My 99 F150 4.6L w/160K miles.

Here's what is happening. Get in the truck and it starts up normal, everything electrical working fine. Drice to the store and come out 10 min later to go home and I turn the key and nothing, no clicking noise no starter trying to crank. I try neutral, moving gear shift lever, move the steering wheel nothing. Go out open hood to look for something obvious and shut the hood get in truck after a while and it starts normal again. Went a week until it happened again.

Seems like some safety switch or something that after a while goes away and it starts. Battery isn't that old. Even when truck won't start everything else electrical works normal. I'm at a loss here guys. Anyone else have this happen?

Kenny

 

going to need a meter or test light.

Use the neg / ground on the battery to the Tan w/ red stripe wire on the starter motor relay on the firewall.

3 wires to it, 2 red - larger AWG wires, and a smaller one that is the Tan w/ red stripe.

This will tell you if you have power from the ign switch, through the DTR to the starter motor relay.

This will only be hot in the ( key ) start position, so you will either need long leads or someone to help.

 

SScully,
Thanks for the reply.

Do I remove the tan wire from the relay when doing this test?

I also assume I need to do this test when the truck won't start?

Is it more likely the relay will intermit or the DTR?

Kenny

 

No need to remove the wire, just use the red meter lead or the pin on the test light to the lug.

This is when it won't start. That is why I posted either you need a long set of leads or someone to help you ( either with the meter / test light or to turn the key to the start position ).

Which one is more likely does not matter, that would just be supposition.
- Need to do the testing to find out which way to go with diagnoses.

 

I have meter and some extra leads to test next time it won't start.
I made a lead with a round connector that will slip over pin tan wire connects to so I can place meter on hood facing windshield so I can test by myself when it happens.
I will post results when it fails again.
Thanks
Kenny

 

Just an update. Now that I have my meter and wires to jump and read things, this dang truck is working perfect. So until I get a failure I'm waiting.

 

The same thing is happening to me, I have a 99 F-150 with a manual. Sometimes it cranks right up, but others it will click once right when I turn the key. If I wiggle the steering wheel into the right position it seems to crank it right up. But it's getting harder to do that.

 

Well this truck has not even hiccuped. The only thing I think that may have changed is when I unplugged the DTR cable from the relay and reconnected it. Been a couple of months now so we'll see what happens.

 

Looks like I have fixed my problem, with the help I got here.

Just to let you guys know what was going on too. When it wouldn't start I did get 12V @ DTR cable. The funny thing is all I had to do was unplug it from the solenoid and reconnect it and the truck would start up every time.

So I replaced the soleniod yesterday and not a hiccup yet. Not sure why disconnecting the DTR cable and reconnecting worked like it did but that got to be a pain.

Thanks to all who lead me down the path of success.

Kenny