I can't figure this thing out and I can't find my other post. All becuz of a starter I'm just about willing to find someone else to deal with my truck. I'm going to give this one last shot becuz that's all I can afford and even that's stretching my means. This is the 4th starter in a month... Well, I should say 5th now.

1st problem, it backed the bolts out, got loose and messed up the one that was on it. Replaced it. The first one wasn't right so we took it back only to get a second one that was the exact same not right one that the first was. Dad went back a third time, did some looking and found that there were two different bendix's on the same starter number at Napa. Got the one with the different bendix and it worked. They only charged for the first one cuz it was obvious that it wasn't the right one and they were trying to help in my dad's town. Took the truck to the tranny shop, had the flywheel replaced while the tranny was out, supposed to have been the same flywheel, got it back, made a funny noise and then, the starter went out last night, 30 miles from home, at the oil change place. Went to Napa in that town, they don't honor the warranty from the one in my dad's town becuz they're "independantly owned" or some crap like that so I lay another chunk of money down to get it running again becuz I'm too upset to think clearly and go somewhere else. Of course they close before I can take the core back. This one appears to work just fine. It sounds good and most importantly, it works! I take care of everything I have to do there before I head back home and I stopped and started it several times. I get home, thinking everything's ok, I go to play pool, and when I go back out to start it, it sounds fine at first, then it hits wrong one time and after that, it never hit right again. Am I just getting really weak reman's? or am I doing something wrong? I remember something about adding a lockwasher somewhere but where? I mean how do I know which bolt to put it on? The Chevy fans that helped me last night here told me shims but there were none with the starter. It's a 79 f100 302 c6. I've never had this much trouble with a simple starter. 2 bolts and a screw and you're done and this is just killing me. I'm afraid it's going to ruin the new flywheel and I can't afford to have it done again. There's no point in having it done again just to be ruined again. I know a starter's no reason to scrap something but it's doing me no good sitting in the front yard like an ornament with a full tank of 1.49 gasoline in it.

Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

Both starter mounting bolts need lock washers.

The threads for these bolts aren't stripped.. right?

The starter bolts do Tighten to spec..right?

Dennis

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They both have lock washer on them, between the bolt and the starter not the starter and the tranny.

The bolts do tighten and the threads are not stripped. One of the bolt heads is nearly rounded thanks to my dad but that's beside the point. I'm going to see about replacing them becuz I'm tired of messing with that almost rounded head.

Something I forgot to mention, and this was only true on the one I pulled off last night, the starter that the tranny man put on, it had motor oil on the gear part. This starter went out at the oil change place last night so I don't know if the oil change guys are responsible for the oil, although I don't see how, or what the deal is. Ever since I got it back from the tranny man, the oil pressure has been running high so I'm thinking something's wrong and it blew the rear main seal. It was fine until he replaced the flywheel. Dad said he's human, maybe he made a mistake. Either way, the truck is going to be grounded until the tranny man gets back from vacation becuz if he messed up putting the flywheel in, it's got a 90 day guarantee from him. Any other ideas??


Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

maybe a bad ground on the block?? that can cause some weird problems.... other then that, you've got me stumped...

 

One thing to check, because of the recent trans work and the fact that the flexplate was removed, is to make sure that the thin plate was re-installed between the block and the trans. This plate has a hole in it that registers the starter with the flexplate. If this isn't in there, the starter will grind and destroy the bendix. I once forgot to install this plate and wrecked 4 starters before realizing what was causing the problem.

 

I think it was this one Connie.


[link:www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID91/13418.html|Starter Wars Episode I]

Dennis

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Yes, the thin plate is there. I noticed it when I replaced the starter this time. Dad seems to think that the guy put the wrong flywheel in it becuz when he pulled off the newest new starter, (the one that only lasted four hours and about 5 starts), the bendix gear was broken completely off. All this is damaging the new flywheel but, if it's the wrong one, I can't use it so it doesn't matter. If it's the right one, then we've got to figure out what's going on. Now it's a matter of taking these two starters back to their respective Napa stores becuz they don't honor the warranties and I'm tired of fighting with them. Autozone is in walking distance from my house and they work with the warranties from stores in other towns regardless of who owns them.

As far as a bad ground, I don't know about that. Ever since I got it back, all of my guages except my charge has been running extremely high. The gas guage was E when I took it in, and 1/4 when I picked it up and my oil pressure and temperature have both been showing in the A on NORMAL. I know that's not right becuz it's never run there and the temp is not going up like that now that the tranny man put an auxilliary cooler on it, no way. I've been told to check the voltage regulator on the alternator and then I was also told there's one that regulates just the guages. I was also told to check the starter soliniod (sp) and I have no clue what to do or how to go about that except to replace them and see if it makes a difference which is not cost efficient. Could it be something that he would have had to pull off, a wire somewhere, grounding on something it doesn't need to be or lack of ground or whatever, becuz he might not have gotten it hooked back up? The only thing he told me about was the speedo cable that had been on the exhaust and melted a little. He said it'd probably go out sometime and I said ok thanks for moving it off the exhaust and telling me but that's beside the point.

Right now, I'm down to waiting for the tranny man to call my dad cuz Dad wants to make sure that the old flywheel and the new were the same becuz he thinks they're not. Too bad the guy's on vacation until the 6th of January. Also, he wants me to take the old one to the parts stores and see if the one I ask for and the one I bring in are the same and then, he wants me to go dealer and do the same thing. Dad expects to have to pay for another flywheel if that's the problem but he expects the guy to put it in for free. I don't know anything about how this works. Usually, it works after it's fixed and you pay, and you're done. This is a new thing for me so I don't know what the real rules of conduct are.

Dennis.
Thanks, for the link to the other starter thread.



Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

Check your receipt for the Part Number of that flywheel(flexplate) and post it here.



Dennis

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[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-Dec-02 AT 06:33 PM (EST)]I guess he could have written that on the receipt so I'll go look and be back with that information.

edit

Yeah right. I can't even find the receipt and I only got the truck back wednesday. I have no clue where it is. With my luck, it'll be one of those things that fell out somewhere never to be seen again. I'll ask Dad if he ran off with it cuz he needed to see something but for some reason, I imagine it's gone... If it fell out anywhere I might could have found it, it'll be gone for sure becuz of the typical west tx wind that we've been having the past 2 days. Is there more than one flywheel (or flexplate or whatever it's called) that oughta work on this thing?


Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

Let's contact the FTE members in Florida & Georgia.

That hurts, I try and keep my truck service & parts fully documented for Insurance purposes.

Dennis

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I try to keep all the receipts so, if necessary, I can prove the work was done or the parts were purchased for warranty and stuff like that. The receipt was in the truck and now it's not. Dad didn't pick it up looking for a parts number like I had hoped so it must have fallen out. Possibly when my old roommate put the tools I had to buy to change the starter in the glove box and if that's the case, it's long gone. 50+ mph winds don't leave a little piece of paper laying around. Do you happen to have a parts number for a 79 302 C6 flywheel or flexplate or whatever? It'll be January 6th before we can get the tranny man again becuz he's on vacation.

I just don't understand why it's not matching up. If we've got the right starter and flywheel, then something else is wrong in making it match and napa says that it's the right starter. Anything else that could be making it match wrong? Dad said something about that metal plate being what puts it in the right spot.

Also, the tranny man said a dowel pin between the motor and the tranny was missing completely and he replaced that so the motor and the tranny match. Dad got some goofy idea that maybe they pulled that out on purpose to make the starter match the wrong flywheel or something. I told him the PO was too much of an idiot for that considering everything else he messed up that was simple stuff. Leaving vacuumm lines off, connecting choke heating elements to ground wires, etc etc etc. Dad sorta agreed there.

If that thin metal plate is what really holds the positioning, could it be messed up somehow? Is that a junkyard only part? Or does it just not have anything to do with it and Dad's sources are bogus? My ex said, "Turn the flywheel around" but when I told Dad what he thought, he said, "That's not possible. It wouldn't fit backwards." I think my ex may have said it becuz he's experienced it but Dad thinks it's not possible. Is it on this model?

I had kinda thought that, well, you know how gear teeth have to be the right proportions or after awhile, instead of matching correctly, they'll start matching tooth to tooth instead? Could that be the case here. It's turning so fast that it kinda pushes itself into the right holes the first few times but the pressure pushes the starter outta whack and that causes that progressive noise it gets until it finally goes out? That's the best I can figure. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

You "MUST" go to trans-part parts store for the flex plate. They have pictures of the flexplates. Are you sure the engines a 1979? If its a 1982 or newer 302 it could be a problem. 302/c-6 is kinda rare. Really only on 1968 mustangs, but don't quote me on this. I've been where your at. Plus look closely at the flywheels when your matching them up. Lay them out and look at them from the side. ect. Theres really only slight bends in the center of them. I'll give you a phone number maybe they can help US TRANS PARTS (708) 389-5922 Good luck and GOD BLESS

 

From what I understand you could custom order it 302/c6 in 1979 on their trucks. I have the original warranty card issued to a furniture company in New Mexico and I imagine that's why they wanted the heavier transmission but I don't know for sure yet. I have requested the build sheet information and have yet to receive it. I'm going to wait until after the new year, and if I haven't received it, I'm going to rerequest in case I was lost in the commotion, and I will be sure to tell them that it is a rerequest in case I got lost. I'm not sure I have a 1979 engine. I was told by the PO that it was just rebuilt by his brother 6,000 miles before I bought it. That doesn't mean that it's a 79 motor. How do you tell the difference? Is it in the block numbers, and where are they supposed to be? Where can I find a block number decoder? Dennis?? Is that enough to give me the starter problems that I've been having? Also, would the vin number and the block serial number be the same? Dad's rattling something about that. Where would you find the engine serial number also?


Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)

 

Check replies number 4 & 7 on this thread Connie.

The block number are just up & behind the starter.

You have probably seen it a 1000 times by now.
*grin*

https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID11/1675.html


Dennis

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Well, since most of the time I don't have hardly enough light to see what I need to look at, I don't usually have enough to see anything I'm not looking for. Last time I did it by my the fog lights on my mothers 94 grandam... I'll get unlazy here in a minute and go get my droplight and look for sure. Dad said that it was suggested to him that maybe the tranny guy thought it was a 79 351 instead of a 302 and maybe he got the wrong flywheel. Of course Dad doesn't remember telling him that it was a 302 so we don't know if he knew it or not and won't until January 6th.

When I get the numbers, I'll let you know what I find and you can correct me if I get it wrong.

Thanx!
Connie (only Ford luvr in the family!)

'79 f100 "Silver Ghost" (my baby)
'83 f100 "The Ford" (my first)
'85 f150 "Old Blue" (my next project)