Soul crushed and seeking advice on starting problems

[TacoBelleGirl]

Update:

I am now in possession of a used 4.0 manual starter. The solenoid is cracked at one of the terminals so it needs to be replaced, but that's fine since I have the other starter with a good solenoid.

Sadly, we are in for another round of cruddy weather and I didn't think to remove the other starter ahead of time so we will see actually kinda nice out.

Having said that though, I am feeling a little optimistic about this starter. I have made some observations between it and the other starter I have.
The most significant thing is that the gears are different! The reman I got from O'reilly's is on the left and the used one I got is on the right. To my eyes the O'reilly's starter gear clearly is clearly different on the inside end than the used one.

There are also differences in the physical body and casting of the starters, some of which is also visible in the same pictures above.
Most noticeably when looking at them from the bottom (if they were mounted in the vehicle)
O'reilly's on left, used on right:

Also noticed on the older starer the gear can be spun in either direction with something like a flathead, not the same with the used one I just picked up. This actually made me look it up and I learned apparently there's a clutch that can fail. TIL.

So I am hopeful that once I have a little time with some decent not too wet weather I can get the other one out of the truck, compare them side to side, swap the solenoid, install the starter, and then cross my fingers.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yes, Ford calls it an "over running clutch drive". Basically its some barrel ball bearings in a ramp. Spun in one direction the ball jams against the outside. Spun in the other the ball is at the bottom of the ramp and everything spins free.
Good luck, hope it all works out.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Fingers crossed.

 

[bobbywalter]

in theory it can also short travel causing an engagement issue. i am still wandering around the country and timed out....believe it or not i could not junkyard source this style 4.0 auto starter. the new style is everywhere.....

i am wondering if going to the new style plate since they are everywhere and the new style starter is a better idea.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

@TacoBelleGirl , I’ve actually repaired cracked plastic around the terminals before. My 92 Ranger, I cracked it like that getting it apart. I didn’t have a spare or money at the time and I confirmed that I didn’t damage anything other than cracking the plastic around so I cleaned it up, scuffed up the plastic with some coarse sandpaper, then proceeded to use superglue and baking soda mixed to glue everything together. Worked great. If you’ve never worked with that, be aware that the baking soda sets off the superglue so it hardens to a rock really fast.