How to remove starter

[NickW]

I’ve found two threads that ask how to get the starter out, but the only response of a solution was that the owner had to pry it out. I’m don’t want to pry anything.

Does anyone with experience on this know the best way to get the starter out? Or maybe there’s a shop manual procedure that has the info?

Thanks

 

[NickW]

@FordTechOne, you seem to be one of the resident experts here do you have any insight on this by chance? Thanks

 

[GCATX]

No idea how to pull a starter from a Gen 2, but is the starter shot? Have you tried a known good battery?

 

[FordTechOne]

Workshop Manual is not specific, it just states to remove skid plates, remove the starter bolts, position the transmission cooler lines/bracket aside, and remove the starter.

 

[NickW]

No idea how to pull a starter from a Gen 2, but is the starter shot? Have you tried a known good battery?

I’m not 100%. I have a strange metallic sound when I start the engine and it is not at normal operating temps. I narrowed it down to this area and was able to “bang” on the starter which causes the noise to stop, start again, change intensity, etc. I questioned if it’s an issue with the flex plate, but it’s been going on for a year and I’ve had no other symptoms. Once the engine warms up to normal operating temps, the noise goes away 95%. I thought swapping out the starter would be the easiest thing to try, but jokes on me! Guess I’ll have to start looking at lifting the motor a little or dropping the trans, etc. Seems silly.

Workshop Manual is not specific, it just states to remove skid plates, remove the starter bolts, position the transmission cooler lines/bracket aside, and remove the starter.

Hey thanks for the quick response and information. I’ll update this thread once I figure it out for anybody searching in the future.

 

[GCATX]

You might google cam phaser noise and see if it's similar to what you're hearing.

 

[NickW]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've had the cam phaser TSB completed and since the noise changes when I hit the starter with a wooden handle, I'm pretty confident the issue is isolated to this area.

 

[NickW]

Ok, I got the starter replaced. This did fix the weird metallic sound that has been going on.

I notched out a corner of the motor mount. I don't believe that it will affect anything structurally with the mount. This is only my opinion, so perform this at your own risk and discretion. The section that I notched out as is a vertical section of the mount that rolls upwards, not a section that actually supports weight. FYI, I carefully and slowly used a reciprocating saw (sawzall) to do this.

I would typically not want to cut any part of a motor mount, but the alternative would be to disconnect a ton of stuff and lift the motor, which I don't want to do. Pics attached for reference. I also filed the edges and applied black paint to prevent rust, but did it after the pics. Hope this helps someone else.

 

[Rick at FMS]

I just had my starter replaced a couple weeks ago by the dealership. Failed at less than 30k miles. My raptor wouldn't start right away but took several attempts, getting worse to almost trying 10 times or more. It finally failed and would not start at all. Hit it with a hammer, started right up. Dealership replaced it without hacking anything.
I was out of the factory warranty but have Ford PremiumCare ESP

 

[NickW]

Would love to know how they did it, this starter was not coming out without doing something significant. Mine is a '17, is yours newer? I wouldn't expect there to be a change, but maybe.