Hi all,
New to the board and also pretty memory-challenged! Have a 1989 F-150 4 speed 6 cyl., w/AC and a bazillion miles (actually 180K). Please bear with me for a ridiculously amateur question. The loud, fast chattering/clicking upon trying to start...That's just a plain ol' dead starter motor, right? Already gone through a battery, alternator/voltage regulator, and a starter solenoid that turned out to be a dud anyway.

Was cranking hard and occasionally not at all, and/or stalling and idling erratically until warm. Briefly heard a weird chattering yesterday while driving (sounded like dry leaves in a fan, but turning the fan off didn't stop it). That went away after driving a few minutes. Got home, turned the truck off, then smelled something burning (maybe wire insulation)!

Threw in a new solenoid, then the chattering began (and stayed on even after the key was removed!). Threw the old solenoid back in...and now it's still chattering (but does stop when key is removed). Of course the truck won't start at all. Damn, what am I doing wrong? Any suggestions appreciated!

 

Your problem seems to be the solenoid, but you already replaced it, what are the odds that the new one you got it's also bad, it has happen before. Put the new one back on again and try to start your truck, if the solenoid rattles, tap it with the handle of a screw driver. Let me know what happens.

 

Ford had a giant recall on their ignition switches some years back, and if memory serves me right, I believe that the f150 was involved in the recall. Call your local Ford dealer and give him your vin# to see if yours has been replaced yet. Quite a few Fords burnt to the ground over this one. j.b.