Ford 6.9 IDI Starter problems.....argggggggg...

[MTboatguy]

Okay after months of the plow truck being in the way of things, I am working on it AGAIN!

All I get is a single click when I turn the key to start it, so I go through all the back yard checks that all of us that have owned Fords know, take the little wire from the ignition off, jump from the battery side to the little terminal, one click and one click only, crawl under the truck, things look clean bang on the starter a few times, still one click only.

Does anyone know how to check the starter mounted solenoid? Wim??????

I really hope, I don't have to change this starter! They are heavy!

 

[alldodge]

From my reading there have been many issues, but most come down to the brushes, armature and connections need cleaning in and on the starter. The last one I read is in the link, and all he did was take it apart, clean and put it back together and its working again

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f30/94-f250-7-3-idi-starter-just-solenoid-279578/

 

[foodfisher]

Silly question. Is your battery up?

 

[MTboatguy]

Silly question. Is your battery up?

Yup, both of them are brand new and have gone through the slow process to ensure they are fully charged.

 

[foodfisher]

Elecs/electronics is a weakness for me. Can you move the flywheel to a different position to remove an imagined jamb? Rock it in gear or wrench on end of crankshaft in neutral. That's all I have. Good luck

 

[pnwboat]

Sounds like you may have a bad battery cable or a bad battery cable connection?

I replaced both Positive and Negative standard 6ga battery cables with some 2ga and have not had any more electrical issues. Did have a tough time routing the thicker 2ga cables through the engine compartment, but I think it was worth the effort in the end.

Might want to get each battery load tested even though they're new.

My neighbor's diesel rig was having electrical issues. Turns out one of his batteries was bad, which affected the "good" one. If you disconnected the bad one, you could start it just fine. As soon as you connected both batteries, it wouldn't turn the motor over.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Okay after months of the plow truck being in the way of things, I am working on it AGAIN!

All I get is a single click when I turn the key to start it, so I go through all the back yard checks that all of us that have owned Fords know, take the little wire from the ignition off, jump from the battery side to the little terminal, one click and one click only, crawl under the truck, things look clean bang on the starter a few times, still one click only.

Does anyone know how to check the starter mounted solenoid? Wim??????

I really hope, I don't have to change this starter! They are heavy!

A 6.9L FOMOCO IHI diesel truck! (I had one of those!!)

Get yourself a multi-meter and probe the voltage at the solenoid (BATT side) and starter motor side. Battery voltage should be whatever the battery(s) can provide (10-11 volts under load 12.5v no load etc)

If you get a "click" the solenoid is actuating. If there's (12.5v) voltage on the motor "side" the motor is defective. If there's no (or very little) voltage on the motor side, the internal solenoid contacts are burned and the solenoid needs to be replaced.

Measure starter voltage by placing the ground probe directly on the starter.

Another "check" is to take your jumper cable and short directly across the solenoid and see if the starter motor will turn at all. (wear safety glasses!)