pm59723

Hey team!

So when I went out to the truck this morning I cranked it, it fired up, and the key stuck in the engage starter position making a terrible starter sound. I pulled it back and shut the engine off, now it won't crank or click.

I got the wife out there tonight and had her pop in the clutch and crank the key while I attempted to hop the solenoid with a screwdriver. Got a spark, but no action from the starter.

I also pulled off the small wire on top from the switch and tried to hop it with that, no spark there.

From what I've seen online of people trying this screwdriver hop, the starter generally cranks right up. I can't seem to find anything with exactly these same issues. Do you think it's the starter or the switch? Maybe the clutch engage switch? Is there an easy way to tell?

89 5.0 5spd.

Thanks!

Patrick

pm59723

Just took off the bottom of the steering column and the switch actuator is moving as it should. No battery drain issues. Bright lights. Radio works when key is in on position, dies when I push forward to "engage" starter.

88xlt

To hop the solenoid there is no need to have the clutch pushed in. For safety reasons, make sure the transmission is in neutral and leave the ignition switch turned off. The engine won't start with the ignition switch off, but the engine will spin over.

I realize you already tried to hop the solenoid. If you bridge the two large posts on the solenoid, you need to use something large enough to carry the full amp load to operate the starter, ie atleast as big as the inside of a battery cable. A large shank screwdriver would work.

If your battery cables are clean and tight, the engine should spin over hopping the solenoid.

pm59723

Thanks! Good to know on the clutch. I may have used a screwdriver that has too narrow a shank. My friend is stopping by with a multimeter tomorrow.

Just to be clear, if the engine turns over it's the solenoid that's bad? If I get the same result - no click no crank - it's the starter that's bad...assuming I get a reading on the ignition switch wire that only has voltage when in the starter-engage position?

If I get voltage on that line at all times there's something wrong on the switch end, right?

88xlt

If the engine turns over when you bridge the two large posts on the solenoid, you need to do some more testing. Assuming the engine does turn over:

Pull that little SLIP ON wire off the solenoid. Bridge that bare post on the solenoid that had the slip on wire on it to the large post on the solenoid that has the cable coming from the positive battery post. If the engine doesn't turn over the solenoid is bad. If the engine does turn over the solenoid is good and you need to look back toward the ignition switch.

raski

If your buddy is bringing a multi meter, just use that to see if you are getting energy on the starter side of the solenoid when turning the key to start. If not, you can probe any of the connections on the solenoid and troubleshoot that way without the light show.Why spot weld your screw driver.

pm59723

Great thanks y'all. So I'm taking from your responses that it's not the starter...haha

I did go back out last night and bridge the large connections again without the ignition on. Engine didn't turn, just sparks. I tried bridging the top post to the battery connection while the wife was out there. That didn't even spark, so I may have had a bad bridge there. Didn't retry later in the evening.

I guess I'm just not sure how to tell if the starter is bad unless it's making whirring noises with a working solenoid.

88xlt

When you bridge the two large posts on the solenoid, you are basically bypassing everything.

So if your battery is decently charged and all your battery cables and connections are clean and tight, the engine should spin over. Barring a bad starter.

pm59723

OK, so good news and bad news, it appears that the issue is on the ignition circuit. Once I used a large-enough gauge wire, I was able to get the truck to run by hopping the positive battery terminal to the switch post.

The multimeter reading on the switch circuit is zeroed out when the key is not in the starter-engage position, but only 7 volts when it's "engaged."

Unfortunately the ignition switch is kind of a pain to get to, and my friend was short on time last night so we weren't able to get in to get a clear reading on that, but we did check all fuses for drain and verified that the battery is in good shape.

So I'm off to grab a $14 switch and begin taking apart the dash...I'll let y'all know how that goes!

pm59723

Replaced the ignition switch. Success!

Thanks for all your help!