pocket-rocket
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2008
- Messages
- 476
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Elkhart, Indiana
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4 cyl.
- Transmission
- Manual
Every time I start my poor little old truck it amazes me. I've never been a Ford guy, but I do like Mustangs and Rangers. My little truck is actually what has me no longer bashing Ford. It now has just over 183k on the clock (assuming since it's not a 1 million mile odometer) and in the last few hundred miles it has started getting harder to turn over. I figured it was my battery getting old until the point where I had to start getting out and rapping on the starter with my tire iron. I went to the parts store and they want $120 for a reman'd starter O.O (before my commercial discount, but still...) I went to the local starter and alternator rebuilding shop here and bought a new set of brushes that ran me $10. This afternoon I pulled the truck in the garage and disassembled the starter. Surprisingly despite being rust covered it came apart easily. I cleaned everything up, took some sand paper and cleaned the commutator up, took a razor knife to the grooves between the plates to clean them out, then sprayed it down with electrical contact cleaner. When all was said and done, the starter now turns the engine over faster than it ever has since I've had the thing. Whoda thunk when they said "Built Ford Tough" they meant starter innerds too? Gotta love saving $110.