88 Starter Problems

[justin_steube]

The ol' Ranger is having trouble starting.

About 6 months ago my starter crapped out, so I bought a new one from NAPA, all was working perfect until just about a week ago.

I got in the truck, turned the key, and it did a whole lot of nothing, It almost felt as if the starter was locked up... I dont really know how to explain it. I threw the truck in neutral, and it started up immediately (maybe the transmission wasnt fully in park?)

For the past week, the starter has intermittently spun with out catching - sometimes when I do the hammer tap it catches and starts - sometimes it doesnt. Other times it doesnt take any coaxing at all and it just fires up straight away. Last night it seemed to be at its end and just kept spinning over and over and over until I gave up.

Based on all of this - does it seem to you all that I got a bad starter from NAPA? Is that common? Part of me thinks it could be the flywheel, but when I replaced it last time the teeth on the section I could see looked good....

Ill be pulling the starter tonight - just wanted to post here to check and see what y'all though for either my piece of mind or begin preparing myself mentally for devastation, haha.

Thank you!

 

[RonD]

Yes, bad starter, not too uncommon these day.

"New" used to mean tested and it works
"New" now means we give you a warranty and you test it for us.

Ford starter motor has two parts, the motor and the solenoid, no that part that is on the inner fender is the starter RELAY, not starter solenoid, even though it is often called that.

When you send the starter motor 12volts the solenoid on the starter motor pushes the starter gear out to engage the ring gear on the engine, and then the starter motor turns on to spin the engine.
It reads like your starter solenoid is not pushing out the gear far enough or at all.

Some model Ford starters used Bendix drive instead of solenoid, this did the same thing, it pushed starter gear out to engage with ring gear when starter got 12volts, and it could be the problem.
In either case problem is in the starter motor

It could be starter motor has come loose so it isn't aligned with ring gear, but easy enough to check that.

First thing would be to swap it out while under warranty.


The "no nothing" when turning the key to START is something else.
For safety reasons you can not start the engine while in gear.
On an automatic there is an NSS(neutral safety switch) on the shift linkage(on trans), the shifter must be fully in PARK or in NEUTRAL for starter to get the 12volts, it is a simple contact switch.
Because it started after you moved the shifter back and forth I would suspect your shift cable is getting loose, so when in PARK you are not engaging the NSS fully

Manual trans is the same, only a Clutch switch is used, clutch pedal must be pushed all the way down for the starter motor to get the 12 volts

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've had problems similar. Return under warranty but once the warranty is over, then what. The problem on all the starters I have looked at is what ford calls the "over running clutch drive" and a lot of others call a "bendix". AFAIK the "Bendix" is a name owned by GM or some other corporation. Anyway, it's pretty simple to replace. Two long bolts come out at the back of the starter, carefully remove the nose cone. Keep track of the placement of the washers at the very end of where the shaft sits in the nose cone. remove the pin that holds the lever that kicks out the "bendix" and remove and replace. Reassemble in reverse order. I've found that some reman starters seem to be missing some washers allowing the bendix to go out too far and the ring gear chews up the bendix. Look for signs of wear on the bendix, sort of like the end is machined away.

 

[tomw]

If the starter 'motor' part spins, and you have no gear engagement between the starter gear and the ring gear on the flywheel/flex plate, you have a Bendix problem. The Bendix drive is essentially a one-way clutch that engages to turn the flywheel, and then disengages when the flywheel over-runs the starter gear.
Back when, you'd hear people trying to start, and the motor would whine, but no cranking occurred. They'd try again, and sometimes get it to catch, and off they'd go.
The Motorcraft starters of the 1960's and up until recent, had a 'shoe' that was spring loaded, and was the core of the internal solenoid. The shoe would be pulled into the body of the starter motor, and at the same time do two other things: push the gear into the flywheel, and connect battery power to the internal 'bus' of the starter. Viola. Cranking occurred. When the relay was released, the solenoid spring moved the shoe out of position, and the gear disengaged.
If you want to see, take off the single screw(I think) 'hump' on the side of a Ford starter and you'll see the 'shoe' and the copper contact area. Shove the shoe into place, and watch the gear extend and the contacts get smushed together.
What does this have to do with the current post? Perhaps NAPA gave him the wrong starter, but in any case, I would be back at their front door, starter in hand, to ask for warranty service. NAPA should stand behind their product. You pay enough extra over the 'johnny come latelys' to the auto parts biz at NAPA that they can afford to honor their warranty, no questions asked. IMO
tom

 

[Mark_88]

Gosh...of all the years I drove my 88 the starter was the most common problem I had with it. Nine times out of ten it wasn't the starter at all...but the ground wire or the one that connects the key power source to the relay on the fender (that little round thingy that some call the solenoid).

That little boot on the relay gets corroded more often than not and I ended up just removing it and putting on one of those crimp on eye connectors...never had a problem with that part after doing that...but the corrosion can be anywhere...check your posts...check the wires...

They are prone to corrosion...and I started using silicone spray on all electrical connections and that helped quite a bit...also covering over any exposed thins like the battery posts...but don't completely seal the battery...it needs to vent a bit...

EDIT: And I will say that the problems you are having sound more like a wiring problem than a starter issue. These starters are like light switches...they either work or they don't...and like the others have been saying it is likely the Bendix spring in a malfunction...but if it works out of the blue then it is more likely a wiring issue...a bump here or jostle there and the wires simply don't connect...or sitting overnight the corrosion creeps through the wires like a hungry wolf looking to eat a sheep...

If you know what I mean...