Jinxed starters

I'm having one heck of a time with starters! I've got a '93 Ford Aerostar. I've probably put 4 or 5 starters in it in the past 3 years. The most recent one lasted four months. I'm starting to think I need to carry a spare starter and jackstands in the back with this thing.

I can't figure out if I'm jinxed, if I've got some underlying problem causing this, or if rebuilt Ford starters just plain stink. I've bought them from Napa, from Ford, and a reputable local parts shop, all with the same result.

Electrically, everything seems to be fine. The starter relay seems to work correctly, battery voltage is fine, connections seem fine. When I remove the starters, I don't see any signs of abnormal wear on the teeth.

The failure modes for the starters have varied. Two of them had problems with throwing out the drive gear; the mechanism seemed to be jammed.

If any of you folks have any ideas, advice, or suggestions, I'd sure appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you,

Terry Noe snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

Reply to
Terry Noe
Loading thread data ...

"Terry Noe" wrote in news:q6W1c.6213$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com:

I learned a long time ago - don't buy rebuilt starters. It doesn't seem to matter where you buy them - they all seem to come from some Thrid World rebuilder where probably little is done to them but new bushings, brushes, and a coat of rebuilder gray paint.

The added cost of a new starter (which sometimes is surprisingly low) is well worth the peace of mind.

Reply to
donutbandit

Reply to
Thomas Moats

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.