Install a new starter not the coil

[Ed Lijewski]

Fear you or your partner exercising your high mileage Scorpio (or XR)) may get stranded by a no start?

It's verifiable that original starters fail before an original coil will. The reason is simple: starters have moving and meshing parts while coils don't.

Sometimes a failing starter will give indications of a developing fatal issue, but typically those signals may be discounted, as ephemera, or even willingky ignored.

And in some instances a starter will just not...start.

Install a new coil if you feel you must.

But install a new/rebuilt starter because deep down you know you should.

YMMV

[my8950]

Not sure if it is the same starter as the XR, but if possible, switch to the PMGR starter that the newer 2.3's & 5.0 had on them...

[brokencase]

Scorpio starter is different than XR. The real kicker is that its not even shared with Ranger/Bronco 2.9L

Not sure if it was unique to the Scorpio or not.

Sounds like Ed had something bad happen with his starter.

[Ed Lijewski]

Sounds like Ed had something bad happen with his starter.

Not really, last year just deduced from a tell-tale sign on my '88 that recurred randomly a few times that a starter swap soonest was better than at some time uh down the road.

YMMV

[brokencase]

What was the tell tale sign of impending failure?

A while back I bought a replacement internal plastic gear for the starter. It was cheap on ebay...like $5 or so.
I had seen on the forum somewhere that this was a part that often wears out.

[Ed Lijewski]

Started normally setting out from home to shopping center parking lot. After loading car, turning the ignition switch got no starter action. A few seconds later on retry the starter engaged. Filed that in memory, thinking maybe the shifter wasn't fully notched in P so the NSS possibly was involved, and when days later that recurred but wiggling the shifter made no difference I suspected the starter solenoid was likely functioning erratically at best. The battery charge and connections were fine.

YMMV

[brokencase]

That is the same symptom I get when the harbor freight battery disconnect loosens up.

You know, this guy... https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-d ... 97853.html

Funny thing is that everything else in the car powers right up.

I then pop the hood and tighten the green knob a bit more and it cranks right over. Yes I know. I need to do something about this.