Ford 2004 Super Duty. An intermittent problem starting my truck. Sometimes when I stop the engine, my truck will not start again. All lights on dash work, but it will not make any attempt to start or turn over at all. The only way to start it is to put it in park and have someone rock the truck back and forth while I try to start it. So far it will always start this way. I tried moving the shift in all gears, but only rocking it will get it started. This might not happen again for a while.fficeffice" /><O></O>
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Does the starter motor make any noise?

If a starter gets saturated with oil/water/junk in general, it can short out (typically when it's hot). One that is near or in this condition will usually turn a bit slow and have difficulty starting the motor.

If the gear is stuck or will not align with the flywheel/flex plate, there could be trash in the nose or a bad spring not pushing it out, or I have seen some starter motors that would spin but the gear wouldn't move forward to engage the flywheel/flex plate.

I think on these newer trucks the solenoid is on the starter (like on a chevy), this is a bad place on a truck, you can get all kinds of dust, dirt and debris in it. Most I've had seen/heard of the solenoid locks closed and spins the starter until you bump it. I don't see why it couldn't have trash stopping the contacts from closing.

With the truck in park, the input shaft on the transmission should not move, so your not affecting the flex plate. The only thing I can think of that is happening is either giving the starter time to cool or perhaps you have a bad connection in the wiring that is some how tweaked in that movement.

 

The starter does not make any sound and it does not spin at all when this happens. There is no sound like iut has no connection to the starter at all.
Once I rock the truck back and forth in park, it starts.

 

By rocking back and forth, are you saying side to side rocking or rolling front to back? If you mean front to back, it could be a safety switch out of adjustment. Should have one that will not allow you to start it in any position other than park. Don't even know if they have them any more but older cars and trucks had one called a neutral safety switch.

 

Yes this is a somewhat common problem. It usually isn't even the switch, the linkage just gets a little too much slack in it and the truck doesn't realize it is in park, so it won't let the started turn over. Next time it happens try shifting the truck into nuetral and see if it will start then. If it does this switch/linkage is your problem.

 

Found problem. It was a nut missing from the wire on the solenoid. The wire would make contact whenever the truck was rocked back and fourth.