I have an 88 Ford F150, 8 cyl 305. I have power, and have a strong battery. When I turn the key all the way forward, all I hear is "CLICK" coming from the engine compartment. When I turn it back to just "on" not "start", I hear the click again. I *thought* this was the starter, and replaced it. But I still hear the same damn sound. Now, I'm not very experienced at working on cars and trucks (although that is slowly changing with this vehicle) - it took me about thirty minutes to find the starter. I do know that I changed it out correctly, though, and the one I just put on has a new solonoid also. I"ll take the old starter to the parts store tomorrow to test it - but what else am I looking at here? I'm nearly positive it's not the ground cable. What other tests or symptoms can I check for, and what else in the ignition cycle can be out?

 

could be relays powering and even though you bought new could be defective a quick test is to jump soiliod??could be netural switch or mlps?? i think its called but take a screwdriver and put between bat wire pos to small stud non solinoid should turn over if starter is good if not try jumping two bat wires on starter relay together ,one from bat to one from starter......and if you get nothing id change out your batt cables and check for ground........ever try to start in netural?.....with foot on brake of course

 

oh by the way starter relay or solinoid should be near batt on pass side your pos terminal goes to it

 

Good thought on trying to start it in neutral. Tried that with the same results. I see the solonoid that is attached to the cable coming from the positive side of the battery - it has a large positive and negative attached to it, and a tiny third wire leading off the center of it. Which should I "short" to the positive on the battery?

 

If you're talking about the "solenoid" mounted on the fender, that's only a starting relay, which actually energized the much larger solenoid mounted on the starter. You say you've replaced the starter, and the click you're hearing is most probably the starter relay on the fender well. Mine did this too. It turned out to be the large cable from the positive clamp to the starter solenoid (on the starter) had failed inside the clamp with no indication of the failure. Go get a $2 clamp and replace the one on the positive post. This will be one of your cheapest options, and a lot easier than pulling the starter again. If the relay on the fender is clicking when you turn the key, then it isn't the neutral/park switch on the tranny. You'll get NOTHING if that has a problem. Starter current does not actually go through the fender mounted relay, but through the separate large cable that runs directly from the battery to the starter. The relay energizes the small red wire that also goes to the starter, which is what picks up the solenoid down there, and starts the motor turning as well as operates a push-rod to engage the bendix on the flywheel.

Hope I didn't muddy the waters too much.

 

Forgive my lack of auto termanology..


Anyways I am going through something similar, while I am not the best at automotive, I am ok with electrical.

I think I have narrowed the problem down to the wire that runs from the ignition to the starter relay. It looks like a little plug that plugs onto a post on the relay on the fender.

Pulling the plug and inspecting I noticed ALOT of surface rust and grime inside the plug and on the threaded post. Cleaning this and cutting the cheap plug off and bolting the wire to the post with a ringlette crimp and nut probably helped 70% with the starter click... its definately reduced a whhooole lot.

Although I still get the click, thinking back, the wire looked very oxidized when I was stripping the rubber jacket off. I imagine the wire is oxidized and tarnished all the way through. What happens is the old factory wires jacket gets brittle and small cracks for letting in oxygen and corrosion. More corrosion along the wire = way more resistance. I mean electricity cant pass through a corroded connector, and electricity flows along the outside of a conductor, not through metel, so oxidization = resistance.


I am thinking theres two possible things wrong. The 'relay' wire (I guess thats what its called?) is corroded causing a huge increase in resistance, and thats causing the solenoid to really not get enough juice and causing the 'click' once in a while on humid days (lack of volts/amps will make it click instead of crank just like a dead battery right?). The other thing I am thinking it may be, the actual contacts inside the ignition cylinder that connect the relay wire etc may have some grime/corrosion adding to or causing the same effect. I personally think its both.


Anyone know if its worth ripping thigs apart to clean the ignition cylinder and replace the relay wire? I went to the shop to have the click listened to, of course they want to go ahead and just replace the starter. I have a suspision the starter is perfectly fine as replacing that connector cleared up the problem quite a bit. And the problem itself is very intermittant, the start 90% of the time works perfect and cranks strong...


Ohh yeah and another thing. If I am getting the starter click on a particular day. I can often manipulate the click by jiggling the ignition cylinder in the steering column as there is a bit of sideways play. I am thinking this is the corroded/loose contacts. Its like when I first turn the ignition, I get the click here and there, so I jiggle the cylinder and it fires right away, sometimes its in the middle of cranking. Like I said probably over 90% of the time, when I start the truck it starts as if there is no problem, so I really think the starter is ok.

 

I'll get the clamp on the way home from work today... Everything in the truck is dirty, old, and brittle so it wouldn't suprise me for the clamp itself to be having trouble. I did check for obvious corrosion or buildup around the battery terminal, but didn't think about the clamp itself not conducting...

I've verified it's not the neutral/ park switch - there are too many sounds under the hood when I turn it to ignition for it not to be working at all...

 

Exactly, the entire electrical system is like one organism, any corrosion or resistance at any part could possibly effect any other part.

 

OK, I connected the positive battery terminal to the smallish center terminal on the solenoid, and the starter turns over. So that means... what? The solenoid is probably bad? My battery has plenty of juice, and I'm going to swap out the clamps to the battery posts before I do anything else at this point... It could still be the clamp/ cables, right?

 

test to see if you have power to the wire you took off the middle terninal when you turn key to start position.it should.that closes the curcit to the starter

 

if you have no power in small wire with plug u either have bad ign switck at bottom of column or bad netural switch...in my opinion on a old truck i used to have changed switch and starter and relay and ended up being netural switch!!!!

 

I believe the little wire in the middle of the relay goes to the starter solenoid (if it's at all similar to a 96). Check the spade connector at the solenoid and replace. It's quick, easy and cheap.

I had the same intermittent "click". After replacing the starter, solenoid and battery it still "clicked" intermittently. I cut the wire about an inch back from the spade connector and crimped on a new connector. The wire was brittle and cracked for about 6 or 8-in back so I just put black tape on it for now. It hasn't done it since.
HTH

 

i was at work thinking and forgot to mention that u should only have power at small terminal when you have key in start position........sorry i forgot this

 

OK, I have time to look at this again. I've currently been starting the truck by "hotwiring" the battery to the small post on the starter solenoid, and it's getting old fast. I've tested for power when the ignition switch is turned to "start", and the wire leading to the small terminal does not get power. So I want to test the wire at further back toward the ignition switch, but all the wires are taped together until the multi-connectors, and there is more than one wire with the coloring of the ignition switch wire. So does anyone know what position on the plastic connectors I need to look for to find the wire coming from the ignition switch?