1998 F150 wont start One large click

Bad starter

Remove it and Pep boys or Autozone will test it for free.

Maybe you have a loose connection down on the starter. If your lights don't dim and the voltage gauge stays in the same place when you hit the starter then no current is being pulled into the starter. Hence, the bad connection theory or a dead starter. If you could tap on the starter with a hammer, rubber hammer, or a heavy piece of wood while someone cranked that might elicit a start and comfirm the bad starter. And if it has over 100K on it then I would just go get another starter to begin with.

Don't pull the starter yet. That is a pretty good little job if you don't have to do it. Check the ignition wire connection to the starter solenoid on the starter. They sometimes get loose or corrode a bit. The fix is to clean it and use pliers to tighten the connector. Once you are sure it is clean and will be tight, give it a good coat of silicon or some kind of water proof grease or sealer to prevent the corrosion.

Good luck Lugnut

I sure can't argue with your idea of looking for the easy connection fix, Lugnut. If I sense something is near the end of it's useful life, like a battery, starter or brakes, I tend to go for the more complete changout to provide longer term reliability. In the short term this costs more. The poster did not state what the mileage was or his economic constraints so he will have to judge which way to proceed. Diagnosis is always the first move.

Thanks guys for your input. The problem was a broken connector from the positive wire going to the starter a $2.00 fix. Thanks Again "habsfan"

I don't know if the starter on that 4.6L is a three bolt or not but, if it is, the top bolt is a royal PITA to get out requiring a couple of feet of extensions and as much patience as sandpapering a wildcat's ass. I have seen that connector bad on several occasions.

Lugnut