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1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

BorderGuard
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1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Hi,

New member here and from what I have found, there's lots of good info here. I'm having a problem with my 1998 F-150 4X4 with 4.6L engine. I went to start it the other day, and when I turned the key, everything went completely dead, and all I got was a loud click. I checked the battery cable, and noticed the negative cable at the battery was corroded, so I took it off and realized the clamp was broken. I found a replacement cable online at a price of $130, which was quite a shock, but is cheap compared to the dealer price of $230. I put the new cable on, and still the same problem. Turn the key and you get one loud click and everything goes dead. Release the key, and you get the power back. The battery seems to be okay, and I did try it with another battery with the same results. I assumed the click I hear is coming from the solenoid, but I haven't listened under the hood to see if it's the relay. I'm sure I hooked the negative ground battery cable up right. It goes from the battery to the top stud on the solenoid with auxillary wires on both ends, one going to the relay on the firewall, and one going to the frame, by the passenger tire. The stud on the solenoid also has a small coil of wires going right into the starter. Do I have that right??? Could it be a short in the starter? There were no warning signs anything was wrong, it just happened. The battery cables do seem to heat up when I try to start it. Before I tear the starter out, I will take off the connections on the solenoid and clean them up good, but I don't think this is the problem. Any thoughts or comments? If I do replace the starter, should I spend the extra $40-$50 and go with a rebuilt Motorcraft, or are the other replacement brands just as good. Thanks for any help you can give me.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

It's not very difficult to diagnose your problem as long as you have a voltmeter and an assistant (or a remote starter/switch).

Use the voltmeter to look for a large voltage difference across what should be a solid connection while the starter is trying to crank. Keep the time of each cranking attempt to the bare minimum and allow the cables to cool between attempts lest you let the magic smoke out of the cables.

Start by "load testing" the battery by connecting the meter leads to each battery post (not the clamp!) and attempting to engage the starter. A bad battery will drop to almost nothing from its open-circuit charge condition.

Then test the cables and connections. For example:

Negative post to engine block
Positive post to starter relay on firewall
Starter lead from relay on firewall to starter motor terminal

A good connection will only drop a few tenths of a volt across those points while a faulty connection will, in your case, drop almost the full battery voltage across the cable when the starter is engaged.

A normal starter motor might pull 100-150 amps while cranking the motor. It is possible to have a defective motor (jammed, for instance) that pulls more than twice that and it pulls the battery down when engaged.

If in doubt, you can always pull the starter and take it to the parts store for a free bench test. That way, if you need to, you have your core right there for your exchange.

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If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by RobbieRob »

Hi guys/gals! I am currently having the same exact problem with my 1998 Ford F150 as BorderGuard had. BorderGuard, I am wondering what was the result of your problem? What ended up fixing your no start issue? My truck will start perfectly fine at times, and then once in awhile I will turn the key and all I get is a CLICK. But then if I usually wait a few minutes, the truck will start. But I want to get this problem solved.

So far I:
1) Put a brand new battery in
2) Put a brand new starter relay in (firewall)
3) Cleaned the battery terminals and connectors, as well as all the connections going to the starter relay.
4) Tightened up the truck shifter, as I heard sometimes a loose shifter can cause problems with the truck starting due to the truck thinking it's in gear instead of in neutral or park during a truck start.

Two years ago I put in a brand new starter/starter solenoid, so I am thinking that that starter and it's solenoid should be ok. But at this point, maybe I should look to that as being a possible problem as well, even though it's fairly new.

Also, if there was a good way I could test the neutral safety switch and ignition switch I will try that as well. The problem is its hard to test all these components when the problem doesn't always occur.

Also when I put the voltmeter across the ignition wire going to the starter relay all I got was like 3.5 volts. But I am wondering if that is the correct voltage when the key is in the run position, but wasn't actually being cranked?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

projectsho89
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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

Also when I put the voltmeter across the ignition wire going to the starter relay all I got was like 3.5 volts. But I am wondering if that is the correct voltage when the key is in the run position, but wasn't actually being cranked?

That terminal should be HOT IN START. At any other time, it's an invalid value (unless it gets shorted to HOT, it happens).

My best suggestion for narrowing down the issue is to wire up a temporary light bulb between the starter relay small terminal and ground, place it so you can see it, and watch it every time you start the engine. If it lights, the engine should be cranking. If it doesn't, you'll at least know which half of the system the issue is at and you can then back up to fuse F21 and repeat the exercise. Continue half-splitting the circuit until you identify the portion of the circuit that has the intermittent open circuit.

2001 F250 SD V10 4X4 - Just arrived Feb 2011

If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

BorderGuard
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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by BorderGuard »

RobibieRob,

I can't remember what I did yesterday, let alone 5 years ago!!!! I checked my bookwork and found that in July of 2010, I replaced my starter. Even though you replaced yours a few years ago, it seems to me that some of these re-built parts that you get these days don't last very long. Now, I'm by no means a mechanic so I don't deal with them on a regular basis, but just over the years of trying to repair my own vehicles and equipment from when we operated the family farm, that is my personal opinion. I have not had trouble with my starter since I replaced it, but yours could be showing signs of giving out again. Good luck!!!!

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by RobbieRob »

Thanks for the replies guys!
BorderGuard, I think I am going to replace the starter either way. But I may also have a faulty ignition switch :(.

Projects show89: I remember getting 3.5 volts coming out of the wire that comes from the ignition and connects to the S terminal on the starter relay on the firewall. I had it disconnected from the relay with the truck off, ignition just on start, but not cranking. Should that wire be hot with 12 volts even though I'm not cranking? Is the lower voltage ok?

Tonight I:
Checked for power at the BATT+ post at the starter itself, it's currently getting 12.45 volts, with the truck off.
Checked the ground connection at the starter, the connector and nut were a little rusty, but I tested the ground wire and it was a good ground.

Now I was going to buy a new starter/starter solenoid, which I believe maybe the problem, even though I replaced it a couple of years ago. But tonight I tested the wire going to the starter solenoid and measured the voltage while the engine was being cranked, and I got around 10.8 volts, and I measured the voltage at the terminal on the starter relay that leads to starter solenoid wire while the engine was cranking, and got 11 volts and change. I was under the impression that the voltage that comes in from the ignition wire to the starter relay should be 12 volts and then the wire going to the starter solenoid should be putting out 12 volts during cranking as well? Or is it acceptable to be lower then 12 volts DURING cranking at those places? And if that voltage is lower then required, does that mean my ignition switch is faulty, what else would cause that lower voltage and what would need to be replaced, if it is indeed incorrect? Thanks for any help you can provide me with. I really want to get this fixed. It's driving me insane now.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by tjreams »

The normal voltage to the coil with just the key to run should be about 6-8 volts, that's why the bypass on the starter relay which gives it a full 12 volts for a hotter spark on start up. Once running it doesn't need as much spark and the coil lasts longer with the reduced voltage.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

tjreams wrote:The normal voltage to the coil with just the key to run should be about 6-8 volts, that's why the bypass on the starter relay which gives it a full 12 volts for a hotter spark on start up. Once running it doesn't need as much spark and the coil lasts longer with the reduced voltage.

That system went away long before his truck was built. I haven't seen such a ballast resistor in years.

I remember getting 3.5 volts coming out of the wire that comes from the ignition and connects to the S terminal on the starter relay on the firewall. I had it disconnected from the relay with the truck off, ignition just on start, but not cranking. Should that wire be hot with 12 volts even though I'm not cranking? Is the lower voltage ok?

The voltage on the S terminal is only valid in START as noted above. The lower voltage is just "noise".

Now I was going to buy a new starter/starter solenoid, which I believe maybe the problem,

There is no evidence at this point that the relay is bad. I still recommend the diagnostic light previously recommended as you're just guessing right now.

It is normal for battery voltage to sag under load. Your readings while ranking are not alarming at this point.

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If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by Florida_Mike »

Having the same problem.

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Registered: 08/16/11
Posts: 980
Loc: Northeast Florida
I have a 98 F150. 186K miles. Had an incident in August, turned the key and only hear the relay click. Called for a tow, but before they arrived, it started. Thought it had something to do with the starter being hot. Had a new starter installed. A few weeks later it did it again. Luckily I was just at the end of my driveway. Put in a new starter relay and all was good; for 6 weeks. Then it did it at work and got towed home. Checked voltage across the lugs of the relay and no voltage;(a YouTube video showed there should be). So I replaced the relay again. Started up fine. Then today I drove it for the first time since replacing it. When I went to go home, again, nothing but click. I was at the parts store. Got another relay and started to install it in the parking lot. Once I disconnected the positive lead from the battery, I decided, just for giggles, to try something. I just hooked the battery back up and it started normally. So what would be in the start circuit that was possibly reset by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery? I figured that is the only thing that is common with each "fix". The disconnect and reconnect of the battery.
Thoughts?

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

Sounds more like an intermittent battery or cable connection.

2001 F250 SD V10 4X4 - Just arrived Feb 2011

If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

projectsho89
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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

It's a lot easier to "find out" by doing simple diagnostic tests with a meter than to go through the process of finding out by trial and error....

2001 F250 SD V10 4X4 - Just arrived Feb 2011

If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by Florida_Mike »

projectsho89 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:18 am It's a lot easier to "find out" by doing simple diagnostic tests with a meter than to go through the process of finding out by trial and error....

The battery is good, and not that old. New cable ends were installed when the battery was replaced. The starter is new. The starter relay is new. So what diagnostics would you suggest? Any help is appreciated. As I said all I did last time was disconnect and reconnect the positive cable at the battery.

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Re: 1998 F-150 - Starter, Solenoid, or Relay?

Post by projectsho89 »

Voltage drop testing (google it).

2001 F250 SD V10 4X4 - Just arrived Feb 2011

If your original owner's manual is missing, download a soft copy from https://www.fleet.ford.com under the Parts and Service tab.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain