Okay I know this is going to sound stupid but what is the name of the relay/solenoid that mounts on the firewall by the battery? The battery runs to it and the starter wires will also run off the other post. I`m 630 miles from home and truck died and I can get it started by jumping the 2 posts together and it fires right up so I need to replace it. I dont want to have to do this everytime on the way home after I shut it off and need to re-start
For the life of me I can not remember the exact name and the parts guys here are clueless. I thought it was called a starter relay but I was mistaken. Any idea on price?? If its less than my 50.00 deductible on warranty I`ll do it myself.
Driving 600+ miles has drained my memory on this one... Glad I have my laptop and access to this site right now

 

I know them as horn relay or starter relay.. Besides that I don't know

 

Many call it the starter solenoid, but it's the starter relay.

 

Thanks guys. I thought it was the starter relay but they kept showing me the solenoid that mounts on top of the starter which also had 3 poles on it. I kept telling them no it wasnt it but couldnt name the correct name.

Its appreciated.

 

Well I have returned from NY with a vehicle that caught fire.
The issues I had with the relay got far worse than expected and thankfully I had the extended warranty. The truck finally started on its own but somewhere in the whole starting circuit something went very bad. Within seconds of starting the truck the wiring and starter solenoid started smoking and caught fire. We were able to kill power in the circuit and stop any more damage from being done. Had the truck hauled by a flatbed to the nearest dealer for repairs. Everything from the battery to the starter got replaced.
New parts included:

New Starter
New Solenoid
New starter relay-firewall
New Battery
New POS and NEG battery cables with the in-line fuseable links.

Everything was covered except the battery cables so I was left with a 252.00 bill for deductible, labor for the new cable installs.
Its fixed and working now but with no explanation other than a corroded battery cable at the starter....seems like alot of parts to replace for that but I`m just glad its working. The one thing I noticed is the new cables are wrapped in heat shielding all the way down which the old ones had little of. Great service by Bob Bonaski Ford in Macedon NY on all the repairs and easy warranty work and rental coverage with the Ford Extended Warranty

I did get a free rental of a 2004 F150 4x4 Supercrew for the days the dealer had my truck. Nice ride with a 149 miles on it but far more sluggish with the 4.6 vs the 5.4 in mine.