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Where is the negative cable (coming from battery) supposed to be connected at the starter?
Well, the starter bolt anyway, -
That's correct, -directly to the bottom starter double bolt on your 98. Which is an engine ground, main ground (battery), 4 awg cable. The starter case is the ground for the starter itself.
From there it doubles back to the frame w/10 awg behind the passenger side tire.
Hi im new to this site i wish i checked online before i tried to change this starter. but i was able to get the Top bolt off with a 1/4 -13mm socket, 1/4 -3"or small extension,1/4 ratchet and it worked on my 04 5.4 lariat.
There's only one way that works, - fast anyway. Laying directly under with your left you can find the hole or head. There's a small pocket you get your hand up and around. Otherwise, you'll play hell trying to get to it lol.
I had just completed doing this job last night and wish i found this thread earlier no one is lying about that too bolt it is truly a PITA lol it took me 6 hours hours to change this starter pretty much cause i didt have the proper tools for that top bolt. Whats worse is you cant really get any wd40 on on the rusted bolts to help loosen them either.
This posting was a huge help (especially for the top bolt). After checking with the local university, after changing an F150 starter, one qualifies for an honorary doctorate in gynecology.
First off, Watson91 thank you. Without this info i would not have been able to do this job myself. I ran into a jam and needed my truck today. I got it fixed and I am good to go.
That being said, if you can pay to have this done - do it. The job is miserable.
I just spent around 3 hours trying to remove the top bolt...........ended up stripping the bolt completely, should have just taken it in to the shop but I had to try. Now its frustration and probably more expense. Main mistake was using 1/2 instead of the 13MM to start with. I did not realize it was 13MM until I started reading post on this forum.
how to replace starter solenoid on a 2001 f150 5.5l triton v8
Originally Posted by Concept81
Boy, I coulda used this last week when I had to do my 1999's! But honestly it wasn't too hard to figure out. Like you said, that top bolt is a total PITA and I cannot see it being possible without taking the wheel off for access.
Nice write up and pics!
It's not something one can learn, more like a lifestyle haha. Never 're moved the tire or lifted it using a Jack of any kind. Lol I can actually do under the wheel well and sit up almost upright andlast back and do the whole thing in like 30minutes. Stay awesome everyone. ( you gotta hear hire I do fuel pumps without rejoicing any gas. Even a full tank take out easy everyone
I just took this project on this morning and know that I would have given up had I not found this post !
The project still took me 3 hours (on my back) as I only have a 3/8" u-joint and a broken 1/2" u-joint ( UJ ) and therefor did not have the prescribed UJ-Extension combination. Much more important than one could ever imagine !!!
Here is why.... ( I know this because I have perfect 20/20 vision!)
The Magical combination of the...
3/8" Socket + 3/8"-1/2" adapter + 1/2" UJ
sets the perfect distance from the bolt/socket to the pivot of the UJ. Any distance in this area that is shorter or longer will cause a conflict in the path of the extensions, causing them to hit the exhaust manifold or frame.... So now...either the socket pops off the bolt head or the UJ binds up..... Sucky
The past few years I've had slow cranking at times despite a massive new battery. It was intermittent and seeing many of our generation truck have starter failures, I figured I'll give it a go. Some of the diesel techs at work agreed the starter could cause this. So I picked up a brand new one from partsgeek.com a few weeks back (pure energy brand - decent reviews on the brand from google searching) and installed it today.
What a nightmare that top bolt is. Including an emergency trip to home depot, cursing sessions, wizz breaks and a desperately needed food break, it took 5 hours. Tough job. I left the top bolt off. No way I'm putting that back on. I have seen many people with modular motors leave it off with no issues. I do have a removal tip. Get all the bolts loose then rock the starter and you can turn the top bolt easily by hand. The bottom two weren't bad at all. In summary, great writeup and I knew I would eventually use it back when Watson posted it. Truck starts very quick now and hopefully it continues. I'm going to have the OEM Visteon one rebuilt by the auto electrical rebuilder in town to have as a spare.
Im pulling the 4.6l engine in my 07 f150 and the starter top bolt is one pita!
if anyone wants to make the job simple as possible when accessing it from underneath u need a full length of 7.5" from start of the socket to the end of the ratchet, it needs to be exact to get full swing. to get this length i used a long handle 3/8 ratchet, 6" 3/8 extension, 3/8 to 1/4 adapter and a 1/4 13mm socket(12 point), deep socket is too long and using a 3/8 13mm socket without the extra 1/2" the 1/4 adapter gives you and you come up too short.
the long handle ratchet gives you the reach to find the bolt and it gives you the leverage to break loose a stubborn bolt.
pic attached.
Oh yes, I had my 2008 FX4 5.4 exhaust repaired under warranty a few years ago.
I am replacing my starter now and it took forever to get a socket on the top bolt. Took over a day and finally I got a mirror on the bolt. Guess what? No bolt!
The idiot who repaired the exhaust either forgot , unlikely, or was too lazy to put the top bolt back in, More than likely.
So of course it's the weekend and the Ford dealer is closed and I'm 1 bolt short. I managed to get a bolt at Auto Zone.
Boy, this is the 3rd time that FORD has screwed me on warranty repairs.
Different dealers, same type of mechanics or bosses that tell the mechanics to hurry up, especially on a warranty job.
I just spent 2 days trying to get that damn bolt back in. Here’s how I got it in.
Before you even install the starter, put thick grease in the hole where that bolt goes in. Then stick the bolt in flush so that when you gently put the starter in position, you can then tighten down the other two bolts half way. You can now tighten that nasty 3rd bolt, all the way, and finish tightening the other two bolts completely.
This worked for me. Good luck.
My name is Justin. I’m getting ready to replace my starter as I believe it just went bad. I have power and lights in the cab but it will just click and not turn over. I checked my battery and the fuses. I think the starter is the issue. When I went under to look at it I noticed this is in my way. Can you or anyone tell me what this is? I would need to disconnect this to get to the starter.
thank you
Originally Posted by Watson91
Well I recently had my starter hang up and leave me stranded for awhile about an hour away from home. As soon as I got it started I decided it was time to have it rebuilt. So here is my how-to right up as I didn't find any other instructions on it.
Items You Will Need:
3/8" Ratchet
13mm Socket
2 Short Extensions
1 Medium Extension
Air Wrench
1/2" Ratchet
13mm Socket
1 Long Extension
1 Short Extension
1 Swivel Extension
1/4" Ratchet
10mm Socket
(my pictures shows a few extra things, but this is the basics that you need)
Picture of Starter (note 3 bolt holes)
Step 1
Unplug your battery before removing this all. Make sure your engine is cool, the starter is located right next to the exhaust and oil pan.
Step 2 This step is optional, but makes it a lot easier to work. I removed the wheel from the front passenger side to make it easy for when you get to Step 4.
Step 3
First you want to remove all connections on the starter. Mine had a red plastic piece that you must pop off. There is one small connection requiring the 10mm socket, and then two that require the 13mm socket.
Here is all the connections after being removed.
Step 4
Remove the top bolt on the starter, it requires the 13mm socket. It's a total PITA to get to and remove, but easiest if it comes out first. My suggestion would be to reach your hand around the outside of the starter and feel for it. I then attached the swivel extension on the back of the socket. Then you have to run the one long 1/2" extension through the fender well and attach to the swivel extension. Then using the air wrench I loosened the bolt. (do not try to remove it all the way, you just want to break it loose)
I assembled roughly how it should look when its inside and on the bolt.
Once you have the bolt broke loose, you should be able to use the 1/2" short extension with the 13mm socket to remove it by hand the rest of the way.
Step 5
Now you will remove the other two bolts. One is located directly over the solenoid and the other is behind where you removed the ground wire. To remove the one over the solenoid you should use the 3/8" ratchet with the two short extensions and a 13mm socket. The bottom one should easily be accessible with just one short extension.
At this time you should be able to remove the starter and either repair it or replace it. To reassemble i would do those steps in the reverse order.
take out easy everyone
