[Ranger]

Those of you truck owners, compact in particular, how long has your starter lasted?

My stock only lasted 88,500 miles.
My rebuilt doa'd at around 55K, it's not going anywhere right now.
Went out without any warning again.


Just curious if anyone else has starter issues?

 

[broke not]

Nope.

FWIW, rebuilt or remanufactured starters, alternators, etc. vary widely as far as quality is concerned.

What year//model is it? Or is your forum user name a clue?

 

[Ranger]

Big clue. 2001 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 Edge, manual. Don't get it, my starter on my Escort never went out in 150K.

Are trucks that much harder on starters or is the Ford one a POS.

 

[ASCSurveyor]

Don't buy a Ford? :dontknow:

Kidding, of course. My biggest concern would by why is it going. Something is causing it to fail prematurely, IMO.

I've only got 31K on my Frontier, and the only thing I've had go is the battery.

 

[Ranger]

And I know it's not that, battery is 2 months old. I have full electronics, fuel pump prime buzz and no click. Did this last time as well.

Mike, that's why I'm wondering if the starter for it is insufficient.

 

[ASCSurveyor]

I could ask my dad. He's been a parts guy for almost 40 years. I'll pick his brain tonight and see what he knows. K?

 

[donniej]

Is it the starter or solenoid? Are you swapping them yourself?
as already stated, reman'd parts vary wildly in quality (even big names).

PS. 155K on my 1993 Chevy 6.5L turbo Diesel and it's probably the original starter.... good thing too since a new one probably costs more than the truck is worth

 

[Ranger]

Sounds good Mike, I would appreciate another point of view.

 

[Ranger]

Donnie, there is no click. That is all I know.

 

[nyc rugby]

My old Ranger (my dad has it now) is on the original at 195,000 or so. I think it's a '95.

 

[ASCSurveyor]

E-mail sent to dad. If I'm lucky, I'll hear something back tonight. Otherwise, I'll try and let you know tomorrow.

 

[acer66]

I have 101k miles on a 98 Chevy Silverado 1500 starter here in LA meaning a lot of short distance drives with a lot of starter use.

One of a few things on the truck which hasn`t failed me yet.

 

[broke not]

...and my Ranger, (a '96 4.0 with 125K), has its original starter as well.

One of the biggest problems with remans, is that stuff is cleaned up like new....but if a component, (like an integrated solenoid), still works....it's often re-used.

The other big problem with remans, is replacing stuff with lower-than-OEM quality parts.

Still, even with reman stuff, your starter "consumption" seems excessive. The truck isn't often up to the hubs in water or anything like that, is it?

EDIT:

Just saw in the other thread that you have power to everything else, but no starter click or anything. Since it's a stick, make sure the clutch switch is working.....

 

[thejimdaddy]

my 'yota went at 120K, i was hitting it with a hammer to start, it didn't completely go, $500 for a new toyota starter

 

[Ranger]

Just saw in the other thread that you have power to everything else, but no starter click or anything. Since it's a stick, make sure the clutch switch is working.....

Haven't found it yet. The Haynes for this thing is a beast to interpret. I picked up a new starter to send with it to the shop. I'll try to bump start it tomorrow or wed. In the mean time, I'm going to go look for the switch, I already checked all the fuses and relays, nothing there. It's now dark and I have no garage so it will have to sit.

 

[Verbal Kint]

I had a '99 F150. I had to replace the starter once. One of the mounting points physically broke. The starter was still working, but it was no longer mated to the engine properly.

Your snowy, salty, locale could be a contributing factor to the early demise of your starter.

 

[NextSV]

Do you have a kill switch (security key) on the vehicle? I had a Dodge that had a security fob (key/chip that went under the driver's side dash) and it burned through starters all the time for about two years. Finally found out that the security key under the dash was getting not fully connecting. I never took it out (because I worried about loosing it), but my knee had knocked it just loose enough to cause an arc--the arcing was burning out the starters somehow. After that, I started checking once a week to make sure the security fob was all the way in. I never had another starter problem.

 

[02SVSRIDER]

I had to replace the Starter in my Jeep when it had about 110k on it, but it's had a hard life. (Totaled twice with minor accident in between all before I got it.)

 

[Ranger]

Yes, I have a security key, the truck will not start with the valet key.

I have a few things to check when the weather improves. I will look for the key fob thing. That crossed my mind as I had to dismantle the interior to replace the dash lights last fall. Yet one more thing to look up but good info.

 

[donniej]

You can bypass all security devices that prevent cranking the engine as follows...

There are 3 wires on the solenoid. They are...
1: Power from battery
2: Power to starter
3: Switching signal

1 & 2 are large wires which are held onto a ~3/8" shaft with a nut.
#3 is a much smaller wire which usually attaches to a 1/4" spade terminal, the male end is on the starter and the female is on the wire.

Attach a piece of wire to #3 and jump it to #1 or the battery. Even with the key off, this will crank the engine (but not start). Since your truck is manual shift it will also make it move if it's in gear.