Ford E450 V10 Starter Problem

[Fearnoevil]

Well so far nothing's worked so I figured it's the starter. So I crawl under there to remove it and got the first bolt out but then discovered that the 2nd one was missing, THEN discovered that the reason it's missing is because a chunk of the mount on the engine was broke off (not on the starter though). So I believe this must have happened before they last replaced the starter which is why there's only 2 bolts holding it on.
Now I don't think this has caused the problem, that starter was on pretty tight, but I'm bummed cuz that looks like trouble just waiting to happen. Don't suppose there's any way of repairing that?

 

[Fearnoevil]

Yeah I've heard this debate before, especially on the Ford forums. Half say the Power Stroke is better than the Triton V10 and vice versa, and while the V10 tends to have more mechanical problems or is less robust, when the Power Stroke has problems they cost a lot more (plus some folks say the newer Ford diesels are not nearly as good as the older models (can't rmemeber what years they mean). But between a V8 and a V10, for heavier vehicles like my transit I thought you definitely needed the extra power, no?

 

[Fearnoevil]

That broken bolt hole is on the transmission case, not the engine block. So it looks like aluminium, so I guess the only fix is to take it to a shop and have them weld it, does that sound right? Wonder how much that will cost, and if it's necessary. Like I said it doesn't appear that that is the problem, the starter teeth look good so I'm pretty sure it wasn't binding or anything, just don't like being down to 2 bolts, and fortunately they are the two directly opposite one another. :huh:

 

[akrvbob]

With heavy weight, you want torque, not necessarily more cylinders or size. For moving heavy weight you always want a diesel!

However, you really aren't talking about a very heavy weight so I think the V10 is a good choice.

The only Ford diesel I would ever own was made by IH, the 7.3 or earlier engines. A very good engine built for medium duty trucks. But it is known to eat transmissions.

Nothing compares to the Dodge Cummins.
Bob

 

[Fearnoevil]

Bob, I won't argue there I owned a '98 Dodge 1 ton with the Cummins, carried a plus size camper and towed my 20 foot trailer LOADED with auto accessories. I drove if for 3 yrs, every week going from Boise up to the Tri-Cities in Washington up and over mountain passes and it never once gave me any trouble, good truck ;?D

 

[akrvbob]

The problem is Dodge doesn't put the Cummins in many vehicles while Ford puts theirs in LOTS of vehicles.

I've known quite a few people who loved their V10s, it should serve you well. Hopefully this won't cost you too much.

It's a risk on all commercial vehicles converted for living, often they are worked very hard and not maintained well. You get them and start digging around and start finding lot of problems like you have been.

Hopefully it all won't cost you much since you are so willing to do all you can to fix it yourself. I really admire you for that!

We're rooting for you. Hopefully you won't find any locusts!
Bob

 

[Fearnoevil]

BOOOMMM!!!!
It's alive, aahahhaa! Man, I put that new starter in (used that super Loctite so those 2 bolts will really hold), also changed out the battery cable clamps as well as the starter cable ends cuz they looked kinda beatup, and it fired up the moment I turned the key, I seriously could not believe the difference! Before, it took between 1 and 2 seconds to fire up, sometimes had to try a second time cuz it would die, but this time it practically exploded to life, I can't believe a starter can could make that much difference. Well I suppose clean electrical connections don't hurt. :angel:

I am seriously not a mechanic, but between the advice I get on this forum, and Youtube videos , I've certainly been able to save a lot of money in mechanic bills, so thanks again for all the input! And the starter only cost me $119 at Autozone (with the core trade-in of course) and a few other items came to about $25, so pretty cheap imo.

Now I'm going back out to change the oil and filter, air filter, transmission fluid and filter, which means dropping the pan, :dodgy:, but I'll feel better afterwards, just hope I don't find anything wrong with that. :huh: And thanks for the encouragement and moral support Bob, I figure with others expertise and my basic mechanical abilities, I should be able to tackle anything, like maybe I'll rebuild the transmission next.....
Just kidding, I know my limitations (well usually, lol).
;?D

 

[SternWake]

Congrats on a successful starter replacement.

I think you are better off not starting the engine every few weeks just to charge the battery. Use a battery charger, and when you want to run the engine, take the thing for a long enough drive and get everything warm. Long periods idling can be detrimental, and idling might never get the oil to full temperature and certainly not long enough to burn off the condensation that temp swings will induce in the engine.

Does your transmission pan have a drain plug? Dropping the whole pan can be a bit messy.

If it does not have a drain plug, you can add one, and this makes dropping 4 quarts and rejuvenating the fluid much simpler. They have kits to just drill a hole and instal a drain plug, or you can just have a threaded bung welded to the pan.

Not familiar with Ford Tranny Fluid requirements, but definitely find the good recommended Fluid and use it. Some of the Ford Forums likely have a ton of threads to search through on the proper fluid for your transmission.

I've had both Cork and rubber transmission pan gaskets. No issues with the rubber, but the Cork was always dripping

 

[flailer]

I believe they recommend "flushing" the transmission now-a-days, NOT changing the filter & fluid, as you can drain out only a fraction of the tranny fluid.
Basically they connect an oil filtration cart to your tranny, and let it run for a long periods, cycle out all the old, replacing it with new.

Can anyone set me straight on this? On the whos? Whys? & Whens?