Had a no power in cab situation.

[vettekid12]

Ok on sunday morning, i went to go look at a honda del sol with my brother. because he flipps them and makes bank off of them. so i to the guys house. look at the car and get ready to leave. I go to start my truck and i hear the starter continue to run after the truck is started. and i knew what it was. so i open the hood and hit the starter solenoid with a rubber malette and the starter stops. truck is still running.. so i then drive home and back into my driveway to offload my 300ex. I then watch the patriots jets game. come out its still bout 4pm and plenty of light out as i live in az. try to start up my truck to get it out of the driveway and i find out i have no power what so ever to my cab. so i was very pissed off as this is the first issue i have had with her... below is a list of steps i took to correct the problem.... 1. checked all fuses to see if they were good.... all were good 2. checked my battery terminals. they were corroded so i replaced them. 3. battery was putting out 9.1 volts..... replaced with optima redtop. still no power whatsoever 4. look in hanes manual schematics... Replaced ignition switch and keys. HAVE POWER BUT UPON STARTING. SOLENOID STILL STICKS 5. replaced starter solenoid with elcheapo from autozone. 19.99 new solenoid was reversed inside. made my battery start to smoke. 6. again replaced the new solenoid with a new one. exchanged. truck wouldnt start. but had power 7. got under the truck. started hitting the started with rubber mallet while brother turned the truck over. started up 8. truck runs no issues what so ever. just wanted to write that up for you all.

[es347fan]

9. Begin researching replacement starters.

[Steve83]

I recommend returning that battery ASAP and getting a cheaper/better MotorCraft or Interstate MTP or Sears DieHard Gold.

Also, put the original lock cylinder back and return the new one. Return every zone part and buy an Echlin/NAPA or Ford/MotorCraft or Standard starter relay & ignition switch.

Replace the starter similarly: a quality brand from a good supplier. Stay out of the zone.

Finally, spend some time cleaning ALL the heavy terminals in the starting/charging system, especially those at the starter relay. Read these captions:

.

It's also a wise move to upgrade to a 3G alternator.

[vettekid12]

lol all is running and working well now.
the original stock ignition switch was very very worn out on the tumblers, and the spade looking tip was cracked all the way through it. so it needed to be replaced anyway. and im going to get a high torque starter soon for it and wrap it in a blanket. and i want to get rid of the whole starter sloenoid on the firewall crap as ive gone through 4 in the last few months. and y would i change over to a new battery after i have had good luck with optimas i have them in my vette, 68 cutlass and 78 transam with 455

[Steve83]

Originally Posted by vettekid12

im going to get a high torque starter soon for it and wrap it in a blanket.

A metal heat shield is MUCH better, but it doesn't need either. Nor does it need a high-torque starter. A normal direct-replacement is enough, IF it's a good brand. Not zone garbage.

Originally Posted by vettekid12

and i want to get rid of the whole starter sloenoid on the firewall crap...

It's a relay; not a solenoid. And there's nothing wrong with it - it's a good system. You're just buying crappy parts.

Originally Posted by vettekid12

and y would i change over to a new battery after i have had good luck with optimas...

Because it's only luck. It's gonna wear out. Good batteries are cheaper, stronger, last longer, and have the SAME or better warranty than Optimas (or any AGM).

But it's your truck - do what you want.

[vettekid12]

the battery thing u said is not true at all. but i disagree with the relay thing u said as well as in the book it shows soleniod and also the zone calls it a solenoid and so dosnt ford.

[vettekid12]

and i see u say 3g alternator how much would it cost and where can i get one and what will i need to do it

[Steve83]

Have you ever read the specs on an Optima and compared them to a normal battery?

Zone employees aren't experts on anything, and most parts manufacturers label them "solenoid". They're relays. Here's a compilation of Ford diagrams showing both, so you can see the difference:



That bold underlined text is a link. Click it.