEFT RELAY ² B17: CHECK BATTERY FEED TO ANTI-THEFT RELAY ² B18: CHECK FOR GROUND IN CIRCUIT 342 (LG/P) ² B19: CHECK FUSE ² B20: CHECK FLYWHEEL ² B21: OVERRUNNING CLUTCH

Looks like fun :-) If you want the procedure for any of them, post back and I'll copy and paste it.

One of the first things to check would be fuse 1 (60A) in the Power Distribution Box. I believe that's the box under the hood.

Thanks for the reply. I got kind of pissed off about the situation because the symptoms just didn't add up to anything I'd ever heard of, so I went back out to look at it again at 3AM and found the problem. The battery wires were corroded (a rusty appearance, which of course blends well with the wires' copper color) underneath the clamps which secure them to the terminal lugs. The posts themselves are pristine. My clue was the headlights wouldn't work, either. It was like the battery was dead. So I cleaned the wires enough to get the truck started, and I'm about to go out and strip the wires back some more and cut off the corroded portions to fix the problem. What the relationship was to the wrench hitting the starter is beyond me. I'll just file this in the "bizarre car things I've seen" file and move on.

Well, that was pretty easy :-) Are they replacement lugs? If so, and you plan on keeping this truck long-term, you would be better off replacing the cables some time in the near future. I've used those terminals before, and it seems no matter what you coat them with, they still corrode. And unfortunately, that corrosion can travel the whole length of the cable and not show up until later (again!).

It was actually easier because I worked on it at night, which made the "all power dead" situation quite evident.

Yes, they are replacements. I have to get the gas fill hose replaced because there is a small leak just above where it connects to the tank when I fill it up, so I'll have the cables replaced at the same time. But it'll be done by someone else. I'm not touching either problem.