hey guys have some questions so please help if you can. so i have a 79 f150 that i installed a 460 in, well 2 460s in. Im having starting issues. gone through 5 starters now. when the truck is cold its starts fine, although it sounds like a chevy stater that needs shimmed. Once the truck is at operating temperature it cranks over very slowly almost like the timing is too far advanced. It is not i have checked the timing several times and checked all electrical connections and cables. Now, that being said i am wondering if it might have the wrong flex plate in it. the engine is actually a 71 460. Forgetting that point, i bought a flex plate for a 79 460. Is there any difference?? I know ones externally ballanced and the other is not as i knocked the weight off the flex plate hahaha. i know probably not the best way but it took care of a vibration problem also. Are the teeth different??? Please help its very frustrating wanting to drive this thing around. Thanks guys!

 

I don't believe i would have knocked the weight off,i would have got the right one. Are you sure on the balance? My 79 has the extra weight on the crank, but i have heard some of the early 79s never had it. You might get more information if you took the question to the 460 forum here on FTE. JIM

 

i wouldnt of knocked the weight off either you need a zero balance Flywheel from pre 79, you may not feel vibrations at idle but turn it right on up and ou prolly will and itll eat the crank outta it


and have you checked the grounds aswell??

 

How many ring gear teeth does your flex plate have ?

 

yes i checked all grounds and electrical connections. the flex plate thats on it is 164 tooth and was weighted before i knocked it off. the transmission is a 79 C6 that was connected to a 400. 400 starter. 79 460 flex plate and torque converter. it sounds terrrible when trying to start so i gotta have something wrong. Someone told me i need the 460 style starter that has the solonoid on it. but im not sure. i know i should have gotten the flex plate for a early 70s 460 but i thought the only difference was the weight. same number of teeth and diameter. anyone know about this??

 

As for your slow cranking issue at operating temp, check your solenoid (mounted on the finder apron next to your battery) for a small brown wire that pushes on one of the side-terminals. If you have Duraspark ignition, the brown wire sends signal to the Duraspark module while you're cranking and it retards your timing for easy hot starts.

 

there's no difference between a 351m starter and a 460 starter though... there's no solenoid on top a 460 starter Chevy's have those, ford's solenoids are on the inner fender well

 

Yeah it doesnt have that. and if it didnt sound so wrong i would lean more towards electrical. and the starter, solonoid, and battery are new. But the sound comming from the starter and other starters i have tried is a ugle noise. . . like its just wrong

 

I would go to a parts store and have them hold the two different year flexplates beside each other, just to be sure. It's easier to do that than to remove yours to check it. Sometimes vacuum advance modules will stick open after running the motor for awhile. Pop the dizzy cap and make sure the advance arm goes all the way back. I had several do it to me on my 460. A few years ago I was in Texas, and seen a guy in a 76 highboy on 44s at walmart wrenchin in the parking lot. I got nosey and asked what was wrong. He hit the key and it was really slow turning over, then the starter would grind too. Like you he had all new parts on it with no change. I picked up a rusty set of vice grips off the ground and asked if I could try something. I reached in and smacked the advance unit a couple times. He looked at me like I was nuts. I told him to try the key. It fired right up and purred. His jaw dropped. He started it a few times after with no issues. Then I told him to rev the motor a couple times and try again. Sure enough the slow crank was back. I hit the advance unit and it fired right up again. So he plugged the vacuum line and gave me $20. I told him about FTE, he might even be a member now.

 

You should have a starter that looks like this.

Ultima 03-0228 - Starter 1976 Ford F-150 | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Its for a 460.

 

Ive never had a 460 starter look like that............ always looked like this from a 69 to a 79
Buy Worldwide Starter P3152 at Advance Auto Parts

 

I'v never had a 1979 ford 460 starter like that . I'v had the old 460 around since 1979. Mine looks like the one '77mud' is showing.

 

My 429 used to do the slow hot no-start all the time too. I replaced everything, put in 0 gage wires, extra ground, new battery etc. The vacuum advance was disconnected. I rebuilt the starter, it was the regular remote solenoid type, and used the best parts I could find to make one good starter.
Didn't help.
I found a new PMGR starter(permanent magnet gear reduction) for a 94 F-250, 7.5L auto, with 1 year warranty, and it was cheaper to buy and shipped to my door than having the old one professionally rebuilt(still crappy), with a 30 day warranty...
The pmgr starter has a solenoid on it, which Im not crazy about, but has never failed me. Some minor wiring changes.
It turns over my 429 like a low compression smallblock, hehe. I love it and will never go back to the original style 70's starter again.