What did I do to my Dad’s rig?

Stu Bailey

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So my dad finally shipped his 61 Falcon and 85 F250 (I convinced him to buy). The truck has the 6.9 in it and an automatic tranny. It needs a lot of cosmetic work and a decent amount of mechanical work but overall he got it for a good price and it’s 4x4 with only 85k miles on the engine. Was an old date farm truck from California, LOTS of dirt everywhere.

Well, I filled the fuel filter with some ATF because it was empty, he’s had bad air intrusion since he bought it, and tried to start it. It cranked over but real slow. I should have just jumped it at this point but no, I had to go over to what I believe is the starter relay and try to start it across the terminals with a screwdriver. Well, that didn’t work and after that I couldn’t even get it to turn over. Fuseable link? Those looked like they’re in molded plastic…

The battery is still at 12.5V. And here’s the fun part: he was working with the steering column so to start it I’m using the rod on the ignition switch. I can cycle the glow plugs still, I can hear that going, but when mashed in it won’t crank anymore, not even a little. Thoughts?

Here’s some photos. The terminals I tried to short with a screwdriver was not the one on the firewall.
 

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NeverHave-I-Ether

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I've been starting my truck with the ignition switch for almost a year lol. Called procrastination.... Just push the switch all the way forward and it should crank. If not cranking try changing the switch out. No change return it and keep the old one. Make sure battery cables are on secure, try tapping the starter solenoid and starter with a hammer to see if it'll start.

Never-Have-I-Ether
 

Stu Bailey

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I've been starting my truck with the ignition switch for almost a year lol. Called procrastination.... Just push the switch all the way forward and it should crank. If not cranking try changing the switch out. No change return it and keep the old one. Make sure battery cables are on secure, try tapping the starter solenoid and starter with a hammer to see if it'll start.

Never-Have-I-Ether
I’m going to have to give it a couple whacks tomorrow after work and see if that won’t wake it up. The thing is it was cranking when i mashed the switch forward but then I put a screwdriver across those two terminals on the lower relay and it wouldn’t crank anymore after that… I was thinking maybe I did it wrong? If my dad heard you say you’ve been doing it from the switch for a while it would make him feel a lot better! LOL
 

The_Josh_Bear

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If what you jumped was not on the fender then it was the wrong relay. The relay you're looking to jump is on the passenger fender, jump small insulated terminal to the hot. You can also test if your ignition switch is working by putting a test light or volt meter on that plug at the small terminal and actuate the switch to "start". It'll read 12v if the circuit is working.
Using the relay on the fender also takes the rest of the circuit out of the picture and is a good place to start for troubleshooting.

I'd guess you popped a fuse first...but you probably checked that before asking.
Fuse links can fail without burning up the insulation, happened to me-- on my honeymoon! Took my wife 5 years to trust my pickup again.

It's not that complicated, you'll get it soon.
Happy wrenching!
 

Big Bart

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Some additional thoughts.

1) Your starter relay (Upper one on fender) has side posts so no way to use a screw driver post to post. Guessing you used a screw driver from the little post to the big post that is hooked to the battery. Likely from the pic the solenoid terminals are corroded and have voltage drop or the solenoid has seen better days.
2) Run a jumper cable from 12v+ on the battery to the solenoid post with the wire going down to the starter. Truck starts replace the solenoid. Truck does not start replace it anyhow as it’s all corroded and looks very old.
3) Does not start with a new solenoid, clean the block ground and 12v+ connection to the starter. Starts, send it.
4) Does not start put in a new Powermaster starter.
 

Stu Bailey

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I'd guess you popped a fuse first...but you probably checked that before asking.

It's not that complicated, you'll get it soon.
Happy wrenching!

Starts, send it.
So my favorite quotes from the last replies. “Send it” and “you probably checked that first” haha I did pull a couple fuses and looked but not all of them, it got dark and started to freeze out there. Once it’s in the shop I got a heater! I didn’t check any of the fuseable links though…
And oh yeah, it’s a full send once she gets in the shop. My dad retires and moves into the shop mid-end of June. My goal is to have it mechanically sound for him and then once he arrives we can start the cosmetic work. I have a feeling I’ll get it after work. Kind of rushed it all last night, wife wanted me in to put kids to bed… I was trying to skip out on it
 

Danielle

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So my favorite quotes from the last replies. “Send it” and “you probably checked that first” haha I did pull a couple fuses and looked but not all of them, it got dark and started to freeze out there. Once it’s in the shop I got a heater! I didn’t check any of the fuseable links though…
And oh yeah, it’s a full send once she gets in the shop. My dad retires and moves into the shop mid-end of June. My goal is to have it mechanically sound for him and then once he arrives we can start the cosmetic work. I have a feeling I’ll get it after work. Kind of rushed it all last night, wife wanted me in to put kids to bed… I was trying to skip out on it
I originally bought my truck for my dad, I had just had a baby and his truck was a single cab and he was "retired" and wanted to be the nanny while I got my new shop running. So I wanted him to have something he could drive her around in and that truck (a 98 f250 (the light duty one that was in f150 body)) was on its LAST LEG.

My dad was a hard no.

He said the truck was a piece of **** and went out and bought a brand new first gen 5.4. You can imagine how that went. Ford bought it back and he went and bought a second gen 5.4 . That also went back and now he's in a 2011 5.0 f150 but it has the half rear doors, but by now my kids are grown enough to not need car seats.

11 years later I'm still driving the "piece of ****" and no car payments

But I love the idea of working on something with love for your father :love::love:
 

gandalf

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I originally bought my truck for my dad, ... that truck (a 98 f250 (the light duty one that was in f150 body)) was on its LAST LEG.

He said the truck was a piece of **** and went out and bought a brand new first gen 5.4. You can imagine how that went. Ford bought it back and he went and bought a second gen 5.4 . That also went back and now he's in a 2011 5.0 f150...

11 years later I'm still driving the "piece of ****" and no car payments

But I love the idea of working on something with love for your father :love::love:
I thought your truck was an '89, not a '98. Typo?
Your father kept buying one POS after another, variations on a theme. Gas trucks.

:puke::(

Congrats on having no car payments. That's an accomplishment. Be careful about calling your truck a POS, though. Some of us may be sensitive about our own POS.

"But I love the idea of working on something with love for your father
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" I really like your attitude on this. Some of us old guys need the help and love the attention.:love:
 

Danielle

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That's why I put it in quotes, those are his words, not mine. I love my truck! :)

I am not one to call anyone's vehicle a POS. I honestly do respect all builds! I know what it's like to spend hours and dollars on something that maybe no one else out there would love but me!

Mine is a 92, maybe 93?

My dad had originally a single cab 1998 F250 with a 4.6 gasoline engine. That's the one I was trying to replace with the one I still own and love.

Right now I just had to replace his capless fuel filler neck (2011 F150 5.0). Cleaning it didn't work to pass emissions and failing my smoke tests. I may be turning into a grumpy old lady but I don't understand why this capless system passed all the layers of QC haha. Hopefully I can get readiness set and get him a new inspection sticker.

Sorry for the hijack, just didn't want you to think I was calling anything a POS
 

gandalf

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That's why I put it in quotes, those are his words, not mine. I love my truck! :)

...

Sorry for the hijack, just didn't want you to think I was calling anything a POS
Sorry for the misunderstanding. We'll blame it on my old age confusion.

We will now officially end this hijack.
 

Stu Bailey

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Hijack away! Gives me some good reading material haha I got the truck in the shop after work. Stupid me was trying to jump the wrong relay posts. I probably fried some fuses along the way :shoot:
I went ahead and put two new batteries in the truck and a new terminal connector. Truck fired up super fast, hardly any smoke and sounds good. Now I got it in there I can start fiddlin around with it. Thanks again ya filthy animals!
 

Big Bart

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Gandalf Said

Your father kept buying one POS after another, variations on a theme. Gas trucks.

I not convinced a 6.0 or 6.4 diesel would have treated him any better, many Ford former owners would say those engines were POS and would never buy another one. They loved their 7.3’s but unlike the 7.3‘s these were not nick named million mile motors for good reason. Worse Danielle’s dad would have paid perhaps $18k (Upgrade to a F250 and upgrade to diesel.) more and still ended up disappointed.

To me it’s a Ford truck thing, during what I call their dark years. They we’re trying to figure out néw emissions requirements and choked over them. Both Navsitar (Diesel) and Ford (Gas) were unable to figure out how to make their big engines reliable and emissions compliant. Hopefully Ford has now figured it out.

I had a 06 F250 5.4l that was disappointing. It suffered phaser, coil pack, and stuck plug issues. (I just had to deal with it.) But I would never buy another Ford if I had bought a 6.4l diesel and it melted down at 180,000 miles. Then found out Ford did not want to help out and it was even not cost effective to rebuild it. 6.0 had all its own issues.

I think many of us are just spoiled with having simple 7.3’s that are reliable, cheaper to maintain, and built when Navistar nailed it. Best yet many bought these used for under $6k. No ECU computers, no emissions equipment, and a basic cab with little to fail inside.
 
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Jesus Freak

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Gandalf Said

Your father kept buying one POS after another, variations on a theme. Gas trucks.

I not convinced a 6.0 or 6.4 diesel would have treated him any better, many Ford former owners would say those engines were POS and would never buy another one. They loved their 7.3’s but unlike the 7.3‘s these were not nick named million mile motors for good reason. Worse Danielle’s dad would have paid perhaps $18k (Upgrade to a F250 and upgrade to diesel.) more and still ended up disappointed.

To me it’s a Ford truck thing, during what I call their dark years. They we’re trying to figure out néw emissions requirements and choked over them. Both Navsitar (Diesel) and Ford (Gas) were unable to figure out how to make their big engines reliable and emissions compliant. Hopefully Ford has now figured it out.

I had a 06 F250 5.4l that was disappointing. It suffered phaser, coil pack, and stuck plug issues. (I just had to deal with it.) But I would never buy another Ford if I had bought a 6.4l diesel and it melted down at 180,000 miles. Then found out Ford did not want to help out and it was even not cost effective to rebuild it. 6.0 had all its own issues.

I think many of us are just spoiled with having simple 7.3’s that are reliable, cheaper to maintain, and built when Navistar nailed it. Best yet many bought these used for under $6k. No ECU computers, no emissions equipment, and a basic cab with little to fail inside.
Big Bart and IDIbronco NAILED it!!!! Sure they don't have power out the ears, sure they're fussy about cranking up sometimes, but my goodness! You can work on them with regular tools(except the one guy without a 10mm wrench can't tighten his vacuum pump). I always hear those guys talk about getting there truck "bulletproof"........guys.....as long as your SCAs are correct the 7.3idi IS bulletproof!!! And has anyone noticed that from 1980 to 1986 ford made the best looking trucks like EVER!!!
 

1mouse3

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I think many of us are just spoiled with having simple 7.3’s that are reliable, cheaper to maintain, and built when Navistar nailed it. Best yet many bought these used for under $6k. No ECU computers, no emissions equipment, and a basic cab with little to fail inside.

This is why I chose mine and think was under $3k for a f350 4x4 clone build, this is starting with a $300 f250 parts truck as a base to work off of. The 6.9 I got for $100 may had failed do to burning to much oil, but I put 20k miles on that engine before it started to knock. I was going to take a questionable $400 7.3 vin m rebuilt short block and questionable $200 set of heads to try again, I was taked out of throwing it together and sending it. So got parts to clone a 7.3 vin k short block .020 over and with machine work not sure if will get over $2500 for the short block, remain heads where $900. Then through in around $2k to turbo charge this engine, Im not going for stock turbo power. So yes $6k can go a long ways with this platform and could had pinched pennes a little harder to had been under that mark so far, I have not factored in a injection pump yet.

Sure they don't have power out the ears, sure they're fussy about cranking up sometimes, but my goodness! You can work on them with regular tools(except the one guy without a 10mm wrench can't tighten his vacuum pump). I always hear those guys talk about getting there truck "bulletproof"........guys.....as long as your SCAs are correct the 7.3idi IS bulletproof!!! And has anyone noticed that from 1980 to 1986 ford made the best looking trucks like EVER!!!

If im correct bulletproof would mean with out fault and could argue lack of power is one, my uncle always said slow and steady wins the race tho. I would see the turbo spec 7.3 idi as the one close to bulletproof for a resenable amount of power, vin k pistons and psd rods can get you there. There is reports here and there from those pushing this engine of coolant/oil temp issues, this has drove some away. @CBRF3 found the resolution in that there would need to be a freeze plug in the bypass under the thermostat, you would want coolant flow always through the heater core for this mod. @IDIBRONCO found reason that the deck should not have a freeze and be like the 6.9 as well. The high compression is another factor on the table when pussing this, think there will a be a high enough thermal expansion that can cause piston bind where I want to push mine. So I will do something about that as well in my rebuild to keep that factor off the table. So to what is bulletproof is debatable, but a stock n/a 6.9 will just run with almost no upkeep and only oil/coolant added as needed.
 
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