Starter issue
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From: Puna, Big Island, Hawaii
Thanks for the brain storming. This is an auto tranny. When the tranny was rebuilt in the fall of last year I had them also upgrade the torque converter. The shop did not mention any problems with the flywheel ring gear. And I did have the cover off before then and did not see any issues with the ring gear.
In Jan. of this year I had to replace the starter. The old one just quit. I replaced it with a Napa part. It did just fine for a couple months and than the grinding issue started, just occasionally at first, and than a little more often. It will grind up to three tries before it starts, but not all the time, sometimes only once or twice.
I replaced that starter with another new Napa part as the old/new one is still under their 3 year warranty. Starting it several times yesterday it only ground once. Only started once today and no issue.
I've rebuilt old starters years ago. The way they worked was the solenoid would throw the drive gear out, at the end of its throw, the contacts in the solenoid would close and cause the motor to spin. If the solenoid did not reach the end of its throw, the contacts would not close and the motor would not spin. I've not had one of these 7.3 starters apart to see if they work the same way. I'm assuming they do as there is what appears to be a solenoid on the starter motor. Although there is a relay, at least that's what I call it, the parts guy called it a starter solenoid, that's located on the right fender. I've tried a new one of these, although it was not a genuine Ford part, with no improvement.
I couldn't tell if the flywheel, flex plate, was loose. I'll try checking it again. There are no spacers between the starter and bell housing. Can't make it any closer without machining something. The teeth are not deformed, just ground down a bit. It looked like the gear had been engaging fully, at least in the past when there where not issues. Maybe I can put some marking paint on the teeth and see how far is engages now.
I don't want to think the shop did something, but a guess anythings possible.
In Jan. of this year I had to replace the starter. The old one just quit. I replaced it with a Napa part. It did just fine for a couple months and than the grinding issue started, just occasionally at first, and than a little more often. It will grind up to three tries before it starts, but not all the time, sometimes only once or twice.
I replaced that starter with another new Napa part as the old/new one is still under their 3 year warranty. Starting it several times yesterday it only ground once. Only started once today and no issue.
I've rebuilt old starters years ago. The way they worked was the solenoid would throw the drive gear out, at the end of its throw, the contacts in the solenoid would close and cause the motor to spin. If the solenoid did not reach the end of its throw, the contacts would not close and the motor would not spin. I've not had one of these 7.3 starters apart to see if they work the same way. I'm assuming they do as there is what appears to be a solenoid on the starter motor. Although there is a relay, at least that's what I call it, the parts guy called it a starter solenoid, that's located on the right fender. I've tried a new one of these, although it was not a genuine Ford part, with no improvement.
I couldn't tell if the flywheel, flex plate, was loose. I'll try checking it again. There are no spacers between the starter and bell housing. Can't make it any closer without machining something. The teeth are not deformed, just ground down a bit. It looked like the gear had been engaging fully, at least in the past when there where not issues. Maybe I can put some marking paint on the teeth and see how far is engages now.
I don't want to think the shop did something, but a guess anythings possible.
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TerryW
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Nov 29, 2005 09:59 PM
