I've had an on going starting problem with my automatic 6 cylinder 2000 F150 truck. The starter was replaced in November. It sounds great when my truck decides to start. I never know what will happen once I turn off the engine, if it will start again so I can get from point A to B. I had a new key made at the dealer thinking my key had gone bad. And in December my ignition jammed and a new ignition switch was installed. What happens is I turn the key and nothing, just the lights on the dashboard come on. No starter noise, no noise at all. Yesterday I went to the grocery store, came out to start my truck to go home and the same thing happened. Since this truck has been towed 3 times in the last several months I wanted to make sure my truck as indeed dead. I tried starting the truck a dozen times, no exageration. Only the dashboard lights would come on. I called the tow truck convinced my repair shop now had something solid to go.
The repair shop had previously told me that unless the truck was in complete failure, they had nothing to go on. My husband picked me up & we left because it would be 45 minutes before the tow guy could get there. When I called the repair shop several hours later, they said the tow guy STARTED THE TRUCK UP with no problem! The young woman who I spoke to told me to come get my truck, because they can't do anything with it, because it starts. I told her I tried starting the truck a dozen times and it would not start. She said they would check it out on Monday.
So knowing my luck, the piece of junk will start for them on Monday and I will continue to be in a pickle. I called another shop and they said unless the truck is in failure, they have nothing to work with. I then called the dealer and they said I might have a wire that is not grounded. They also said NOT TO LET THE TOW GUY START THE ENGINE if I can't get it started and tow it to the dealer. He said it can get very expensive trying to trace down the problem. When pressed further, he said it would cost $150 an hour to try and trace the problem. And who knows how many hours that would take. Needless to say I am at my wits end with this truck. I have to hang on to this piece of junk for another 2 years until my husband's truck is paid off. Please help!

 

I understand your frustration and I think you would be better served if this was in the correct forum as someone may have had a similar experience or problem such as yours. A moderator or admin should move this to benefit you.

 

This does sound like a classic case of the shift lever not completely closing the switch that shows it is in Park. I'd be willing to bet that the truck will start if placed in Neutral when it won't start in Park.

 

Yes, I had jiggled the stick a few times thinking it was not all the way in park. I did have success starting my truck on a few occasions once all this started doing that. Yesterday, I had no luck with the jiggling resulting in a start. So what do I tell the mechanic? I'm beginning to think they think I am a nut case. How much does a switch lever cost to replace and how long approx should labor be? My truck is at the auto repair shop, so I can't try to start it in nuetral. I did try to do that yesterday, but couldn't move the stick over to nuetral. Yes, my truck is an automatic, so I don't know if my terminology is right calling the shifter stick that.

I had come up with a cold start, hot start idea before I read the possiblity of the switch lever not competely closing the switch.
I never have a problem starting the engine cold. My starting problem rears it ugly head after I've driven it some, stop somewhere, come out to start it and then nothing. When I've had the truck at the repair shop in the past, they've gone out and started it up with no problem. They claimed they did this frequently throughout the day. They never drove it around though, so the truck never warm or hot so to speak in order to cause something to malfunction.

More information on the switch lever, please! Thank you for your input.

 

probly a better to ask this in the 2000 model truck forum. I dont want to sound like a butt............... however, they would know.

 

check ground wire between motor and frame. Motor sits on rubber motor mounts and is isolated from frame. Try using jumper cables and run one from battery ground to a good solid ground on motor - no painted bolt when it won't start. If it starts, gnd issure.

 

moved to 1997-2003 section.

 

I changed a starter on a Bronco I had, and was too lazy to replace the heat shield that protects it from the transmission and crank heat...well...I dont remember if I was too lazy or just forgot, probably just forgot. The result, was if I drove around anywhere and I was just going to run in I had to leave it running because when I came back out if I shut it off I had to let it sit for about a half our to let the starter cool off. The guts on the inside heat up and temporarily seize it.

My friends loved this too.

 

Jeannie, did you ever get a solution to your starter problem?

I'm having the exact same issue. We've replaced the starter twice already. No, three times. After the 1st time, we drove the truck a few months, and it failed to start again. So, we put in a new starter. It worked two days and went out. The parts store said these starters were notorious for that, and gave us another. It's been about 6 months, and tonight the truck refused to start for my wife again. Another tow bill. In the meantime, we did have a problem with the shift lever not going into park, but the truck would start easily in neutral. We took it to a shop and they fixed the shift linkage in the steering column, and that problem was solved. Totally different from the starter problem.

Has anyone else out there had the same problem? Were the starters just too weak for the job back then? Is there an after market starter that fits that has more durability?

 

Sounds very familiar I had the problem in my first 2000 F-150 5.4 v8 would turn it for over and over most times at a gas station had a tow guy come down and try and it worked could never figure out what happened drove it for months like that ended up replacing the starter, alternator, and battery. never had a problem. then on my 2007 for ranger I got in 2007 and did the exact same time at least 6 times a day everyday replaced all the same parts on the f-150 with no success. Now I own Two 2000 f-150 the newer one has not had any problems go figure.



I don't know how true this is but I had a mechanic tell me that sometimes a fuel pump can do that somehow don't quote me on that.