When i went to start my truck this morning to go to work i turned the key on...waited for WTS light and cranked engine. I could notice just from the sound of the engine and the way the truck shook that something was wrong. It sounded like it was turning over very very slow and i didnt think it was going to start...but after a few seconds it finally started. I thought thats weird. so i shut it off and tried to start it again. it started no problem. So i headed to work. i got to work at 7:00 and turned the truck off...it sat until 8:30...i went to start the truck at 8:30 and it still sounded like it was turning over slow but fired right away...between 8:30 and 10:30 i was driving all over town...probably shut the truck off about 5 times...everytime it started up no problem. during this time the truck never sat for more than 10 minutes.

i got back to the site at 10:30 and the truck sat from 10:30 till 1 when i went to go for lunch same thing...sounded like it was turning over slow but still fired right away. then truck sat from 1:30 till 3:30 when i went to leave work...same thing...sounded like it was turning over slow but fired right away. im not even sure if there is a problem yet or if im just paranoid...but i am 100% sure that the truck is sounding like it is turning over slower than it usually does. I was just wondering if anybody has heard of anything like this and what could be the problem?

Right now the truck has been sitting since 4:30...i might go out before i head to bed tonight...probably around 10:00 and see how she satarts after sitting for a bit longer....or i might just wait till the morning and hope it starts after sitting all night.

 

How cold is it outside and what kind of oil are you using? How old are your batteries? Is your dome light on?

 

Mine is doing the same thing. My batts check out but my cables are shot. I have a new high torque starter on the shelf so as soon as my new cables come in I'll put it all on and see the results. The cold I know has a little to do with it too but, last year it had no problem.

 

I live just up tyhe coast from you, so I know the cold is not your problem, it starts even when cranking slow, so fuel /compression/ air leaks is not your problem. Your truck is the same year as mine, so I am guessing you have 200 + km on yours. At 230K km my original starter was about worn out- the brushes get worn to the point they have no more tension against the commutator, so cranking gets very slow. I put a new set of brushes in mine, cleaned up the commutator and it cranks fast and starts instantly ever since- about two years ago now!
As per the last post- make sure your battery and grpound connections are clean and tight, that there is now swelling or burned looking insulation on you main battery /starter cables.

 

My truck has just hit 318K km

Yea i know cold isnt the problem. Nothing was left on over night like lights or anything that would drain the battery. Im not sure how old the batterys are. They were in the truck when i bought it. Same with the starter...as far as i know if it original.

The cables on the batterys look fine. but im going to give the terminals a good cleaning tomorrow when i get home from work. Im just hoping it isnt the starter going....if i remember correctly someone told me they can get costly

 

http://www.autozone.com/R,APP67929/v...ductDetail.htm

 

yeah im hoping it isnt the starter haha.

obviously you would have to replace your batteries after some time...does anybody know how long they should last for or do you just replace them when they no longer hold any juice?. it says on my batteries when they were bought...ill have to take a look tomorrow

 

Most batts last 5 years depending on abuse and vibration.

The starter I picked up is brand new high torque from ebay for $85plus ship.

 

Well i just had to run to the store and its still turning over slow. It seems that the longer it sits the longer it takes to start and i guess thats just because the engine is colder. Im not going to start replacing starters until ive cleaned the battery connections and made sure that theres no problem there. but from whats happening does it sound like it is definitely the starter going or could there be another problem?

 

I had a local electric motor shop put new brushes in my starter- cost me $60.00. If you can do the work yourself there are rebuild kits available. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...sid=p1638.m118

 

How old are the batteries and how many Cranking amps are they rated at.
Anything over 4 years could be suspect