Starter Questions have searched but please help !

for soemthing like that just head to Ford for the specs then get a grade 8 bolt for it. Just because you think its tight under the load of turning an engine the starter will flex and push away from the bell housing which will cause an alignment issue during start up. Also you could head to ARPs web site and see if they have the specs too.

3/8" X 1.5" long NC. That's the bolt size my 85 with the mini starter needed that I installed last night.

It sounds like the starter/bendix was damaged when it was loose, I would replace the whole starter with a mini starter from Jegs or Summit.

voodoo said:

it is a lifetime duralast gold so i could just get the new one. that bolt was fairly easy to put in. My battery was not fully charged when i was doing the tests. Gonna get it fully charged and buy a solenoid just in case. thanks for the advise.

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dude trust me i went through the same problem for two years when i first got my 87. leaving me stranded a couple of times. i went through four starters and the last one cracked the starter housing. i went and got a 93 mustang mini starter. plus i found out i had a c6 transmission and i guess that played some part in it too. other than that i have no problems so far. i just miss that old ford starter sound.

voodoo said:

ok guys i went and had the battery fully charged then grounded the battery to the block, changed the solenoid out and made sure it was flush against the fender. I go to crank it over and i get nothing at all. My dome light comes on when I open the door so I know the ground is good. I have not tried to do the old school screwdriver thing with the solenoid again. but I just bought it and still nothing. I have noone to help me other than you guys.

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hey did you replace your ignition switch?

I would be surprised if the ignition switch was bad, but it's possible. If the car is a stick, bypass the safety switch on the clutch pedal. If it's an automatic, the neutral safety switch could be bad. If it's an automatic, the next time it will not start, try putting it in neutral and see if it will start.

voodoo said:

I changed the starter and it fired right up three times in a row. The next time i went to start it the guages didnt move and there was no power but my dome light was on Could it be the ignition switch? I tried the screw driver thing again and the starter just cranked like new but car didnt start. I tried jumping the battery and nothing. how can i check the ignition switch and how hard and expensive is it to change out?

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ok. its not hard. just make sure you have the hex/star key tool set. unbolt the steering column. there are two long screws on the bottom that hold it together. use a phillips to get those out. the switch is right next to your key cylinder(where you stick in your keys) i cant remember i think its two hex screws. take out the harness to it first then unbolt it. a new ignition switch is no more than $6. i know that tutorial was a little sloppy. my battery dieing on my laptop. someone else chime in. im out....

voodoo said:

I changed the starter and it fired right up three times in a row. The next time i went to start it the guages didnt move and there was no power but my dome light was on Could it be the ignition switch? I tried the screw driver thing again and the starter just cranked like new but car didnt start. I tried jumping the battery and nothing. how can i check the ignition switch and how hard and expensive is it to change out?

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Bridging the starter solenoid terminals with a screwdriver bypasses the ignition sysem. The starter gets power but nothing else does. No power is routed to the ignition coil, computer or fuel pump. Therefore the engine will not run.

No Crank checklist for 5.0 Mustangs

Revised 30-Jan-2009 to reorder checklist and add cleaning procedure for connections.

Since some of the tests will bypass the safety interlocks, make sure that the car is in neutral and the parking brake is set. Becoming a pancake isn’t part of the repair process…

1.) Will the car start if it is jumped? Then clean battery terminals and check battery.
The battery posts and inside of the battery post terminals should be scraped clean with a knife or cleaner brush tool.

The clamp on with 2 bolts battery terminal ends are a know problem causer. Anyplace you see green on a copper wire is corrosion. Corrosion gets in the clamped joint and works its way up the wire under the insulation. Avoid them like the plague...

A voltmeter is handy if you are familiar with how to use it to find bad connections. Measure the voltage drop across a connection while trying to start the car: more than .5 volts across a connection indicates a problem.

See Automotive Test Tools for help for help troubleshooting voltage drops across connections and components. .



2.) Check the battery to engine block ground down near the oil filter, and the ground behind the engine to the firewall. All grounds should be clean and shiny. Use some sandpaper to clean then up.

3.) Jump the big terminals on the starter relay next to the battery with a screwdriver - watch out for the sparks! If the engine cranks, the starter and power wiring is good. The starter relay is also known as a starter solenoid.

4.) Then pull the small push on connector (small red/blue wire) off the starter solenoid (Looks like it is stuck on a screw). Then jump between the screw and the terminal that is connected to the battery. If it cranks, the relay is good and your problem is in the rest of the circuit.

5.) Remember to check the ignition switch, neutral safety switch on auto trans and the clutch safety switch on manual trans cars. If they are good, then you have wiring problems.

Typical start circuit...
Diagram courtesy of Tmoss &Stang&2birds


AutoZone wiring diagrams

For 79-88 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Vehicle Selection - Year

For 89-93 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Vehicle Selection - Year

For 94-98 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Vehicle Selection - Year

6.) Pull the starter and take it to AutoZone or Pep Boys and have them test it. Starter fails test, then replace it. If you got this far, the starter is probably bad.

Starter solenoid wiring for 86-91 Mustang



Starter solenoid wiring 92-93 Mustang or upgraded high torque mini starter.

more things?

also as dumb as this may sound,,check all of your fuses and relays,,,when putting alot of extra draw on a starter,these problems can also cause wires to over heat/melt and pop fuses and breakers...im not sure if you run a hot jumper to coil to see if car starts

switch

hey thats cool,,and sure i would change the switch to keep everything new at the same time,,hold on to the old one,,you might need it