slow cranking / no start. end of my rope.

cbuttre835 · Jan 25, 2013

I've about had it. Between the two trucks I have, I'm scared to leave the house in either of them.

I had a battery fail a month ago. Truck was sluggish to crank for a few weeks; and it would occasionally reset the PCM due to the low voltage dips when cranking.

I tested them and one of them would collapse to <zero> under load. They were Walmart batteries made by Exide. Three years and two months old.

So I replaced the bad one under warranty. The other one tests perfect. Truck starts OK for a couple weeks. Then I go on call, and don't drive it for a couple weeks.

Last week - off call, need my truck again. Won't start. Cranks over realllly slowly, slower than before, but voltage stays up enough that the PCM doesn't reset every time.

I put the 140 A booster on it and it started OK. I ran my errands and it started fine. Until my last stop; it barely started.... I headed home scratching my head.

The new battery tests right in the bottom of the acceptable range (using a Schumacher load tester); it is a JCI from Walmart. Old one (Exide) tests perfect. Alternator tests OK under load on the Schumacher, and my ammeter indicates good charge. Factory voltmeter is between the R and M in NORMAL.

So -- with what appear to be good batteries, I have to jump it or put the 140A booster on it to get it to start.

On the other truck - the one with the burnt wires in the IPR harness that won't run either - the bad starters just quit all at once. (the OEM and both replacements).

his truck still has the OEM Ford starter.... 1997 model with 229,000 miles.

Do starters just get weak? I've never seen it before.

dustinz85 · Jan 25, 2013

Mine just started doing this yesterday I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I think can hear some arcing when I start it, last time it did something similar to this the started was loose.from the tranny shop and it wasn't grounding properly, hopefully this is what it is this time. Plus idk if the cold weather has something to do with it.. its been in single digits all week here.

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TyCorr · Jan 25, 2013

Take the starter out, go to auto electronics shop. Pay $30, leave with rebuilt starter. Test again. With two.batteries, a bad starter will be masked until the starter is gone.alogether.

Id get the alternator rebuilt too. But I dont like dikking with stuff like that. I was on that walmart.battery.merry go round for a year. I changed mine every three months. No thanks. Bought two big ***kers at sears.....all my electrical.voodoo went away.

cbuttre835 · Jan 25, 2013

dustinz85 said:
Mine just started doing this yesterday I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I think can hear some arcing when I start it, last time it did something similar to this the started was loose.from the tranny shop and it wasn't grounding properly, hopefully this is what it is this time. Plus idk if the cold weather has something to do with it.. its been in single digits all week here.

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THIS.... is interesting.

Cause I just had the tranny built, and I can watch the trans temp gauge flicker whenever it gets ready to shift.

Time to crawl under it and check for grounds....

POWER-STRUCK · Jan 25, 2013

also check battery cables, if the lead has turned black on the battery post or cable then you prolly have high resistance and they need replaced

TyCorr · Jan 25, 2013

POWER-STRUCK said:
also check battery cables, if the lead has turned black on the battery post or cable then you prolly have high resistance and they need replaced

Thats gonna hurt the butthole! The 2-0 set for my superduty are 380 from ford

DIE5EL · Jan 25, 2013

I just did my trans also. I forgot to hook up a ground strap that hooked up with the trans oil dipstick. It's a braided strap. My dash was funky and alternator wouldn't charge right . Hooked it up and have had no problems since. It also cranked really slow

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POWER-STRUCK · Jan 26, 2013

TyCorr said:
Thats gonna hurt the butthole! The 2-0 set for my superduty are 380 from ford

if you need a positive cable set just let me know, i have two extras that i accidentally ordered from ford when they were on backorder!

02POWERSTROKE7.3 · Jan 26, 2013

POWER-STRUCK said:
if you need a positive cable set just let me know, i have two extras that i accidentally ordered from ford when they were on backorder!

Have a positive cable set for a 02 7.3? If so what would you want for it?

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cbuttre835 · Jan 26, 2013

TyCorr said:
Take the starter out, go to auto electronics shop. Pay $30, leave with rebuilt starter.

I tried that, sort of. Except it was $192 for a new one. :lookaround: :shocked:

Don't know of an old-school rebuild shop in town; but there is one in the next county up the interstate I am told.

New starter with a $5.00 core charge fixed me right up. I'll take my $5 core to the rebuild shop.

Old starter was still hot to the touch a half hour after I removed it.

I've never had one get weak... put that one in the record books for me.

littleredstroker · Jan 26, 2013

I spent 3 weeks in north Dakota @-20* plugged in, and with jumpers, slow crank and just thought it was batteries... Gear reduction starter problem solved

sent while trying not to JJ My rods!!!!!!

POWER-STRUCK · Jan 28, 2013

auto trans 2c3z-14300-ca $66.76
manual trans 2c3z-14300-fa $91.54
both are for 02-03 with single alternator positive cables

dustinz85 · Jan 29, 2013

cbuttre835 said:
I tried that, sort of. Except it was $192 for a new one. :lookaround: :shocked:

Don't know of an old-school rebuild shop in town; but there is one in the next county up the interstate I am told.

New starter with a $5.00 core charge fixed me right up. I'll take my $5 core to the rebuild shop.

Old starter was still hot to the touch a half hour after I removed it.

I've never had one get weak... put that one in the record books for me.

so a new starter fixed your problem? i still havent messed with mine yet, i moved the truck today and mine is still slow, i guess ill have to go get a new starter. but yeah a $5 core is so stupid, ill go get my core rebuilt and have a second starter on the shelf :shrug:

littleredstroker · Jan 29, 2013

Lucky.. core charges here are half the price of new unit

sent while trying not to JJ My rods!!!!!!

cbuttre835 · Jan 29, 2013

dustinz85 said:
so a new starter fixed your problem? i still havent messed with mine yet, i moved the truck today and mine is still slow, i guess ill have to go get a new starter. but yeah a $5 core is so stupid, ill go get my core rebuilt and have a second starter on the shelf :shrug:

Yep. I asked for a 2002 mdl yr starter from O'Reilly, to get the gear drive. It was a brand new, not reman, so I guess that's why the minimal core charge. They had two-bolt and three-bolt mounts; I got the three-bolt.

It's crazy how fast the truck cranks over now. Makes me want to run a compression test... thinking I can't have over 300 PSI now.

Always gotta be paranoid about something.

dustinz85 · Jan 29, 2013

cbuttre835 said:
Yep. I asked for a 2002 mdl yr starter from O'Reilly, to get the gear drive. It was a brand new, not reman, so I guess that's why the minimal core charge. They had two-bolt and three-bolt mounts; I got the three-bolt.

It's crazy how fast the truck cranks over now. Makes me want to run a compression test... thinking I can't have over 300 PSI now.

Always gotta be paranoid about something.

Mine has a two bolt can you use a three bolt?

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old man dave · Jan 30, 2013

The late SD 7.3 starter use a two bolt mount, the older SD/OBS starter use the three bolt starter, they mount into the same place fine but the Late SD (2002?)is a gear reduction type, cranks faster and is way cheaper than the three bolt starter.