strange starter issue

[94f450sd]

while im one of the best mechanics in my area thise one has me stumped!

ok heres the problem.

starter was replaced this summer with a napa reman unit when i did the IP and injectors.well a 3 weeks ago it started acting up on my that was using the truck.the truck would start fine in the morning but if you shut it off it wouldnt do anything.when you turn the ignition to start you can hear the relay on the fender click but nothing from the starter.if you go under the truck and have someone try to start it with your hand on the starter you can feel a vibration like the starter is doing something but doing nothing.but if you have somebody hold the ignition on start while you get under the truck with a screwdriver and short the 2 big studs accross it will start and be fine for a day or 2.i had napa replace it under warranty.its been fine for the 3 weeks and now its doing it again.i figured the battery cables or the wire from the fender solenoid to the starter solenoid were bad.theyve been junk since i bought the truck 3 years ago.well $200.00 later it is doing it again.i pulled the starter tonight so i can bring it back to napa and throw it at the parts guy in the morning.

any ideas?

 

[highest_vision]

Maybe just some bad starters. Checked the ground?
James

 

[94f450sd]

just replaced all three battery cables and cleaned the surfaces on the block and frame for thegrounds.plus it also has 2 brand new batteries in it.also when i have somebody hold it on start i have 12.5 volts coming out of the solenoid on the fender and at the solenoid on the starter

 

[reklund]

Crappy NAPA starters. Most of their "rebuilt" starters consist of a new shiny case and a sticker- nothing else. FWIW, their parts for Toyotas are complete JUNK. I remove NAPA stuff every day from customers cars that doesnt work right, plug wires that are coming apart, alternators that don't charge, etc...

It'll hurt like hell, but just go get one from Ford. The first one lasted you 100,*** miles, right? You'll just keep getting to practice swapping starters with the reman junk from NAPA.

My .02

Ryan

 

[94f450sd]

starter was replaced the morning i bought the truck.it had 240,000 miles when i got it it now has 310,000 miles 3 years later.but the problem is,will napa give me my money back?i usually dont deal with napa but where i live its the closest parts store.i usually deal with advance or autozone but for some reason thier starters wont work on my truck.the starters work but the drive gear doesnt come out far enough to catch the flywheel.

 

[Fred Hemer]

starter was replaced the morning i bought the truck.it had 240,000 miles when i got it it now has 310,000 miles 3 years later.but the problem is,will napa give me my money back?i usually dont deal with napa but where i live its the closest parts store.i usually deal with advance or autozone but for some reason thier starters wont work on my truck.the starters work but the drive gear doesnt come out far enough to catch the flywheel.

Iv'e had good luck with having my starter refurbed by my loacal starter alt shop I just had the starter done again last month 2nd time around on the origanal, A set of brushes a new sol and back in business for 120 bucks!
The parts house starter s are genaraly trash!Krylon overhaul!They do have diffrent grades at Napa for certain things You may need to ask for a premium grade starter to get a good one.

 

[reklund]

NAPA will give you your money back. Be persistant, but not rude, and you'll get what you want. I once put a NAPA alternator in my Toyota truck on a trip (no Toyota dealership in Alamosa Colorado..) and drove home on it. It never worked right- it fried my voltage regulator on the way home. Local napa sold me a voltage reg. When that didn't fix it, I returned the alternator I bought in Alamosa, and the regulator to the loacl NAPA and they gave me my money back. Installed a Toyota Reman alternator and regulator, and all was/is well...

Chances are that it was the factory starter that went 240K. Those parts house starters/alternators/parts in general just NEVER work, in my experience. Advance/Autozone is worse than NAPA in most cases, from what I've found. Like I said, it'll be expensive, but you won't be under the truck changing the starter for a LONG time if you put in a factory starter...

Ryan

 

[82fordtruck]

I could not agree more. I use ford parts on everything. You can get a prettu significant discount there if you ask for it, and it makes quite a few parts even cheaper than aftermarket. I do this.

 

[Agnem]

I'm sure most folks are probably tired of me saying buy OEM, but Motorcraft parts ARE better in my opinion. It's unfortunate that a lot of trucks purchased second hand come with third party parts that fail, and give the new owner the impression that these trucks are not reliable.

 

[94f450sd]

the closest thing to me for parts is napa when im stuck at home with a dead truck.i have a ford dealler i buy from and get a considerable discount but they are an hour away from me.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Rebuild the starter yourself, or have a starter shop that has a good name rebuild it for you.

I get caught in situations out on the road that force me to take what I can get and I dread ever having to replace a starter or alternator; because I usually end up having to eat at least one before I get one that will last.

That being said, the starter on my 85 is original with over half a million miles.

 

[John Haggerty]

Find a good rebuild shop. I'm fortunate and have a experinced starter/alternator/motor gentleman nearby. Find a good rebuild guy and I'll compare to OEM anyday. His prices are similar to a high end rebuild, but I know that it's right.

 

[towcat]

My last tour at a parts house was a manager at a Napa store. Did a year and a half and walked away from the retail parts business for good. That being said, Napa does have multiple grades of reman starters. Most of the Napas won't touch the low grade stuff unless the area they sell in is really economically depressed. If you bought a "Napa Gold" reman, that is a pretty good reman. Personally, I wouldn't install anything less than that level from Napa. These days, I do business with a very good local rebuilder. We have a deal where if the starter or alternator does not come in melted down, I don't get hit as hard. Just about all my fleet accounts have been trained that if they melt down a starter or alternator, it will be very costly for them. If it is caught in time, I will pass on the savings as an incentinve for being proactive.

 

[smokin_stroker00]

Chances are that it was the factory starter that went 240K.
Ryan

You are probally right by saying that but let me add this.Replacement batteries,starters ,and alt. will never last as long as the original because the truck is not new anymore. You will have to crank longer to get them to start, the wiring doesn't have as good as connections anymore,ect all resulting in extra work for them electrical parts.

 

[typ4]

Having done time helping my buddy build a electric rebuild shop business, and then having him sell it, oh well, napa does not put new solenoids on all of thier starters, we used to replace lots of them and then didnt have so many problems.
good luck