Starting problems
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2015
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Starting problems
Hey yall!
So today I got a question about my truck starting. I have a 1989 f150 5.8 351w. I have replaced ALOT of stuff in the truck pretty much everything fuel related. I do have shorties on the truck and they run right passed the starter. I have a heat sheild on the starter and i have the headers wraped also. I just checked my alternator and it was good, I also replaced my battery with a bigger one yesturday. I just don't understand becuase before I could start the truck up relitivly easy but after I ran it for a while it wouldn't start up again until it cooled down. but a few days ago it completely stopped starting at all, it will crank VERY VERY slowly but not kick over... any suggestions??
So today I got a question about my truck starting. I have a 1989 f150 5.8 351w. I have replaced ALOT of stuff in the truck pretty much everything fuel related. I do have shorties on the truck and they run right passed the starter. I have a heat sheild on the starter and i have the headers wraped also. I just checked my alternator and it was good, I also replaced my battery with a bigger one yesturday. I just don't understand becuase before I could start the truck up relitivly easy but after I ran it for a while it wouldn't start up again until it cooled down. but a few days ago it completely stopped starting at all, it will crank VERY VERY slowly but not kick over... any suggestions??
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 115
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From: Lockport
Sounds like it is not getting enough power to the starter.
I would check your battery connections and connections to the starter and what not. I have had similar issues and it was a bad terminal connection/ground.
I would check your battery connections and connections to the starter and what not. I have had similar issues and it was a bad terminal connection/ground.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
New battery cables, starter cables, and ground cables should help quite a bit. They go bad after several years. Grind the mating surfaces at the connections too, on block, frame, and firewall etc right down to bright shiny metal free of paint or corrosion and tighten securely.
Buy quality cable, they don't cost that much more really and are still inexpensive. 2/0 welding cable is popular. Good stuff, they'll make it right up for ya on the spot. The cheap drugstore cables use extra thick insulation to make it look like heavy gauge copper.
Check starter connections for voltage drop under load (during cranking) in parallel with the cables and connections. Hot cranking, with corroded connections is a torture test, moreso than even cold weather. Anything more than +0.2 (tenths) of a volt is considered excessive.
The last new battery I bought actually took about 6 hours to charge to 100% on the charger, it won't hurt anything to give them a head start and saves wear and tear on the alternator. I always charge up a new battery overnight regardless.
Buy quality cable, they don't cost that much more really and are still inexpensive. 2/0 welding cable is popular. Good stuff, they'll make it right up for ya on the spot. The cheap drugstore cables use extra thick insulation to make it look like heavy gauge copper.
Check starter connections for voltage drop under load (during cranking) in parallel with the cables and connections. Hot cranking, with corroded connections is a torture test, moreso than even cold weather. Anything more than +0.2 (tenths) of a volt is considered excessive.
The last new battery I bought actually took about 6 hours to charge to 100% on the charger, it won't hurt anything to give them a head start and saves wear and tear on the alternator. I always charge up a new battery overnight regardless.
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Yeah I thought so to and I already replaced that..
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Freshman User
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New battery, starter, and ground cables should help quite a bit. They go bad after several years. Grind the mating surfaces at the connections on block, frame, and firewall etc down to bright shiny metal and tighten securely.
Buy quality cable, they don't cost that much more really and are still inexpensive. The cheap cables use extra thick insulation to make it look like heavy gauge copper.
Check starter connections for voltage drop under load (during cranking) in parallel with the cables and connections. Hot cranking with corroded connections is a torture test, moreso than cold weather. Anything more than +0.2 (tenths) of a volt is considered excessive.
The last new battery I bought actually took about 6 hours to charge to 100% on the charger, it won't hurt anything to give them a head start and saves wear and tear on the alternator.
Buy quality cable, they don't cost that much more really and are still inexpensive. The cheap cables use extra thick insulation to make it look like heavy gauge copper.
Check starter connections for voltage drop under load (during cranking) in parallel with the cables and connections. Hot cranking with corroded connections is a torture test, moreso than cold weather. Anything more than +0.2 (tenths) of a volt is considered excessive.
The last new battery I bought actually took about 6 hours to charge to 100% on the charger, it won't hurt anything to give them a head start and saves wear and tear on the alternator.
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2015
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Well actually my profile name is the name of my truck lol when I bought it it had that name on the tail gate and so I kept that name.. but I did pull the starter and it looked brand new (becuase it was). I bought it like 3 months ago but I new that the starters go bad on that truck becuase of the heat so I took it to autozone to have it checked and it was bad.. I got the new ( referbished) starter under warrenty. Before i checked out i asked if they had any better starters for the truck and they upgraded me to a gold standard duralast starter that was brand new (unreferbished). I put it on and replaced the MAP sensor and it's running pretty good now
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2013
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From: Lockport
My dad had an 00 F150 that we put on the autozone top of the line starter and we went through one ever 12-18 months. It was a plow truck, but it ate those starters like nothing, since we had the warranty it was ok... except for when they go out just before a snow storm and you have to leave a truck running for 80 hrs hahahaha.
sometimes you get unlucky with parts sadly
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,066
Likes: 7
From: Over There
Those gear reduction units with the offset motor will last a lot longer in your application.
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