f150 won't start on just 1 battery

[99yam40]

a voltmeter attached to the 2 large studs with no power hooked to them will read zero volts

[panasonic]

Ground was to starter housing per service manual. I reversed leads on the voltmeter and had 0.000 . Everything I've read says position of the leads is immaterial

Sir, I am just trying to help and I know you are frustrated with your problem...I would be too.

I asked you two questions:

-Was your "METER" set to Ohms when you preformed the test laid out in the service manual? Yes or NO (I suspect it was, but need to be sure)

- The picture I posted has nothing to do with that test, I just wanted to know if you got your starter to turn over on the bench, as hooked up in the picture? If you hooked it up to a battery like that then it should work. If not then we may be getting somewhere!

If you can kindly answer these two questions it may help.

[gsdanno1]

Ground was to starter housing per service manual. I reversed leads on the voltmeter and had 0.000 . Everything I've read says position of the leads is immaterial

[99yam40]

You have to put it on the web somewhere and then you can right click on the copy pic and then paste to the post.

he said he hooked the + to the brown wire, not to the large stud

[panasonic]

How do you get an attached picture to remain large on the post?? Like the one Fairdeal posted in #112.

[panasonic]

Please see attached picture.

Did you hook your starter up to a battery as shown when it was on the bench?

If so, the Bendix gear should have been thrown out and the starter should have turned.

[panasonic]

starter passed all the voltmeter tests EXCEPT the magnet switch , which is what everyone calls the solenoid. It showed 0.011 when I did the test which involved hooking jumper cables to positive brown/white wire and then ground to starter body . Volt meter leads connected to the 2 lugs on the solenoid. I would have thought starter would have spun freely , but it just kicks out the starter gear . If this is enough evidence to buy a solenoid , that's what I'll do

Ok that's what is supposed to happen. If you just put 12 volts to the brown/white wire and ground to the starter body, it energized the solenoid and thru out the Bendix like it should. Just like turning the key to start.

But because there was NO power hooked to the Positive lug (one of the big lugs) then no power to turn the starter was available.

You had your meter hooked to the two main lugs and you where measuring ohms, correct? So you got 0.011 ohms resistance?

[gsdanno1]

Got it. I at least now understand that part of things !

[fairdeal]

its a conventional design, the solenoid has two big honking lugs

one for the battery power "in"
one for the power "out" - into the starter motor

if one jumpers the lugs it makes the motor run but of course the solenoid fork doesn't extend the gear

[99yam40]

I switched the leads on the tester , and continuity reading was 0.000 . I had everything hooked up per the service manual. Test leads to the 2 big studs on the solenoid, battery positive to brown/white wire from solenoid , then just touched the starter body to engage bendix . I'd send a pic but I just unhooked everything and mounted starter on boat . Same issue as before , and there's racoon poop on board !

If you did not have the positive battery jumper cable on the big stud on solenoid, then the starter will not spin once the solenoid is energized as the solenoid closes the connection between those 2 big studs to energize the starter winding.
at least that is the way I think it should work.
never looked at a starter on a a f150-

[gsdanno1]

Post 89 shows all my voltage groping results . The first results were from the battery to the starter

[gsdanno1]

My starter has the 2 big lugs on the front of the solenoid, the brown /white wire comes from the block beneath the pl asti panel , and goes into the side of the solenoid

[gsdanno1]

I switched the leads on the tester , and continuity reading was 0.000 . I had everything hooked up per the service manual. Test leads to the 2 big studs on the solenoid, battery positive to brown/white wire from solenoid , then just touched the starter body to engage bendix . I'd send a pic but I just unhooked everything and mounted starter on boat . Same issue as before , and there's racoon poop on board !

[99yam40]

I do not follow your testing very well. can you post a picture f the terminals on the solenoid?

Rod said that the F motors solenoid carries the current to the starter, so I get the old GM starter solenoid in my mind. it has 2 large connections and 2 small connectors.
not sure how yours is set up with your testing

[gsdanno1]

starter passed all the voltmeter tests EXCEPT the magnet switch , which is what everyone calls the solenoid. It showed 0.011 when I did the test which involved hooking jumper cables to positive brown/white wire and then ground to starter body . Volt meter leads connected to the 2 lugs on the solenoid. I would have thought starter would have spun freely , but it just kicks out the starter gear . If this is enough evidence to buy a solenoid , that's what I'll do