Starter issues.

[1ton-o-fun]

Thanks you two.
I'm talking about my truck. '93 C3500 5.7L, 4L80E.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I'd have used a new purple-colored wire if any local stores had purple wire. I keep most colors on hand, but didn't have any purple.

12 gauge GXL wire - Individual Color and Size Options

12 Gauge GXL Wire - YOUR CHOICE HIGH TEMP AUTOMOTIVE WIRE IN in black blue red green white yellow gray orange brown pink OEM INDUSTRY STANDARD WIRING MOTORCYCLE CAR TRUCK HOT ROD DO IT YOUR SELF CUSTOM TOP OF THE LINE WORK FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL WORK

4rcustomswire.com

They sell colored and/or striped wire in lengths that are useful for us hobbyists. I ordered a couple dozen different colors in varying lengths for rewiring my Jag.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Check the small terminal on the solenoid that the purple wire goes to. It may be loose. Not a common problem, but my Burb had it, and tightening it up fixed the issue. Also, how good are your cables and battery connections? And ground wires? These trucks with their computer brains really don't like bad grounds.....

 

[stutaeng]

It's weird you were able to start it after rolling it back...I wouldn't think the little gear of the starter would engage if you had done that? Unless it never disengaged when you initially tried cracking, and the rolling got the starter to "unstick."

Do the basic diagnostics on just to double check, but sounds like a starter to me.

 

[thinger2]

Ok. When I got the truck, the starter stayed engaged a couple of times. Had to jump out like a madman and disconnect the battery. So I went to the mom and pop place here in Louisville that has been rebuilding starters and alternators out of their home garage since the late 50's. Cheapest and best quality around.
In the last month, it's done the same thing a couple more times. Then about an hour ago, I came home from work , shut it off, and got back in about 5 minutes later and it wouldn't crank. No click, no crank. I put it in neutral and let it roll back about a foot and slammed it in park... Turned the key on and it fired right up.
Anyone have an idea? I've got 11 more workdays that I have to depend on it daily before I can fix the Crown Vic.

I assume you mean the starter still cranking after start and not the starter dragging after start.
Dragging is usually a mechanical problem.
Shims, bad bendix etc.
Cranking after start is an electrical problem.
Most of the time.
Ive seen it and experianced it a few times and it was always low volts bad connections bad grounds etc.
The solenoid will not move far enough to make a solid contact all of the way around it.
It will move just enough that only one part of that plate makes contact.
And that part essentially bridges that gap and welds itself together.
So now you have a burnt part of that plate that makes contact instead of the entire plate that could make contact.
That little pile of molten crud is now keeping those contacts apart.
Ford solenoids do it to
If its staying on and cranking
And not just stuck and dragging.
That is a solenoid problem or a a key triggerd solenoid problem

 

[Dropped88]

You also said you rolled back and throwed it back in park.

Possibly could be a neutral safety switch flaking out also

 

[1ton-o-fun]

Yes. Starter keeps trying to start the running engine. Interstate battery is less than a year old, alternator is less than 6 months old. Probably corroded wires on the starter and bad grounds...
About that Big 3 kit I've had laying around... lol! Might be time to dive into that this winter.

 

[GoToGuy]

Did you really try to shear the parking pawl in the transmission? What is the connection with the starter not releasing? It's not a grounding issue, by what you're describing is starter continues to run. So is it starter still being energized after start and key to run position. Or key to run and bendix not released now being driven by ( instead of driving ) flexplate ? Hmm.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Yep that sounds like the starter bendix/drive gear is staying engaged in the flywheel, which is usually because the "S" terminal ( the little one that gets its juice from the ignition switch) is staying energized when it shouldn't. And the starter itself is either still energized from the battery and the big terminal, which makes it spin; or the starter is being spun by the engine. Either way, a wiring/ connections issue in that something is touching that shouldn't,and being made hot or completing the circuit by grounding, or you have a malfunctioning neutral safety switch or ignition switch.
I have also had the experience of connecting the wires back to the starter solenoid terminals and finding out,once I reconnected the battery, that the "S" terminal and the"B" one ( the small wire and the big wire/cable) were touching. If you're under it when that happens, you'll be surprised how fast you can get out from under the vehicle to disconnect the battery!

 

[AuroraGirl]

how is the OPs shifter cable if his year has a cable and not a lever(I am to believe early 4l60e used the old mechansim way not a cable?. I would assume that was the same across those rwd ones?)