Hello,
I own a 97 F150 that occasionaly has trouble starting. You turn the ignition and it just clicks. Sometimes it clicks five times and then starts, sometimes it clicks twenty times before starting. I have replaced the starter solenoid with no effect and it doesn't matter if it is hot or cold. All fuses are good, but I did have a problem with the turn signals, brake lights, and hazards. One day they just quit working for like two days. On the third day I came out to go to work the hazards were on. The lights have all worked fine since then. Are these related? Any suggestions? I have also discovered the door cracks and will be pursuing that problem as well. Thanks.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 22-Oct-02 AT 11:54 PM (EST)]Sometimes the starter brushes wear and do not make good contact with the starter armature. When you turn the key and try to start the engine the solonid clicks but the starter motor fails to turn. Every attempt to turn the engine over causes the brushes to heat up and eventualy you get the starter to work. When brushes wear the carbon dust gets deposited on everything inside the starter. This to can cause starter motor problems, especially if you get the starter wet. Your brushes may be worn to the point that they are starting to fail to make good contact with the armature.
You may have a bad starter! Give that a try! Rebuilding a starter isn't difficult. Give it a try!

 

>Hello,
> I own a 97 F150 that occasionaly has trouble starting.
>You turn the ignition and it just clicks. Sometimes it
>clicks five times and then starts, sometimes it clicks
>twenty times before starting. I have replaced the starter
>solenoid with no effect and it doesn't matter if it is hot
>or cold. All fuses are good, but I did have a problem with
>the turn signals, brake lights, and hazards. One day they
>just quit working for like two days. On the third day I came
>out to go to work the hazards were on. The lights have all
>worked fine since then. Are these related? Any suggestions?
>I have also discovered the door cracks and will be pursuing
>that problem as well. Thanks.


I had the same exact problem, dont go spending the $150 for the starter yet. Clean the connections on the starter, corrosion was my problem

 

Several weeks ago my 1997 Ford 150 5.4L did exactly the same thing, "click,click click" on the starter relay. Sometimes many more clicks! Wellssa, after the local Ford dealer took @$90 of my hard earned American dollars for installing a CRANK POS. SENSOR my pickumuptruck started clicking just as soon as I got her home. Severely pissed because it just snowed three inches and freezing rain was coming down I crawled underneith and took off all three wires from the starter. (Be sure to disconnect the positive battery wire from the battery to prevent spectacular fireworks a foot from your head). My Ryobi 18V drill was outfitted with a circular wire brush and I proceeded to grind each wire connector, includeing several layers of frozen flesh! Be sure to keep track of the three nuts as they come off the threads. To complete this operation I packed the threads and wires with a hard grease. Be sure to replace the small plastic cover and rehook the battery terminal. A clerk at a local auto store, instead of selling me a new starter for $135.00, told me corrosion of the starter terminals was my problem. The Ford dealer wanted $235.73 to install a new starter!
With my new "grease job" she cranks like new! konck on wood
Good Luck from Maine