help! My 88' 150 i6 wont turn over. I replaced the battery,new starter relay,hoping its not the starter. The motor turns over and starts when boosted? When trying to start under its own power the start relay just buzzes. i,m stumped.
Grateful for any help or suggestions.
Rjm

 

RJM, I would check your battery cables and cable ends. Make sure that they are making proper connections. I have found in the past that if it turns over with booster cables it could be either the battery cable ends or lastly, the starter. A bad starter will take more amperage to turn over. Thus, two batteries having enough power to make it turn. The starter should be your last resort though. I would start with connections on the cable ends. Good luck. Jake.

Jakegypsum // Ford fleet, soup to nuts.

 

In your post you mentioned that you replaced the battery, but was it a new battery that you used or another old tired battery? This could pose the root of your problem. Also, the solenoid connections on my Ford include one that just slips over the protruding screw from the solenoid, that doesn't provide bulletproof continuity - check for signs of corrosion. One could replace this funky slip on fixture with a loop style solderless connector, but me, I like a good challenge ;-) Take Care

 

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I suggest getting the wire brush out too, and make sure the battery posts don't have a film of corrosion.
I put *post felts* on my battery,they stop the corrosion pretty good for a buck or two.

Dennis

78 F-150 429CJ 465,000 KM.(Original Owner)
68 Mustang 289 Sunlit Gold 80,000 Miles(second Owner)
64 1/2,260 Pre-World's Fair Mustang #8092
64 Fairlane 500 S/C,waiting for a 390 4-Spd

If The Girls Don't Find You Handsome,
They Should At Least Find You Handy!

 

have you measured the battery voltage? buzzing relay sounds like its not getting quite enough juice.

 

I know checking the battery cables was already mentioned, but I want to add to that. If you have those handy-dandy bolt-on replacement ends on your cables at the battery, I would suggest either replacing the whole cable with on where the ends are molded on, or cut the cable back an inch or so and reattach the ends to the cleaner wire that you got from cutting and stripping the wire. I had those things on my truck, and the corrosion had left a film in the strands where the terminal was attached. I found this by hooking a jumper cable to the starter side of the solenoid (MAKE SURE VEHICLE IS IN PARK/NEUTRAL!!) and starting the truck that way. I suspected this because my terminal was smoking a little from the heat made by the high resistance of the corrosion. I had also attached the jumper cable to the battery side and tried the key, which it started then too, so I knew it was a cable. I got a replacement at Walmart for a decent price. I paid a little more and got the largest gauge cable they had, but they are pretty cheap.

88 F-150 4X4 XLT Lariat w/5.0 EFI 5 spd (DAILY DRIVER)
86 Ranger 2WD w/2.3L EFI 5 spd to be 351W 4bbl C4 (NEW TOY- DETAILS WHEN FINISHED)
85 Old Cutlass Supreme 350/TH350 Holley 4160,Edelbrock Performer intake, el-cheapo headers, General Kinetics 270H series cam, 15.588 best 1/4 mile with original 10 bolt 2.41 gears (OLD TOY)

 

The starter is easy to get to and remove to take down to an auto store to test...or you can take the whole thing to a mechanic and he can test all the components including the battery. I bought a brand new HD battery, couldn't get my truck started, and found that the new battery had two dead cells (replaced everything else while looking for the problem, though).

'82 F150 2WD w/351W (orig 300 I6)
Slik