I apologize in advance as this post is going to be long winded. However I think it is necessary so those reading it will know what has been done thus far. The truck is the F250 in my signature.

I have an ongoing no start issue that I have been working on for a while now. Thus far, I have progressively tackled the issue by looking, probing, troubleshooting and fixing/replacing broken/suspect parts. New starter solenoid (the old one was corroded and even had a hole in the side), new negative battery cable (the old one was broken at the engine mounting bolt), new battery cable ends, freshened up the grounds for the battery and various other ones on the truck, checked fuses and replaced a few burned ones and cleaned the contacts for the rest (no fuses have gone since I did this), jumped the clutch safety switch and finally put the Ford bypass plug on it from an E4OD (to make sure my issue wasn't the clutch switch), and last of all I replaced the ignition switch (it was broken too so not sure why it was even working).

At each stage my intermittent no start issue disappeared for a little while and then returned. Everything I have done has made a big difference as my truck now starts more regularly than it used to. However, I never know if/when it will start when using the key. It always starts up right away when I use a screwdriver on the starter solenoid.

I know it sounds like an intermittent electrical issue, however, everything seems to be working the way it should and I have replaced or repaired most of the electrical items related to the starting circuit. At least I think I have.

I can put the truck in neutral, have the key in run and run a wire from the positive terminal to the little terminal on the starter solenoid and the truck will start without any problems. So I know the solenoid is good. My battery cables are in good shape, my alternator is putting out 13 to 14 volts at idle, all of my pre running indicators work as expected, ie; dash lights, accessories, fuel pump etc. When I turn the key to start everything turns off as it should and, under normal conditions, the truck starts. During the no start issue I get the pre start stuff as expected but when I turn the key to start - nothing, nada. No engine cranking, no starter solenoid clicking, nothing.

So,,,, my questions are: Could my issue be mechanical in nature? I am thinking of the actuator rod for the ignition and/or the rack and gear that moves the actuator rod. I am presuming that if the rod or related parts are worn (275,000 Kms on a 26 year old truck) enough then the rod won't consistently move the ignition switch far enough to engage the contacts within the switch itself. Does this sound reasonable? If so, is there a way to check the condition of the mentioned parts without taking the steering column apart? Or is there something else I should look at first?

 

Your post is miss leading.
You say you have a NO START but what I think you mean is that you have a NO Crank condition.
Is this not correct?

 

Thank you Subford. Yes I have a no crank issue. Of the last six starts it started successfully five times with the key. Only once it failed to crank.

 

I hope everyone had a great New Year. Now that the New Year is well under way however, lets try this again. I am trying to resolve my intermittent no crank, no start issue.

For a full description, please see post #1