During the winter there were a few "no starts" just a
clicking noise but usually after moving the shifter lever
it started up, so I suspected the neutral start safety switch.
Had a new one put in, good for a while but today no start,
just a click and seems the battery got low enough
to reset the clock on the stereo.
Tried putting the flashers on and just a bussing noise, and
the chime like reminder sound the key is still in the ignition
as you try to leave was dead further indicating a dead battery.
Friend came by with a Narco batt booster thing and hooked it
up. Same thing just a click. He had a hammer and pounded on
the starter
while I tried to start but same thing.
Then he got his hands on the serpentine belt and tried to I
guess turn the crank , had a hard time so he
had to grab something else, and got it to turn a little,
then says try it now...so it starts up fine.
He says the starter is going....cant figure out why. He says
the engine was at TDC, which I guess
means the starter has a tough time turning the eng when its
in that spot? Not sure I understand.
On 5/3/2026 3:09 PM, UFO wrote:
During the winter there were a few "no starts" just a clicking noise but
usually after moving the shifter lever
it started up, so I suspected the neutral start safety switch.
Had a new one put in, good for a while but today no start, just a click
and seems the battery got low enough
to reset the clock on the stereo.
Tried putting the flashers on and just a bussing noise, and the chime
like reminder sound the key is still in the ignition
as you try to leave was dead further indicating a dead battery.
Friend came by with a Narco batt booster thing and hooked it up. Same
thing just a click. He had a hammer and pounded on the starter
while I tried to start but same thing.
Then he got his hands on the serpentine belt and tried to I guess turn
the crank , had a hard time so he
had to grab something else, and got it to turn a little, then says try it >> now...so it starts up fine.
He says the starter is going....cant figure out why. He says the engine
was at TDC, which I guess
means the starter has a tough time turning the eng when its in that spot? >> Not sure I understand.
I'd have a battery load test done to ensure the battery is actually OK.
Then clean up the terminals, battery cable clamps and the rusty end of
your battery ground cable.
Once you've ensured the starter is getting full current, if the problem persists it could be a sticky/worn bendix or possibly worn starter gears.
Some tips here:
https://everydayford.com/how-to-identify-and-fix-ford-starter-motor-problems/
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
Whats your take on when he turned the eng a little by hand with the belt or >fan pulley?
UFO <techforce@nospam.gmx.com> wrote:
Whats your take on when he turned the eng a little by hand with the belt or >> fan pulley?
Dead spot on the commutator. You'll find out when it happens again.
Sadly our alternator and starter rebuilding shop closed down during Covid. --scott
UFO wrote:
During the winter there were a few "no starts" just a clicking noise but usually after moving the shifter lever
it started up, so I suspected the neutral start safety switch.
Had a new one put in, good for a while but today no start, just a click and seems the battery got low enough
to reset the clock on the stereo.
Tried putting the flashers on and just a bussing noise, and the chime like reminder sound the key is still in the ignition
as you try to leave was dead further indicating a dead battery.
Friend came by with a Narco batt booster thing and hooked it up. Same thing just a click. He had a hammer and pounded on the starter
while I tried to start but same thing.
Then he got his hands on the serpentine belt and tried to I guess turn the crank , had a hard time so he
had to grab something else, and got it to turn a little, then says try it now...so it starts up fine.
He says the starter is going....cant figure out why. He says the engine was at TDC, which I guess
means the starter has a tough time turning the eng when its in that spot?
Not sure I understand.
Your friend may be right that the starter is on its way out, but the
"engine stopped at TDC" explanation doesn't really make sense. A >good starter should be able to crank the engine wherever it stops. Engines stop against compression all the time, and the starter is >designed to handle that.
UFO wrote:
Spoke to him last night to explain more, he says the starter is engaging the flywheel but cant spin it, and thats because
the eng is in a compression stroke, I suppose he means multiple
pistons....he says the starter has a tough time spinning the
flywheel due to the added resistance. Makes sense to me, as this could be
the original 1998 starter in there for almost 30 yrs.
I guess it can explain why the battery lost its power, starter is drawing a decent chunk of amps each time you turn the
key and hear the click. Eventually I didnt even hear the click because the battery went down lower than enough to
do that anymore.
Advance auto tested the battery after we got it going, the readout said good with 13V and that was after I ran the engine
a while to recharge the batt, plus the drive to the place to check it. That night I put my DMM on it and it said 12.7V just sitting
in the parking lot.
When the neutral switch was changed, they ran tests on the battery ,
charging system and starter, passed ok.
I saw my friend under the passenger side with the hammer so I went under there last night for a peek,
the large red wire has some insulation peeled back a little, both nuts have
a lot of rust on them, so that could be
the original starter in there from the Ford factory. Theres 2 bolts, not
sure what size but they seem rusted.
So I dont think they took the starter out for any testing.
I'm thinking of trying to change it myself, this morning was pretty cold for a parking lot fix on the blacktop,
the other shop it was at is trying to pencil me in for this afternoon.
Your friend may be right that the starter is on its way out, but the
"engine stopped at TDC" explanation doesn't really make sense. A >good
starter should be able to crank the engine wherever it stops. Engines stop >> against compression all the time, and the starter is >designed to handle
that.
I guess it can explain why the battery lost its power, starter is drawing >> a
decent chunk of amps each time you turn the
key and hear the click. Eventually I didnt even hear the click because
the
battery went down lower than enough to
do that anymore.
I guess it can explain why the battery lost its power, starter is
drawing a
decent chunk of amps each time you turn the
key and hear the click. Eventually I didnt even hear the click
because the
battery went down lower than enough to
do that anymore.
Well progress for sure.
It died again with same symptoms, I have the new starter with me in the truck
so was gonna do it in a strip mall parking lot, however one wire
terminal is
already on the starter with a note to splce it to the exisgint wire with
the heat shrink
already sleeved over it. I dont have a heagt gun or room to splice so I
went back to
trying to revive the old starter.
Got a breaker bar on the crank nut and moved it a little cw past the compression stroke I assumed
it was on...kept the Noco booster on the batt, but not even a click
anymore.
Hammered the starter, and that seemed to do the trick....but I did put
my fingers on the large
copper stud with the nut and terminal on the starter and moved it a
little before hammering it.
Drove to Sunoco and it died again.
Turned the crank with the breaker bar, nothing. Tapped the starter with
the sledge, nothing.
Twisted that copper stud with the red terminal , I guess thats main DC
to the starter and started up.
I remember seeing my friend with a For Ranchero use the sledg trick till
one day it stopped helping
and he twisted that stud and got it to start.
I think the copper stud directly hits the amrmature like a brush in
there and it gradually moves away
from the armature contacts if I remember right.
So twisting it may have got me some better contact temporarily...as it
died again at the mall.....
Too hot in there to grab it without gloves, but I let it kool down and
it still only clicks. But will try twisting the
stud again.
Other thing I dont get is when it does this , the cabin looses power and
the key in ignition chime sounds like
a relay buzzing with not enough power.
Battery reads 12.3V on my DMM, but its possible maybe the battery
current is lousy. Alternator when running says
its taking 14V, I think usually it should be 15?
So far I always had to have the Noco booster on it to get it to start.
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