hey guys whats up, i have a question for ya, lately because of the cold, my starter solenoid had been sticking, ill go out in the morning and the truck wont turn over due to a frozen starter solenoid/switch (fender mounted), i hate haveing to start it with a set of screw drivers..... i was wondering if the starters used on 93 and up trucks were better (starter mounted solenoid/switch) and can i convert my truck over to use one of the newer style? what is required? any help would be much appreciated

 

I have a 93 and my starter solenoid is on the fender also. However, I am also told there is one on the starter. I know this because Friday my truck would not start, and a friend mechanic crawled under it after determining it was not the fender mounted solenoid, and found another solenoid. In my case, it turned out to be a bad wire running from the fender mounted solenoid to the starter. Once that was bypassed with a new one (from Pep Boys) it worked fine.

Jim

 

Yep the later models still have the fender-mounted solenoid. Truthfully, the fender-mouted unit was deliberate on Ford's part. No one is quite sure why they started putting the extra solenoid in the later models except that perhaps it was cheaper to buy starters with the solenoid already installed since that is the way most vehicles are equipped. If you think about it, with the solenoid up on the fender, if it DOES decide to fail on you, you can at least still use the "screwdriver trick" to get the truck started. However with the starter-mounted solenoids, if they go out, you have no choice but to crawl under the truck and replace the entire thing. I'll keep my fender-mounted solenoid, thanks. But if I can get a starter for my 93 WITHOUT a solenoid in it already, I'll jump on it. All the solenoid does is provide the high amperage switching mechanism. to get full battery amperage into the starter... and you can't do that with a small switch or standard automotive relay.