1979 Ford F150 4x4 - Page 4

75K30 · 04-02-2009, 12:38 PM

If the starter solenoid is getting hot, then your cables are either dirty or bad. Even if the insulator appears to be fine, the cable itself can be bad, or the connections can be a problem. You will have to clean, and not just tighten the connections.
Verify that you have all of your grounds, clean and finctional. A poor connection, or a bad ground can overheat an electrical component and cause a fire.

ErwinRommel · 04-02-2009, 12:51 PM

Should I get a solenoid to be safe? I might get a new one though and change out the hot post and ground post.
Do you think the starter is burned up as well because it was going still when I had the truck running for a minute?

75K30 · 04-02-2009, 02:37 PM

I do not believe that this will have damaged the starter other than damaging the gear. Heak the flexplate might be worse off than anything else.
If the solenoid activates when the push button is depressed, and the starter engages, then the components are more than likely just fine. DOnt replace something if it does not have to be repleced. You know, "if it aint broke, dont fix it."
You solenoid does not have a ground post. You have two large posts, that voltage passes through, one side is connected directly to the battery, and the other to the starter. (by the way, dont beat on the starter any more. magnets in the starter dont like that, and just because some grubby mechanic's favorite tool is a hammer, does not make it the appropriate tool for many applications).
Anyway, the other two smaller posts are for the small electricl connections, one for ignition, and the other for the starter call. Thats your push button.
This is just a solenoid, it either changes state, (loud click), or it does not. If this changes state when it is supposed to, then you have an electrical connection problem. Perhaps the starter is going bad, but if it turns the motor over, then it is probably alright.
Check you engine ground, and make sure that it has its own ground cable. Chances are that the chassis and engine are not properly grounded. This can also cause some funky electricl problems. These are problems that a hammer wont fix.

ErwinRommel · 04-02-2009, 07:59 PM

Well, the starter did turn over the engine in the beginning but then it grinded for a minute. I pulled the button out more and it stopped. I went through the mud some more and it went dead on me just like that. Tried cranking it up... "click", tried cranking it up again...."click".....tried again...."click" and it then made a weird noise.

THE STARTER IS BRAND NEW.

hotrodpc · 04-02-2009, 08:11 PM

You didn't get deep enough in the water to get water in the crankcase did you? Pull your dipstick and see if you see any bubbles or water on the dipstick. Sounds far fetched, but I guess it could have happened. Hopefully you did not seize the motor with water in the crankcase. And you didn't hit anything that would have bent the pan???
My bro had an old 71 mustang once. Hit something and put a dent in the oil pan.. He though nothing of it. The dent knocked the oil pickup up into the pan so it could not draw oil into the pmup. Needless to say, he made it about another 12 miles toward home until he siezed it.No light or guage in the car, he was not smart enough to realize that loud ticking and tapping was no oil at the top end so he was just trying to make it home for me to look at it.

ErwinRommel · 04-03-2009, 07:52 PM

I was in swamp mud and water. No stumps. The engine and everything didn't even touch water. When the front wheels were spinning, it may have brought up mud a little bit and a little bit of water.

I went and bought a new solenoid. It clicked again.
My brother said keep trying. Click, click, click. Nothing.
My brother then said the battery was boiling and was fixing to blow up.

It may just be a bad battery? Who knows where my cousin got the battery. Probably out of a tractor and who knows how old it is.

Another thing is that where is has a S AND T on the starter solenoid. The little screw bolt on the T didn't have no wire hooked up to it, it only had a little plug in thing. It was unplugged and I tried to plug it up but it didn't want to stay but I remember I tried to plug it up the other day and it still did nothing but click.

So yall think that could be the problem or just the battery?

hotrodpc · 04-03-2009, 10:51 PM

Could be. Just for purpose of clarification, and not spending more money if the motor isn't going to turn over, I would see about turning the motor by hand. Should be able to turn it over with a half inch drive ratchet and socket on the balancer. If it turns that will be real good news. Then is just a matter of finding the problem, starter, solenoid, cables, or battery. If you are at least getting a solid click, I would not think it is wiring.

ErwinRommel · 04-05-2009, 07:37 PM

Well the motor is good. If it wasn't it wouldn't have ran for me when it was running.

I got a new battery, and new solenoid. Tried again today. "click". Read up on the f150 book and it said that the gears could be messed up. So I'm going to go get a starter in the morning. Maybe the water has went down a little bit because it was ankle deep where I got it. I'm ready to get this thing rolling.

My grandma keeps saying stuff like I shouldn't have bought it. I'm getting tired of hearing it. I don't hardly buy my self stuff. She says all that I work for is trucks,tractor and phone minutes. I told her that I don't have a family, so what else am I going to buy? ****.

hotrodpc · 04-05-2009, 08:03 PM

Yeah well, that's grandma's. Just tolerate it because it isn't going to change. When she's gone someday you'll miss all that complaining. Is this truck still in the water? You keep buying replacing parts, it will be a new truck before long. And you are sure the motor will turn???

ErwinRommel · 04-05-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotrodpc

Yeah well, that's grandma's. Just tolerate it because it isn't going to change. When she's gone someday you'll miss all that complaining. Is this truck still in the water? You keep buying replacing parts, it will be a new truck before long. And you are sure the motor will turn???

Yeah, I will miss her so much. It just gets on my nerves.

Yeah, well I buy it to at least know that it is new and I can mark that off the list. I know most of this stuff is old and they haven't changed it in God knows when. I know it hasn't had a tune up in I don't know when. Yeah, half way of the rim under water. Water has went down some now...it was up to waist before. Maybe it will be soaked in the dirt tomorrow more. The motor did turn before with no problem. Everything started screwing up when I cranked it up the last time and the push button got stucked and it grinded for 30-50 seconds (I suppose) until I pulled the push button out more and then I went....Gave the truck gas and pulled out of the mud and then it just turned off. It started clicking when I tried to turn it over again....we just charged the battery and it shouldn't have went dead that fast.

So, I eliminated the problems. It ain't the solenoid, it ain't the battery, the hot post was broke on it but I put a new one on, the wires were attached to the hot post but there is one black wire not plugged up but it wasn't plugged up in the beginning but we put it up against everything to see if it would crank the truck but...yeah...you guessed it.... "CLICK". So, what's next now....is the starter.

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04-02-2009, 12:38 PM	#31
75K30 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,992	If the starter solenoid is getting hot, then your cables are either dirty or bad. Even if the insulator appears to be fine, the cable itself can be bad, or the connections can be a problem. You will have to clean, and not just tighten the connections. Verify that you have all of your grounds, clean and finctional. A poor connection, or a bad ground can overheat an electrical component and cause a fire.

04-02-2009, 12:51 PM	#32
ErwinRommel Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Georgia Posts: 579	Should I get a solenoid to be safe? I might get a new one though and change out the hot post and ground post. Do you think the starter is burned up as well because it was going still when I had the truck running for a minute?

04-02-2009, 02:37 PM	#33
75K30 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,992	I do not believe that this will have damaged the starter other than damaging the gear. Heak the flexplate might be worse off than anything else. If the solenoid activates when the push button is depressed, and the starter engages, then the components are more than likely just fine. DOnt replace something if it does not have to be repleced. You know, "if it aint broke, dont fix it." You solenoid does not have a ground post. You have two large posts, that voltage passes through, one side is connected directly to the battery, and the other to the starter. (by the way, dont beat on the starter any more. magnets in the starter dont like that, and just because some grubby mechanic's favorite tool is a hammer, does not make it the appropriate tool for many applications). Anyway, the other two smaller posts are for the small electricl connections, one for ignition, and the other for the starter call. Thats your push button. This is just a solenoid, it either changes state, (loud click), or it does not. If this changes state when it is supposed to, then you have an electrical connection problem. Perhaps the starter is going bad, but if it turns the motor over, then it is probably alright. Check you engine ground, and make sure that it has its own ground cable. Chances are that the chassis and engine are not properly grounded. This can also cause some funky electricl problems. These are problems that a hammer wont fix.

04-02-2009, 07:59 PM	#34
ErwinRommel Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Georgia Posts: 579	Well, the starter did turn over the engine in the beginning but then it grinded for a minute. I pulled the button out more and it stopped. I went through the mud some more and it went dead on me just like that. Tried cranking it up... "click", tried cranking it up again...."click".....tried again...."click" and it then made a weird noise. THE STARTER IS BRAND NEW.

04-02-2009, 08:11 PM	#35
hotrodpc Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,157	You didn't get deep enough in the water to get water in the crankcase did you? Pull your dipstick and see if you see any bubbles or water on the dipstick. Sounds far fetched, but I guess it could have happened. Hopefully you did not seize the motor with water in the crankcase. And you didn't hit anything that would have bent the pan??? My bro had an old 71 mustang once. Hit something and put a dent in the oil pan.. He though nothing of it. The dent knocked the oil pickup up into the pan so it could not draw oil into the pmup. Needless to say, he made it about another 12 miles toward home until he siezed it.No light or guage in the car, he was not smart enough to realize that loud ticking and tapping was no oil at the top end so he was just trying to make it home for me to look at it.

04-03-2009, 07:52 PM	#36
ErwinRommel Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Georgia Posts: 579	I was in swamp mud and water. No stumps. The engine and everything didn't even touch water. When the front wheels were spinning, it may have brought up mud a little bit and a little bit of water. I went and bought a new solenoid. It clicked again. My brother said keep trying. Click, click, click. Nothing. My brother then said the battery was boiling and was fixing to blow up. It may just be a bad battery? Who knows where my cousin got the battery. Probably out of a tractor and who knows how old it is. Another thing is that where is has a S AND T on the starter solenoid. The little screw bolt on the T didn't have no wire hooked up to it, it only had a little plug in thing. It was unplugged and I tried to plug it up but it didn't want to stay but I remember I tried to plug it up the other day and it still did nothing but click. So yall think that could be the problem or just the battery?

04-03-2009, 10:51 PM	#37
hotrodpc Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,157	Could be. Just for purpose of clarification, and not spending more money if the motor isn't going to turn over, I would see about turning the motor by hand. Should be able to turn it over with a half inch drive ratchet and socket on the balancer. If it turns that will be real good news. Then is just a matter of finding the problem, starter, solenoid, cables, or battery. If you are at least getting a solid click, I would not think it is wiring.

04-05-2009, 07:37 PM	#38
ErwinRommel Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Georgia Posts: 579	Well the motor is good. If it wasn't it wouldn't have ran for me when it was running. I got a new battery, and new solenoid. Tried again today. "click". Read up on the f150 book and it said that the gears could be messed up. So I'm going to go get a starter in the morning. Maybe the water has went down a little bit because it was ankle deep where I got it. I'm ready to get this thing rolling. My grandma keeps saying stuff like I shouldn't have bought it. I'm getting tired of hearing it. I don't hardly buy my self stuff. She says all that I work for is trucks,tractor and phone minutes. I told her that I don't have a family, so what else am I going to buy? ****.

04-05-2009, 08:03 PM	#39
hotrodpc Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,157	Yeah well, that's grandma's. Just tolerate it because it isn't going to change. When she's gone someday you'll miss all that complaining. Is this truck still in the water? You keep buying replacing parts, it will be a new truck before long. And you are sure the motor will turn???