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4.0L starter stuck on


gnardoom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
96
City
bc
Vehicle Year
1992
Transmission
Manual
Ive got a 92 ext cab 4.0 4x4, when its freezing temperatures outside I start the truck but the starter stays running with the motor, if I turn the key off the motor shuts off but the starter keeps going for about 2 minutes or until I can get the battery terminal off. When I pull the ignition wire off the solenoid the starter continues to crank. The old solenoid was from ford and did the same thing. The solenoid I put in 2 months ago is made by blue streak but still has the same problem. There is also a solenoid on the starter. The truck only has 90,000 miles on it and nobody has dicked around with the electrical. The truck is my dd and I cant deal with this every morning. I hope this is enough info for you guys to come up with a couple suggestions.
 
Hit the solenoid with a wrench

You said it runs for two minutes.
That should be enough time to;
Hit the solenoid with a wrench.
(don't short out any wires)
The one under the hood, not the one on the starter.
.
If that does not work,
Hit the one on the starter.
.
If that does not work
Hit the ignition switch.
.
Give up?
Buy a new starter.
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-17145.html
 
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I smacked the ignition and the solenoid, I didn't smack the solenoid on the starter, that one should shut off with the solenoid on the fender. http://www.therangerstation.com/foru...p/t-17145.html I think the guy in that forum had a different problem but i dont know for sure. I dont have a cheap solenoid like they were talking about, I bought the good one it was $30. I might buy a marine solenoid or something, I dont know this is b.s. I gotta try something
 
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I still dont see whats happening, how is the starter still getting power if the starter is the problem to begin with?
 
stuck

I do not think (IMHO) that you can tell the difference between a starter that has a mechanical problem which leaves it connected to the flywheel and an electrical one.
They both sound very noisy.
If you have electrical stuff laying around..
Connect a 12v light between ground and the smaller of the two wires running to the starter mounted solenoid.
If this light stays on during those two minutes, it is an electrical problem.
If the lght goes off when you release the key, it's a mechancal problem.
.
Does your truck have the interlock that prevents starting when not in neutral?
If it does, thet the starter should turn off when you let the clutch out,.
.
Another thought,
Disconnect the coil wires so the truck cannot fire up,
Does the starter stop when the key is released?

then post up your results.

Bottom line,
The HOT large battery lead goes to the starter.
The solenoid on the starter can get stuck IN.
When it is IN, it pulls the starter gear forward and connects the HOT wire to the internal starter terminal.
If it gets stuck IN, the HOT is connected to the starter terminal, it will crank forever
(if you have a Diehard :-).
 
Last edited:
I do not think (IMHO) that you can tell the difference between a starter that has a mechanical problem which leaves it connected to the flywheel and an electrical one.
They both sound very noisy.
If you have electrical stuff laying around..
Connect a 12v light between ground and the smaller of the two wires running to the starter mounted solenoid.
If this light stays on during those two minutes, it is an electrical problem.
If the lght goes off when you release the key, it's a mechancal problem.
.
Does your truck have the interlock that prevents starting when not in neutral?
If it does, thet the starter should turn off when you let the clutch out,.
.
Another thought,
Disconnect the coil wires so the truck cannot fire up,
Does the starter stop when the key is released?

then post up your results.

Bottom line,
The HOT large battery lead goes to the starter.
The solenoid on the starter can get stuck IN.
When it is IN, it pulls the starter gear forward and connects the HOT wire to the internal starter terminal.
If it gets stuck IN, the HOT is connected to the starter terminal, it will crank forever
(if you have a Diehard :-).

Most of this is answered in my first post, but in order for the solenoid on the starter to stay engaged wouldn't it need 12v from the solenoid on the fender? I can let off the clutch, shut the motor off, take the key out, take the ignition wire off the solenoid and the starter will crank the motor with no ignition, and it will only do it in freezing temperatures.
 
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get a new starter

..wouldn't it need 12v from the solenoid on the fender? I..
No.
DOes your starter look like this?
getimage.php
 
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Stock 4.0Ls have double relays. One on the fender and one on the starter.

The "starter cable" is hot all the time. It is switched by a standard-gauge control wire from the fender.

It smells like an engineering hack. I can't explain why one would actually want that.
 
The starter motor solenoid on the engine has constant power from the battery. If the solenoid sticks, for what ever reason, the starter will continue to turn. Being that your problem occurs during colder temps, I would suspect the solenoid on the starter. If it were mine, I would take it apart including the bendix, clean it up, re-lube with a light lube, and see if it cures the problem.

The device on the starter is a solenoid. The device on the fender is a relay and is used in this configuration as a current limiter. :)shady
 
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that makes sense now, what a stupid design
 
The starter has a hot lead from the Bat.
It also has a switched on lead from the solenoid on the fender - that one engages the drive gear (using an electromagnetic solenoid, screwed to the starter).

Once the drive gear (part of the starter) travels to engage the gear on the flywheel, it makes an internal switch (in the starter, a mechanical switch - NOT a relay) that powers the motor, making it turn.

The OP's problem is that drive gear is sticking engaged (so the motor continues to turn). A quick starter disassembly (remove the 2 long 8mm end bolts, not the two short ones and the two phillips screws holding the solenoid in, mind the rubber insulator that mates the two) and cleaning and greasing the drive gear/shaft will cure this problem.

If you are truly lazy, simply remove the starter, douche the gear area out real good with PB Blaster, Deep Creep, sliding the gear along the shaft, etc. Then lube with some spray lithium grease. You have gunk built up binding the gear on the shaft that the gear travels on. Cleaning that will cure this problem. Fo' free.
 
The starter has a hot lead from the Bat.
It also has a switched on lead from the solenoid on the fender - that one engages the drive gear (using an electromagnetic solenoid, screwed to the starter).

Once the drive gear (part of the starter) travels to engage the gear on the flywheel, it makes an internal switch (in the starter, a mechanical switch - NOT a relay) that powers the motor, making it turn.

The OP's problem is that drive gear is sticking engaged (so the motor continues to turn). A quick starter disassembly (remove the 2 long 8mm end bolts, not the two short ones and the two phillips screws holding the solenoid in, mind the rubber insulator that mates the two) and cleaning and greasing the drive gear/shaft will cure this problem.

If you are truly lazy, simply remove the starter, douche the gear area out real good with PB Blaster, Deep Creep, sliding the gear along the shaft, etc. Then lube with some spray lithium grease. You have gunk built up binding the gear on the shaft that the gear travels on. Cleaning that will cure this problem. Fo' free.
I just said all of this only using the shorter version.:)
 
Yea im definitely not lazy when it comes to my truck, I got a couple other winter issues to fix too. the cables inside my doors freeze up too making my inside door handle not work. sometimes when I open the door the latch sticks and I have to hold it closed when I drive to work haha. maybe some never seize on the latch will fix that. its not even cold here 5 below is all we get
 
Yea im definitely not lazy when it comes to my truck, I got a couple other winter issues to fix too. the cables inside my doors freeze up too making my inside door handle not work. sometimes when I open the door the latch sticks and I have to hold it closed when I drive to work haha. maybe some never seize on the latch will fix that. its not even cold here 5 below is all we get

This sounds like the door latch mechanism. The part that grabs the pin that sticks out of the door frame. try spraying that with blaster to loosen it up and then a white lithium grease.
 

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