In an attempt to get below the grime on the 59 F-100 pickup I used engine de-greaser and then took it to the car wash which worked well. Upon finishing the wash I started up the engine and drove off. Later in the day I was unable to start the vehicle but could "bump start" it. The engine labors when I turn the key but the battery is fine. I'm thinking the starter??

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I would clean all the grounds first

 

Pull distributor cap and remove moisture. WD40 works.

 

As was stated check the connections first. Then check for power between the solenoid and starter with the starter button depressed. Water can get into solenoids and cause problems.

 

Grounds are tight
Distributor cap was dry on the inside
I don't understand the last tip however, the positive lead from the battery goes to a electrical unit (solenoid) and then to the starter. Also the positive lead is warm.

I attached a photo, you can see the positive lead(red) which goes to the solenoid?? and then to the starter (black lead) bottom right.

I can still start it right up with a bump start, thanks again.

 

90% or more of electrical problems are ground related. just because grounds are tight does not mean the have good contact. take them apart and clean, dry and reassemble.

 

You want to check for power on the STARTER side of the solenoid while pushing the start button. Doing this tells you the solenoid is operating correctly.

Positive lead being warm is an indication of a starter problem or loose (you said ok) or dirty connections. Take each cable off at each end, wire b rush them and make sure they have clean contact points.

If power is getting to the starter (solenoid test) and connections are clean and it still does not crank you have a problem with the starter.

The first couple fixes are cheap and quickly done. The last one is neither cheap or easy.

 

If it starts just fine with a bump start then it something in the starter circuit. You have three main checks; 1st, the ground side, make sure you have a nice clean, dry contact between the ground cable and the frame, engine, etc and a good connection at the battery. 2nd, it could be that the solenoid got water inside of it, or 3rd, that water and grime got inside of the starter itself.


With the truck in neutral and the wheels chocked you might try bypassing the solenoid. You can use a pair of jumper cables and hook one side of it to the battery cable where it goes into the starter and then touch the other side to the battery and see if it cranks nice and easy. If it does, then the solenoid could be the problem. If it doesn't, then its a starter problem.


You could also try shorting across the solenoid to activate it. Take a screwdriver and touch it between the large terminal going to the battery and the small terminal closest to it. (from the larger red cable to the small red wire in the picture above)


Good luck
Bobby

 

With the truck in neutral and the wheels chocked you might try bypassing the solenoid. You can use a pair of jumper cables and hook one side of it to the battery cable where it goes into the starter and then touch the other side to the battery and see if it cranks nice and easy. If it does, then the solenoid could be the problem. If it doesn't, then its a starter problem.

I tried the above, using jumper cables I connected to the starter on the post where the black cable is attached. when I touched the positive lead on the battery all that happened was sparking at the battery and no movement at the starter. Thank you to you all who are helping me with this you are awesome.

 

Don't wanna nag - but all them kinda troubles will smoke a battery but good. Put the battery on a charger overnight at least and repeat till you get things sorted out. The idea here is to prevent more problems.

 

Thank you all for the good information. Cleaned ALL the connections and grounds but engine still labored when turning over. Put a pair of cables on it and tried it again without success.

Pulled the starter and opened it up and found a boatload of fur and dirt which I've cleaned. Pulled the drift pin in an attempt to replace the brushes?? against the shaft without success. Is there a technique to re-seating the brushes against the rotor?? thanks again for all the help

 

I also don't want to nag, but when jumping a vehicle, you want sparking to occur away from the battery. In other words, the battery should never be the last item hooked up in a circuit.

 

Johnny - you are on the right track!

Power washing the engine probably drove wet slime into the starter which is causing it to turn slow (labor) - since you know the battery is good & the connections are clean - the starter is the only guy left.

Wish I could help with that - I've never actually pulled one apart - BUT there is probably a shop in town that rebuilds these things - When the alternator in my boat died a few years ago - a rebuild shop was able to get me back in business for half the cost of replacement - they will pull it apart, clean it & repalce any junk parts - then put it back together correctly!

 

^^^ This. It makes sense. A good starter is important, because mostly, "you ain't goin' nowhere" without it. Get the best you can and you'll be money ahead, and avoid spending non-quality time banging on the POS, and heating it with a torch to further avoid swapping it out with a "new" POS in some icy parking lot in January.

 

Thank you all for the assistance. I pulled the starter and opened it up, cleaned it, oiled the commutators? and tried it on a brand new battery which would spin he starter but not start the engine. I did note that the front bushings were pretty worn which left some drift on the shaft. Ordered a new starter $79 plus tax which should be here this morning and hopefully that will be the end of it. Can't complain too much as the first starter lasted 55 years however I hate to be the cause of work with this truck as it does that all by itself. lastly the solenoid was fine, a loud click when turning the key led me to the conclusion that it was doing what it was supposed to do. Thanks again.