My '97 F150 refused to start yesterday. Had had no problems with this previously. Anyway, all I got was a couple of clicks under the hood. All the lights, radio, windows,etc. worked fine. Husband checked the battery (OK) and the fuses (also OK), so we were left with no choice but to have it towed to the mechanic.
I just got off the phone with him. He told me that our battery was weak and when I hit the ignition, it caused the starter to MELT. AND of course he can't get the starter out because all the bolts are rusted. After reading through posts here, I've determined that it might have been the negative battery cable or the starter or Heaven knows what else! We have put so much money into this truck in the past 2 years!!!! Does anybody have an idea what this fiasco is gonna cost?Are the Ford garages cheaper on most things than a repair shop would be? Should I get rid of this truck before it explodes? It has 88,000 miles on it and is slowly self-destructing. Somebody stop me before I go chew some nails!!!

 

Is this a Ford dealer or an independent shop? I'm not sure what the term "melted" means. I can't say I ever heard of a starter "melting".
As far as your problem goes, yes, it could be a number of things. Bad connection at the battery terminals (clean the battery posts and cable clamps), bad solenoid (mounted on the firewall, if so, not very expensive to replace), corroded cables (also not too expensive) or yes, a bad starter.
I'd check the minor things above before replaing starter.

 

The mechanic is an independent whom we've used for several years. He has been good and was reasonable. However, he has
started going by the manufacturer's "per job" charges, so his prices have risen to the point where we might as well take our vehicles to a dealer for any repairs (we suspect...hence the question). We told him to go ahead with this repair and got the bad news: $491. (245. for parts, 65. for a battery, plus labor and tax), plus the tow of course! Needless to say, we are shocked and very discouraged. This is not the first $500.+ repair to this truck.
About the "melting", he said that the battery was weak, so every time we hit the ignition it passed some juice to the starter (but not enough), which heated it up and melted the internal parts. I might not have that right, but that's the gist of it.

Questions: What do you think of this repair cost? Too late for this one, but we can change mechanics next time. How do we know the battery is going bad? It's been firing right up and gave us no warning. Does this mean that every time the battery gets weak, it's going to ruin something? Thanks for the input. We're trying to decide whether to keep the truck or sell it and try again (risky), but can't afford a new one. We'd like to know if these trucks are prone to mechanical problems (and which ones) at this mileage (88,000).

 

a starter will "fry" so to speak with low voltage...sort of like trying to run 3 phase motors on single phase in a brownout.. they will go poof in no time.. batterys die when they want mostly because they are installed wrong from the factory as far as i'm concerned..they should be mounted the "long" way like in drag race cars because the acid going back and forth into the plates under acceleration and stopping make them wear out faster..6yr batterys dont last 6 yrs..more like 4..but as far as the cost of the repair..it does seem a little steep in price...zap!

 

I have an independent shop and the charges you are showing seem to be in line.

A low battery will fry a starter. Without enough power to the starter it overheats it.

As far as your truck breaking all the time. It is at that age when parts are wearing out from use and age. It's hard to tell you what will go bad next.

I'd keep the truck, because a couple of repair bills are much cheaper then monthly payments.

Batteries....well here in Florida they usually last aprox. 3-4 years. Doesn't make much difference on what the warranty of the battery is. The heat here, the closness of the battery to the hood and engine "cook" the battery to death.

 

All of the things your mechanic told you or did to your truck are all feasble.

HOWEVER, is it likely that it was the starter? prolly not. most common is the relay on the fire wall and/or the cables.

One way you can always be sure you are not being ripped off is that you always ask for a complete diagnosis first before you approve of anything. If there still is a question as to what tests they followed to determine what was/is wrong ask them to show you. if they can't/won't take the truck somwhere else.

don't be afraid to ask lots of questions as to how they came up with their answers. Also, lots of private mechanics are not up to date on modern vehicles. (they still swear by 10w-40!!)

for instance I took my wife's old car to the dealer because it wouldn't run and they said they needed to tear the engine apart to find out what was wrong. so I asked them what they did check and they said "fuel and spark" I asked them how they checked the fuel and they said they took the air cleaner off and looked in the hole and it was wet. I asked what pressure the fuel was at (it was a throttle body car) and they didn't know. I said put it back to gether I will take it somewhere else. it turns out all it was was a loose rotor under the distributer cap!!!

trust me this is how a legit shop will work.

 

has anybody thought that maybe his starter melted cause maybe it was cold outside and he was overloading the starter by turning over a engine thats tight with junk motor oil that got thick as road tar? Amsoil Series 2000 Full Synetheic 0W30 stays the same thickness between -60 below to +260 degrees.

 

I paid $220 last week for a NAPA starter installed by my independent mechanic. The braided wire was burned in two. In my case it may have been caused by the exhaust manifold gasket leak on the passenger side that was replaced right before I bought the truck.

The starter bolts were too coroded for me to get loose, so my mechanic had to crack the starter housing to remove it. Glad I didn't bust it up. Seems like the exact stuff happened to mine except my battery is in excellent shape.

 

The truck is done. Invoice indicates that he tested the battery, re-charged & tested it and found it failed, checked cables, replaced starter, had to break bolts, clean and tap holes, cleaned & soldered solenoid wire & re-insulate and checked charge system voltage and replaced battery (lifetime warranty). We still consider this charge high. We had him replace the heater core in this truck last year and that's a monster job. Charged $525. for that. So replacing parts under the hood pales in comparison, but the charge is essentially the same! We have a long list of repairs done, most related to the age and mileage, and it still needs shocks and ball joints! You're right though...we think we're better off to repair this truck than to fork over bigger bucks for another one. The body's in new condition, 16" tires for the higher ride we like, rides like a car, tows a gooseneck horse trailer fairly well (not as good as our 3/4 ton did though) and, until it started double-crossing me, it was my all-time favorite vehicle! After reading all your posts, I feel much better about this. OK, I've calmed down!

 

glad to see all is well ...zap!