Hey guys, i've got a 1998 4.2L F150 with just over 176,000 miles on.. I had let her sit for a while (maybe 3 weeks) Went to crank her and she started to turn over but nothing. Then she started. I ran her for a couple of days then parked her for about a week. Went to start her again and same thing.. I figured it was the starter since it would try to crank but just couldn't do it. I took the starter to O'Reillys we tested it.. it sounded like it had nothing but sand in it.. So I bought a new one with the solenoid. Put it in, replaced the plugs, wires and oil. When I pulled the #5 plug some coolant poured out (i know.. not good). Went ahead and tried to crank her and I got nothing.. had my battery checked and it had a bad cell. so I put in a new battery. Tried to crank it again and it started to turn over but no go.. I noticed that the battery cables and the starter were extremely hot to the touch. Could I have put the wires on wrong on the starter? If I had would it even try to start or would it just melt? If that's not it I guess my engine is siezed up... any advice??

 

too much load on the cables will make them hot.

you need to find out why there is a big load. you said you found coolant on #5 plug. was this on the outside around the plug or in the cylinder. if you have a leaking head gasket, coolant can leak into the cylinder and hydro lock it.

also the battery cables are know to corrode inside and cause starting problems. try and bypass the cable with a jumper cable to test it.

clean and check the ground also.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.. I am able to turn the crank with just a ratchet and some elbow grease so I'm guessing no sieze.. As for the coolant.... to the best of my knowledge it just came out from the spark plug hole.. no visible coolant anywhere external .. When i drained the oil it was dark black. no hint of coolant. It wasn't a large amount of coolant.. I would guess a tablespoon or 2 ... Does this help any?? the cables all seem to be in really good condition considering the age of the truck. No major corroding that I'm noticing

 

My bro-in-law suggested I pull a plug or two relieve possible high compression and see if it will crank... is this worth trying??