My u-joint didnt BREAK my bolts came loose and ****ed up.
And honestly, i'm being sarcastic. Obviously I maintain my rig, i've said how many times that I grease my u-joints. It was not a U-JOINT FAILURE.
I'm not really BRAGGING. I figured somebody would pick up on the sarcasm.
Lets stop talking about it already. Its in the past.

-------------

Waynaferd, its just a stock setup. My pipe is REALLY close to my starter. I've got heat tape on it but i'm not sure how it works. One of my dads friends owns a nearby part store and he told me that the truck will go through roughly a starter a year because of the position of the starter with the exhaust pipe.

 

Sounds like you've found the major problem then. I'd get some sort of heat shield in between the header and the starter. One thing though, I'd keep the shield completely isolated from both the header and the starter to maximize its effectiveness. Maybe you know that already... if so, nevermind.

How close are we talking here? like 0.25" or 2" or ?

 

I don't really have the exact specs with me. I'll check it out. I know I can't (easily) get my starter off with my exhaust pipe still attached.

Do you know of any heat shields that are made for it, or will this be a custom thing i'll have to fabricate?

 

I don't know of anything specific that is made for your truck...

I saw some solenoid heat shields on Autozone's website, but they weren't for an 88 F350 w/ 460.

I'd say make something yourself. It doesn't have to be something super technical, just enough to put a thin wall between the two. If you mount it to one or the other, I'd mount it to the solenoid rather than the exhaust manifold.



EDIT

Here are a few ways to make one:
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductD...goryCode=3638J
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductD...goryCode=3638J
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductD...goryCode=3638J

Here is something that would probably work for you:
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductD...goryCode=3638J

but @ $41.00 for that last thing, I'd make something myself.

 

Past.... You mean yesterday?
Obviously, I think someone has picked up on you trying to cover up your ignorance with sarcasim....and I think I know who!


As for the starter, Id have to agree with the others. Buy a lifetime warranty from autozone or advanced, or whatever your local parts store is.
Youd be surprised how heat can kill your starter, even more than water. My longtube headers are about .25-.50" away from my starter. It is wrapped with heat guard, but since I was having my overheating problem hitting 250*+, my starter has slowly been getting worse.
My overheating problem is now fixed, but if I turn the truck off when I'm over 200* i have to let it cool before it will start again.

BTW- I still wanna see pics of your truck.

 

I cut a length wise gap out of a coffee can, drilled some 1/2 inch or so holes all around the bottom of the can, then slid it over the starter, with wires going through gap. I can't remember if I taped or zip-tied it on, but it worked very well for me.

 

Hey...me too...i wanna see how clean and shiny it must look...

 

I am thinking that the Hi-torque gear reduction starters are often overlooked. They weigh less, outperform the larger models, and dont have clearance issues.
Been running them in about anything that I have, and mine are under water, burried in the mud, and abused terribly.
I never have a problem with heat saturation, and I seldome have a contamination problem.

 

My starter just stopped working today.

Which is odd. I bought it in September.

It can't POSSIBLY have gone out due to heat that fast could it?

 

Yeah, if I find out I <b>don't</b> have a warranty on my starter then i'm thinking of a Hi-Torque starter with a lifetime warranty.

I'm fairly sure i'll get a replacement for free, in which case i'll put a heat shield on it and make sure everything is sealed well.

 

i really don't think the heat killed your starter.. you said you where stuck in the mud.. so the starter got mud in it.. mud will kill a starter fast.. i know. i have had to pull off starters a couple diff times to wash them out.. you should have pulled it off and washed it out. not hit it with another starter...

also i would try to leave it run if the starter is under water and or mud.. that way you're not dead in the water so to speak

 

This starter was not beaten with another starter. This is not the same starter that was repeatably started in the mud. That starter kept going for months and months until I put a new engine in the truck. (Old one had about 180k on it.) and when I put the new starter in it didn't work. POINT BEING, the old starter I told you about isn't my problem right now.

I just pulled the starter to find a whole mess of mud in my bellhousing. So i'm going to exchange the starter tomorrow morning and put a different inspection cover on it and silicone the crap out of it.

 

Lets think about this. Are you sealing the mud out, or creating a way for it to become trapped? You know muddy water is going to get in there regardless of what you do right? No matter what you attempt to seal it with, the muddy water is simply goint to find its way in there. Now, that being said, once it gets in there, and the water part goes away, how does the mud that is allowed to collect find its way back out?
The same principle applies to shock boots. Are you keeping dirt out, or are you creating a place for it to collect? I dont run shock boots, and I do not run any covers over the flywheel or flexplate.
This provides me a place ti look for inspection, and I can run the hose through the thing to clean it out. My clutches dont slip as a result of this, and I dont have any problems associated with starter contamination.

I believe that sealing the inspection covers to the bottom of the bellhousing is not the way to go. Water will still find its way above this and then water cant escape. You will submerge your clutch and starter even when you are on dry ground. This area was never meant to be water tight, and regardless of sealant, it never will be. Starters are pretty tough, but if you pack them with mud and keep them submerged, the corrosion will kill them.
You know a DC circuit works under water right? The starter is fine, though the brushes will wear very quickly, but the motor will still work. Permit it to become contaminated with mud, and you have another problem Permit that mud to dry and it will never work.
Probably another reason to inspect and keep a vehicle clean. I know, I know, the mud looks good and all, but a clean truck just last longer, and works better.

 

Crawl? he could hop? or walk on his hands like a monkey

As far as the starter goes... heat sheild is a good idea if it is the header burning it up. Or it could be you vehicles flaw is it just likes starters. I had a 95 f-150 with a 302ci and no matter what I did it ate alternators. Just get a share and carry it with you.

 

True true wash the starter out that may help more the the sheild from heat.