Starter replace/upgrade
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 127
Likes: 40
Starter replace/upgrade
1971 f100 360, 3 speed manual tranny, stock exhaust.
That being said, I plan on pulling the motor to have rebuilt this winter. Current starter seems slow to spin motor, even with new battery. I know I am used to the new high torque starters on newer vehicles, so I understand you can't compare a '71 to a '20. What is a good upgrade to the stock starter or is it best to stay with it? Hope I didn't just open a can of worms here.
That being said, I plan on pulling the motor to have rebuilt this winter. Current starter seems slow to spin motor, even with new battery. I know I am used to the new high torque starters on newer vehicles, so I understand you can't compare a '71 to a '20. What is a good upgrade to the stock starter or is it best to stay with it? Hope I didn't just open a can of worms here.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 181
Likes: 58
What's the condition of the battery cables? What gauge are they? Could be dirty connections, small cables restricting current flow, or a bad starter also. Have you tried pulling the starter and hooking it directly to a battery with jumper cables to test it? I've had good luck over the years switching battery cables to something heavier than stock, I like to use 00 gauge welding cable as it's very pliable. I can get a stock starter to turn over like a house of fire with heavy cables. Currently my '68 has the original factory cables and turns over slowly, sounds like it's got a weak battery, cables are dinky... they look to be 4 or 6 gauge. I'll be changing them out asap. Current needs a certain diameter cable to flow efficiently, a bigger cable won't hurt performance but cables too small will. I must say I was surprised at the small diameter of the stock ford starter cable on my '68!
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 464
Likes: 80
From: Evansville, Indiana
Agree with Lahti35, check all connections and grounds. Adding a ground from the engine block to the frame doesn't hurt either. If the starter is indeed bad, there are plenty of replacement options that won't break the bank compared to the price of new starter for a 2020' truck lol.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 127
Likes: 40
Cables did not even enter my mind. Pretty bad on me after being someone who fought with the company for 40 years about batteries and cables when installing high power two way radios. I bet they are the little Autozone cheapies.
As far as the cost of a 2020 starter, i stll have 4 years of warranty to cover that one. There isn't anything cheap on a new vehicle these days.
As far as the cost of a 2020 starter, i stll have 4 years of warranty to cover that one. There isn't anything cheap on a new vehicle these days.
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