Ford 250/350 Diesel starter problems

newbury · Nov 12, 2014

Once again I seek the wealth of knowledge on TBN

On my trip down to Mississippi from DC yesterday
(hauling my 18' Hudson w/ custom enclosure, obligatory pic)

we stopped at a rest area about halfway. When ready to leave my 2002 F350 7.3 duallie wouldn't start, couldn't even here the starter solenoid engage. Crawled under and rapped the starter with a hammer, she fired up. So for the next 480 miles I didn't turn her off. Parked in my driveway in Mississippi, turned her off, wouldn't restart. Let her set overnight, wouldn't restart. Rapped w/ hammer again, started.

So I figure the starter solenoid is going. Since it's a used truck I'm not sure if it's the original.

Quick research on the web indicates:
If the solenoid is dying replace both the starter AND the solenoid, because the starter will go soon.
MOST 3rd party (NAPA, AutoZone etc) seem to fail pretty soon.
Ford OEM is pretty good.
Highly recommended is the Nippondenso heavy duty starter, great for faster winter cranking in real cold areas. BUT it requires grinding the frame a little to fit it in.

Since I rarely drive north of the Mason Dixon line I don't know if I need the extra power. So my question is - what have other TBN'ers done? I'm leaning toward just having the local Ford place handle it but I ALSO like the idea of overkill.

Crawling under to start could get old really quick.

Loadstar · Nov 12, 2014

That is about the easiest starter ever to change. Why don't you pull it and take it to a starter shop if there is a decent one around. I have a good local shop that does all of mine.

3930dave · Nov 12, 2014

Knock wood, I haven't had to change my 7.3's yet.

I've changed my primary Glow Plug Relay.... on my To Do list is checking for what drives the starter solenoid, and changing that relay pro-actively. My thinking there is if my GPR "got tired", then the starting relay may not be far behind.....

Starters....... I like overkill too, but with your lack of what I call Cold down your way I can't imagine that the stock unit would be a problem.

Depends what the Ford starter is worth. Up here Champion Re-mans have a 3 year warranty, and actually their New starters (in many cases, not that much more money) have a Lifetime warranty.

Even OE parts south of the 49'th are pretty low cost, so FWIW, you may well just throw a new starter in.

Some starters are a pain, but on my budget I'd be changing it myself. A mechanically aware (but non-pro wrench) guy I know changed his 7.3 starter in a parking lot.

I got my GPRs from these guys. They've been at this a while, and seemed to have a good rep. Based out of Georgia, looks like they are on Amazon too.

About Crank-n-Charge items in Crank-N-Charge store on eBay!

I've had their GPR in about a year, works great. I'd be tempted to just change the solenoid and relay, but that's partly a reflection of my budget.

Let us know what option you go with.

Rgds, D.

Diamondpilot · Nov 12, 2014

As other stated it's easy to change so I would not spend any more than necessary. I would buy a Auto Zone unit and have my other one rebuilt as a spare.

Chris

newbury · Nov 12, 2014

Loadstar said:
That is about the easiest starter ever to change. Why don't you pull it and take it to a starter shop if there is a decent one around. I have a good local shop that does all of mine.

After looking into it more it does seem easy to change, one you tube expurt spends a lot of time yelling how he finally figured out how to use an extension on his socket so he could get to the top bolt.

But I don't know of any rebuilders in the area.

However the only one I have done was probably easier. An '81 Dodge van. Remove passenger seat, pop the doghouse, lean over and swap it out.

2458n · Nov 13, 2014

Autozone starters have worked for me and I have changed them on my back in the snow lying in a ditch. We were working seven days a week And the joke was me parking my truck on a hill and starting it with the clutch. I am not sure but I think they took my old starter as a core. Friend who now has his own shop worked there and bought it for me and left it in my mailbox. Use electric tape on the socket and extension for the top bolt. I mean tape the bolt loosely on to the socket.

spitter · Nov 13, 2014

I dont know who told you that u have to grind to get the nipp starter on it came originally on some 7.3 trucks . My dually 01 came with the crap one and it used to turn over very slow .I also have a 7.3 excursion it turned over twice as fast .I went to a auto electric shop and hesaid you could have gotten either one fromford and the nip was a direct bolt in .:cool2:

Loadstar · Nov 13, 2014

If you curse changing that starter the truck better be barrier in a field or its just time to turn in the tools. It is honestly easier than a lawnmower starter.

dstig1 · Nov 14, 2014

Classic Ford starter failure. Not that hard to change, typically. Change it with a good one. I highly disagree with the Autozone recommendations. I went through I think 4 "rebuilt" wiper motors from them in under 2 yrs (warranty, of course) until I finally said screw it, and bought an OEM one that has lasted since then 6+ yrs ago. I swear all they did was repaint them and bang them on the table a few times to knock dust out. Total junk. Get one with a lifetime warranty if you plan to keep it for the long run.

BTW you can often get away with banging on it for quite a while, so you can get by until you find yourself where you can work on it, but I wouldn't recommend pushing it more than absolutely necessary as you never know. During this time, it might just start without banging on it too. All depends on how it lands and if you get lucky. Keep a piece of cardboard and a 2x4 handy. And don't beat the tar out of it, just a few mild taps is all it takes.