Today ends several years of messing around with DBs cheap Chinese starters. I have started threads and added to threads about all the problems, and paid a local starter shop to fix the last "brand new" one out of the box. I replaced my battery cable and added another ground cable from the block to the starter bolt on my first DB starter, not believing it could be the new DB starter that held such a high reputation causing my problems. Finally after sending it back twice, and taking the last one to a starter shop as I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out what was the problem, they fixed it up for me and I got a couple of years out of it. They were not trouble free years though, I would get an occassional grinding on the ring gear when it wouldn't engage, and sometimes just a click, no start.
Yesterday I took it back out and took it to the local shop again and asked them what was the best thing for me to do. The owner sold me a Visteon reman which they do in house, and let me keep my old Visteon which I have carried as a spare all these years. He told me the Chinese starters are poorly built. He even sells them, and said his are no better than DB.
So after bending my battery cable back into the right shape for the OEM starter I put it all back to stock. It starts just fine, I should have never went the DB route, I never needed a high torque starter to begin with. I just fell for all the hype at the time and thought I was getting a great starter. Instead I wasted money and countless hours.

There's lots of great mods for our trucks but I am convinced the DB starter is not one of them. If you really need a high torque starter get the expensive genuine Denso, don't waste your time with the cheap copies.

 

Been there... done that... don't even want the t-shirt, though!
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lectrical.html

 

I had a click-no-start issue a couple of times after I got my DB two years ago. Since then I've had not had a problem. The starter really spins the engine up and it starts quickly. My original starter was not bad but it tended to be a long crank slow start that I didn't like. I had new batteries too. My truck has 230K miles and maybe the slow start problem was due to engine component wear but the high torque starter made a big difference. I read somewhere that International 7.3 uses a high torque starter but they are priced in the $400+ range.

 

I had the same troubles with DB years ago, but fortunately I bought an OEM Mitsubishi starter and haven't had a lick of trouble out of it. The "hi torque" was cool; the lack of reliability was not. I own a 7.3 (in part) because of their reliability.