Starter problems

[Dieselmaster]

Too all you that own Fords....

Have you ever had a starter go out on your rig yet...

I just had mine go out, what I felt was a little early.... I only have 108,000 on my 99.

I think it may have to do with the silt that coats everything on the truck when I'm out chasing for the race truck.... I always clean real well afterwords but I guess that it gets inside of the starter and just tears it up... because when I pulled it out it looked like it was puking greasy silt out of it.

What really got my attention was the fact that they wanted more for the core than they did the starter.... $170 for the starter.... $180 for the core.... :***:


Well I just thought I would see what you alls experience has been with the starter... TG its easy to change ... two real easy bolts and one brail.... about 20 minutes start to finish...

 

[Mike]

Mine is 10 years old and has 130,000 miles on it, I've only owned the truck a year now but upon close inspection it appears to be the factory equipment. But its hard to guage if 108,000 is low mileage to lose one at, do you do alot of quick trips with several starts or does this thing start up and go 300 miles before a shutdown?

Mike

 

[hheynow]

Mine is almost 8 years old with 187,000 miles and has the original starter. Sometimes I go for quick trips and sometimes for long hauls. It has never been a problem.

 

[Dieselmaster]

Mike,

I don't make a bunch of trips Usually first thing in the morning I take the boy to school.... about 20 minutes of driving from home to the school then to the office... If I take a lunch its usually about the same run time between .....

Nothing excessive.. When I am chasing I leave it running the entire time... all day sometimes.... Its hot out in that desert and I don't want to get back into a hot truck.....

But you would not believe the amount of silt that I get on/in my truck when chasing.... This stuff is like baby powder or finely sifted flour.... It gets everywhere..... This last race I think may have been the biggy that overloaded it with silt ....

The rear hub came off the race truck and I wound up dragging it for about two miles on the axle housing through silt so deep that when you stepped into it, it came up to just below your knees...

Right before I got it to the pit area I lost all power and I thought I had blown a intercooler tube, again..... (I had just done that on the way up to the race) Well I get out and look under the hood ... no boot off but my aircleaner was so covered in silt that you couldn't see the pleats and it was sucked up to the size of a soda can..... This is a big K&N cone style filter.... I'm suprised the thing stayed running...

I'm wondering if I could'nt use some electrical cleaner or something to clean up the windings after a race...

But it may be the heat here also... it gets so damn hot... I don't know but 108k seems a little premature....

 

[Whit]

I think this fine dust is prolly very abraisive and help the oremature dust, at work we have a very good cleaner called Misty, it cleans very well and evaporates fast, its an electromotive spray and wont hurt the starter, I would get something like this and use it at the races. Good luck with the new one

Cheers, Kevin

 

[geonc]

It's gotta be the silt getting in the mag case and causing wear not normal to the case windings.
These starters are pretty tough...My truck starts 8-10 times a day ---minimum and I have 183k mi.

I suppose a good douching with electrisol, or any good quick evaporative contact cleaner would not be a bad thing.

Good, clean cables and high amp batteries are a must as you prolly know

 

[Mike]

I'd have to agree with the combo of the excessive dirt and heat, youve got a recipie for disaster.

 

[probear]

I also agree with the silt/finedust being the culprit.
I have a 99 with 153K and no starter problems.
You might want to check the batteries as weak batteries can also fry a starter......

 

[dazedandconfused]

When I was servicing the coaches at my old work we didnt have one go out until around 180k and that is starting and shutting down every 30 minutes 24hrs a day! Pretty damn good I think, but was a ***** to change everything is cramped in the trucks and in the vans it sometimes looks as though they beat **** back with a sledge just to fit it in thier! Took an hour to change and then ****** flywheel went south!

 

[Dieselmaster]

Originally posted by dazedandconfused
When I was servicing the coaches at my old work we didnt have one go out until around 180k and that is starting and shutting down every 30 minutes 24hrs a day! Pretty damn good I think, but was a ***** to change everything is cramped in the trucks and in the vans it sometimes looks as though they beat **** back with a sledge just to fit it in thier! Took an hour to change and then ****** flywheel went south!

I hate working on vans... there isn't anything easy about them....