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Starting problems

Old Sep 28, 2015 | 03:46 PM
  #1  
1989 Mudwieser's Avatar
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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??
 
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Old Sep 28, 2015 | 04:35 PM
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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.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2015 | 04:20 PM
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And on top of that it idles high in park
 
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Old Sep 29, 2015 | 04:22 PM
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Have you checked your throttle position sensor. Could be the culprit of your high idle problem.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2015 | 06:06 PM
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Start by checking voltages. Voltage at the battery with everything off should be 12.6. Then jump the starter solenoid and check voltage during cranking, should certainly stay over 8.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 11:00 AM
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It could also be your starter solenoid has gone bad.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 11:35 AM
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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.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Dflynn926
It could also be your starter solenoid has gone bad.
Yeah I thought so to and I already replaced that..
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 08:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Tedster9
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.
Thanks I'll work on that!
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 09:42 PM
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If your name is what you do, have you pulled your starter to check for MUD?
 
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Old Oct 2, 2015 | 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by moose4x4
If your name is what you do, have you pulled your starter to check for MUD?
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
 
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Old Oct 2, 2015 | 07:43 PM
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And so far it's started up fine.. I guess I'll just replace the starter every 3 or 4 months ha..
 
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Old Oct 5, 2015 | 04:56 PM
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Originally Posted by 1989 Mudwieser
And so far it's started up fine.. I guess I'll just replace the starter every 3 or 4 months ha..

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
 
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Old Oct 5, 2015 | 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted by 1989 Mudwieser
And so far it's started up fine.. I guess I'll just replace the starter every 3 or 4 months ha..
I suggest talking to your part place where the starter you have is warrantied. Ask them if they'll get in a high performance gear starter from an outfit like Powemaster and trade it for as well as warranty it the same as the one you have now. You pay the price difference of curse.


Those gear reduction units with the offset motor will last a lot longer in your application.
 
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Old Oct 5, 2015 | 06:19 PM
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What transmission do you have
 
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