Ok well truck started making a funny noise once I started it the other day. Think starter was going. It dies and keeps trying to turnover with key off. So pull the post off that's melted to the battery. I replaced ignition switch I'll see tomm if it works. Let me know of any other ideas. And 2nd question since I got the dash apart I want to try and hook up the p/d/r... how do I do that.. any video I don't know what to search.. thanks

 

You probably need to replace the starter solenoid. It's on the firewall right there at the battery. Ignition switch was probably OK.

 

What if my truck keeps blowing them.. Once it warms up.. I have 160 degree thermostat. But it has to cool off for and hour or so to start again. It blow if i keep trying to start but only works when i let cool off

 

As said above, if the starter won't disengage, then the usual culprit is the starter relay on the right front fender. Troubleshoot that first.

Also a 160 thermostat is very cold. Just a guess, but you should probably get yourself a 195er.

 

Replace the fender mounted relay. Only replace it with a quality part. Motorcraft or Napa brand, period! If it's a $10 China piece, it will continue to fail.

 

Just went through that with my truck. Be careful of what Napa sells you though. The "standard" unit that they sold me was Echlin, which used to make good stuff, but apparently now falls into the cheap Chinese junk category. After burning up a couple of them, one failed on the second start, they got an Ametek unit for me instead and that, so far, has lasted just fine.

 

That's terrible knowing that a "known" quality brand has fallen victim to poor quality and I assume is manufactured in China.

Everyone wants lower prices, yet unknowingly, quality suffers....

 

Yup, made in China.

Interestingly, the Ametek solenoid is made in Mexico. A place that years ago everybody railed against. But it does appear that quality stuff comes out of Mexico now.


I'm not sure it's really unknowingly. Instead I think that we as a nation are losing our ability to think critically. People don't stop and think about what they are buying. They just listen to endless advertising telling them that brand X or store Y has the lowest prices. The focus is on lowest prices and nobody talks about quality. Therefore the average consumer doesn't even stop to think about it.

 

Keep yer eyes peeled on eBay. Lots of NOS and OEM type stuff up for bid. Even the "cheap" aftermarket solenoids from the 60s are bombproof compared to some of the stuff offered today.

 

If your starter solenoid keeps blowing, it is a symptom not the cause.

You say you have trouble with hot starts.
This is usually the starter windings on their way out or a bad starter cable.
Change the cable if it is at all suspect (they're cheap in comparison) and check the battery ground connection to the block of the truck while you're under there.

Any component in the circuit that is not up to the job will cause unusually high current to flow through the solenoid contacts, welding them together.
If the battery terminal is melted to the post, start by cleaning those connections and use terminal grease or spray to protect them.

 

I was coming back to mention your starter. If the brushes in it are worn down to the wires, it might still run, but will usually draw a BUNCH of excess amperage to do it. This can easily fry a solenoid at the firewall.

 

Ok I'll try a motorcraft. I bought mine from orielly and it's the hd one so I'll see what happens.. now i do I hook the park/ reverse. . Back up the little hose seems to be unhook ed

 

Continuous duty work?

 

Why???

You don't need a relay meant for continuous duty if the duty cycle is a few seconds at most.

Intermittent duty relays would probably have better contacts meant to control arcing anyhow.

Tom Rowe (Rovernut) would try to sell you on a Cole-Hersee one with silver contacts.
These do have better conductivity and are less likely to weld.

 

Got a motor craft runs great guys thanks