Last week my car didn't start. battery was fine and everything else looked okey .So I remembered an old trick. I found a stick and hit on the starter. And the car started right up in two seconds. right now I do that time to time and I know it's not gonna work at some point. I'm wondering if the selenoid or the starter is going bad and why is that hitting on the starter make it work??

 

yeah, your starter is going out on you.
replace it.

 

I'm thinking solenoid...

 

yeah it's the selenoid (?) LOL . just replace it with a rebuilt or a mini. the rebiulds go for arould $50-75, you can get a mini for like $120.

 

Maybe a flat spot on the armature in the starter. I had one like that and I used to hit with an axe but after awhile that did'nt work anymore. In any event, you'll have to replace it.

 

I wouldnt get a rebuilt one.It may cost more for a brand new one but they will last longer,I got three rebuilt one in one month before I said what the he!! I'll buy a new one and try it.I'm still happy with the descision.

 

Dejavu. I had this exact thing happen to me. It's the starter silenoid. It is attached directly on the starter. See the battery is giving constant juice to the silenoid, but when you turn the key, it lets that juice through. Sorry though, you can't just buy the silenoid. You have to buy the whole starter and that ran me 30$ for a rebuilt one. But there is a core charge. It was $15 but I got that back. But see what you are doing, is when you hit the starter it is making a connection for you, common sense. Dang man, dejavu. Good luck

 

You CAN buy just the solonoid, but since you have to remove the starter to do it, you might as well just replace the starter.

Two solutions to your problem:

1) Install a heat shield and/or wrap on the starter and solonoid. Shields runs between $8 and $12, and DEI makes a nice starter heat wrap for about $25 (I have one).

2) Install a remote starter solonoid. Just ask for a Ford starter solonoid at the counter, and install it somewhere cool like up near the battery.

 

yeah, you can replace the solenoid. In fact, that is what I would normally do. When you replace the solenoid be sure to rebuild the rest of the starter.

When mine crapped out, I pulled a starter from a 350 truck and rebuilt it instead of buying a new one. It actually costs more to buy the rebuild kit, but I found that my rebuild was more reliable than the new units can be.

It isn't that hard, just a couple of bristles in the starter motor and then a plunger unit and actuator in the solenoid...

-=-Mike