1997 Powerstroke Clicks Bendix, Won't Crank?

[Diesel Fuel]

1997 Powerstroke Clicks, Won't Crank?

Hello All,

I am looking for some help troubleshooting this issue. here are the facts and details:

1997 f-250 7.3 PSD. She always started up fine until the other morning. When I went to start the rig, I waited the obligatory time until the "wait to start" light vanished. Upon engaging the start circuit, I got only the click, but no spinning of the starter motor. I am unsure idf I am hearing the Bendix or the relay. The battery read 12.6v, certainly enough to at least spin the motor.

I was actually able to get it to fire up after moving the start circuit wires on the fender mounted starter solenoid. I inspected those wires, and as I did I must have caused the intermittent issue to temporarily vanish. I went back and tried one more time to see if it would fire after manipulating the wires, and being hooked up to another running diesel truck. She cranked this time and fired right up just as she always had.

The neutral safety switch can be eliminated from the list of potential causes, It was disabled a while ago by the previous owner.

So I am wondering how to properly troubleshoot this without going the dreaded "diagnosis by replacement" route.

Perhaps someone has a link to a PSD troubleshooting page, or some insight on how to properly test the system without removing parts.

I suspect the starter motor is fine, since it did crank and fire. I also suspect it's something in the circuitry but how do I fault tree this problem?

Thanks for the help everyone.

DF

 

[Diesel Fuel]

Update: Went underneath yesterday afternoon to look at the condition of wires down there on the starter. The heavy gauge wire looks okay, but the wire on top that goes from the small pole into the starter felt like the sheath had left this world years ago. This is the wire factory installed in the starter. The previous owner allowed a leaky fuel pump and oil dipstick to leak all over the starter.

I checked and I have full battery voltage at the big pole, and so I tried to crank it over again. She cranked, and immediately fired. No jump this time, just the batteries.

This morning I went out to see what the rig would do, She exhibits the same conditions as before. Clicking, but no cranking.

Next I tried jumping the relay poles, and receive the same clicking, but no cranking. This leads me to beleive it's not the starter switch in the cab. Is this correct?

The plot thickens...

 

[OLDBULL8]

If you can jump across the two large connectors on the fender relay and it starts, then that relay is bad, probably has burnt contacts in it and would be intermitent.