I have a 1988 F 350 7.3 IDI Diesel 2wd c6 transmission 91,545 mi. (just breaking in the motor) When i turn the key it will not start....no sounds.... nothing. But me knowing that i can bypass the key switch by using a flathead on the starter solenoid It started right up. What could be the problem before i go replacing parts. I think it might be the ignition switch on the steering column.

 

Either the ignition switch or the neutral safety switch.

Try holding the key to the start position while wiggling the shifter in park and/or neutral.

 

Are you jumping the RELAY (on the fender) or the SOLENOID (on the starter)? If you're jumping the relay, yes, it could be the ignition switch or neutral switch, or it could be the relay itself. TEST - put a voltmeter on the wire going to the small terminal on the relay while an assistant turns the key to START. If you see voltage, the ignition switch and neutral switch are (most likely) good, and the relay is the prime suspect. If no voltage, look "upstream" - neutral and/or ignition switch, or wiring.

 

You and I may be the last 2 people on earth that still call it a relay. Usually I bite my tongue about it in forums, but I got into it with the local Napa guy recently. Echlin even wrongly marks the box 'solenoid', I tried to 'splain to the guy the relay powers the solenoid, the solenoid engages the bendix drive. I just got a dumb look so I gave up. The same guy later tried to tell me there is no group 65 battery.

 

I guess everyone else prefers to be confused. It's way easier when you don't use the same term for two different parts. Tune in again next week for another installment of "AutoZtoners say the darnedest things!"

Guy (running into AutoZtoned, breathless): "Quick, call the Fire Dept; my CAR'S on FIRE!"
AutoZtoner (standing at computer): "Year, make and model?"

 

welcome to FTE.
when you turn the key to start position, do you feel any resistance, and when you release the key does it return to run position, or does it stay in start?
it sounds like the ignition actuator in top of the column broke. this is a common occurrence as they get older.

here are direction on changing the actuator:
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - View Single Post - help with ignition actuator

 

No, there are 3 of us. I feel I'm in good company...

Try getting parts for an F-Super Duty.
Me: I need xxxxx for a '94 F-Super Duty.
Them: F WHAT Super Duty?
Me: No, just F-Super Duty.
Them: Is that an F-250 Super Duty?
Me: No, just F-Super Duty...

 

Actually, there are at least 4.

 

Electrically speaking, they're both relays, and they're also both solenoids.

They have the same electrical function.

 

Reminds me of the dude who wanted something for his van (can't remember what); the AutoZtoner insisted on looking it up as an import. Dude told him it was an E-350, and the AutoZtoner replied that all E-series vehicles are from Europe; that's what the E is for.....

But you can thank Ford, in part, for the whole SuperDuty / F-SD kerfuffle. They love to re-cycle names. Remember when Ranger and Explorer were trim levels of full-size pickup? Zephyr was a Lincoln in the '40s and a Mercury in the '70s.

No, they don't. The relay, to be exact, has a solenoid inside it (the contact disc that moves when the coil is energized). But its external function is strictly as a relay. That is, it uses current from one circuit to switch on another. There are no external moving parts; there's no external mechanical action.

The solenoid, on the other hand, not only closes the circuit to the starter motor, it physically engages the gear to the flywheel/flexplate ring gear. That's what makes it a solenoid, the fact that it moves something external to itself. The fact that it's also a relay (closing the starter _motor_ circuit) is coincidental to its function as a solenoid.

There are solenoids that are NOT relays. An electric trunk/tailgate release is a good example.


Tune in tomorrow, for another report from the Department of Too Much Information......

 

Well said Madpogue. A solenoid is a mechanical actuator, a relay is an electrical circuit actuator.

 

It looks like we skeered MoneyMan away!





And we can't even blame it on Joe!

 

If you feel no resistance there's a possibility that it is your ignitions switch actuator I had to replace mine after buying my truck. Not a hard job just have to be patient and give yourself enough time.

 

If it's the actuator, you have three options:
1. Put a push-button on the dash that just goes from power to the starter relay and ignore it.
2. Pull the steering wheel off, and the steering column housing off to get to the actuator, replace it, and put things back together.
3. Pull the steering wheel off, and the steering column housing off to get to the actuator, then just put the steering wheel back on(without the housing) and use your fingers to activate the switch manually(key is totally removed at this point).

We have three trucks of this vintage in the family, and each has had one of these three things done to it. Each works just fine.

 

I reckon since it's been SEVEN MONTHS, the OP has come up with something....