Hello everyone! I've looked all through these forums and reddit and can't seem to find anyone with the same issue I'm having

Anyways, I've got a 1995 F150 5.0. When I first got it, it was having some pretty bad rough idle issues. Upon that the battery was bad as well and was causing that very rapid clicking from the starter when I went to try and start her up! So I went ahead and replaced the starter thinking that was the issue because I've never heard a starter make that clicking sound as if you stuck something metal in a metal fan as it's spinning. Anyways after I had replaced the starter it was still making that clicking sound so I had called up a buddy of mine who said my battery was just dead. And I went to O'reilys to get the battery charged and tested and it tested bad. So I bought a new battery, had it charged up and threw it in. After that she started just fine until I left it idling for a few minutes and it died out on me. I started it another time, let it idle and try to get it warmed up and that's when disaster struck and it started bogging down and trying to die out so I gave it a few revs to keep it going then my starter just randomly engaged making that horrible grinding noise as if you turned the key while the truck was running. I have went through 6 starters now trying to diagnose the issue! I have replaced wiring, tried putting a shim on the starter, checked fuses/relays, replaced the fender mounted solenoid, and even replaced the ignition switch. I am so tired of spending so much money and getting no results could someone please help me diagnose this?!

 

Fully charge the battery, then with a volt meter, start testing the electrical connections.
Check out posts 6 and 7 at this thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...nd-points.html
The ground connections need to be disassembled, cleaned and reasonably tight. The starter gets it's ground via the cable from the negative battery terminal, to the engine block (V8 engines) or starter mounting bolt (straight six engines). That cable may need replacement.
If you have this style of battery terminals, they cause issues with loose connections and corrosion.

Ignore the arrow. It's from an unrelated post.


You should have 12 volts at the yellow dots, any time the battery is connected.
12 volts should be present at the green dot when the key is in the start position.
When the fender mounted starter relay closes, 12 volts should be present at the red dots.
That voltage will activate the starter mounted solenoid and voltage will show up at the blue dots.

 

Put down the shot gun and grab some tools to make some tests.

What parts did you use in the shotgun? Duralast? House brand 'Lifetime Warranty' parts?

The starter is one of the easiest systems in the car. Followed by the alternator. You need good cables so all those electrons can do their thing. Just like rush hour traffic, if the cables are bottle necked [ie corroded/poor connections] the electrons jam up and nothing moves. Google 'voltage drop test'. It's one of the easiest tests you can do and will shed some light on the problem. It's kind of like Google Maps when going somewhere.

If you don't have a volt meter, close the hood and come back when you do.

Make certain your battery is good. New does not mean good. If the battery is low on charge, the alternator could be an issue. Again, testing will give you an answer faster than asking questions on the internet.