bad cylinoid or starter??

[86 f150 6.9]

so i thought my batteries were bad cause they were barely turning my motor over.. so i bought two new ones.. and still same issue.. seemed like the batteries we just dead.. so i started messing around with the cylinoids makin sure that they had a good ground to the panel.. once i did that it worked once but now its doing it again, and i keep messing with them but its makin no difference now.. please help getting frustrated thanks

 

[mariner45]

Chances are that the contacts inside the solenoid are badly burnt. If you can take the solenoid off the truck and can take it apart, you will soon see if that is the case. If you renew the contacts, then also renew the plunger. Or, you could shop ariound and just renew the solenoid. Anyway, doesn't cost anything to look and if you have a secomd vehicle, you won't be messed around too much.
HTH

 

[johnnyb1]

I had the same problem on my 88 and 90. Changed the starters both times and all was good. Hope yours is the solenoid. It's much cheaper.

 

[86 f150 6.9]

Thanks guys, but we had a brand new cylinoid layin around and it still did the something, so looks like in buying a new starter

 

[bab029]

Experience working with electrical systems on vehicles has taught me to always, always, always check the grounds before spending money. I would follow both ground cables to the engine, take them off and shine up the connection with steel wool, degrease with brake cleaner, reattach them and give them a shot of paint for good measure. Not saying it's definitely the problem, but it's as close to a free fix as you can get. At worst your batteries perform better due to the new contacts.

 

[Jmackk]

had a similar issue with my 86, had the batteries, alternator tested(all good) put in new starter solenoid, cleaned the engin grounds and still would not turn over, so 1 new starter, and $180 latter, problem fixed, it fired up on the first crank. BUT!!! the starte I pulled out WAS NOT THE RIGHT STARTER FOR THE ENGINE!!! it was small and explained the lag when turning over and why it fried. When I bought the truck the guys said it had a "new" starter....not so much. The new one was twice the size and turned the engine over much easier.