Do you ever face intermittent starting issues with your Ford F250 vehicle? If this happens, the engine may crank but not start, or start after several trials. This is really frustrating and you never want to see this, right?
What are the reasons behind the Ford F250 intermittent starting problem? Bad starters, faulty battery cables, corroded battery posts, and faulty fuel pumps are some of the most common causes of the issue. However, there are several other major and minor culprits too. No worries, you can fix these problems with proper guidance.
Here, we’ll explain all the key intermittent starting problems of the Ford F250 car with their solutions and rebuild costs. So, let’s learn how to troubleshoot F250 vehicles’ intermittent starting issues by yourself.
What Are The Most Common Ford F250 Intermittent Starting Problems?
Typically, new Ford F250 trucks work smoothly without starting issues. But due to accidents or malfunctions of any important component of the car, it may show a no crank, slow crank, or a hard start that will result in intermittent starting problems. Some of the common Ford F250 intermittent engine issues include-
- Starter problem
- Faulty battery cables
- Corroded battery post
- Fuel pump issue
- Faulty battery
- Relay or fuse issue
- Bad alternator
Solutions Of The Ford F250 Intermittent Starting Common Problems
After getting ideas of different potential culprits of intermittent starting symptoms of the Ford F250 cars, you may be keen to fix these issues. Here we’ll cover several of the major F250 intermittent starting problems and their solutions.
#1- Bad Starter: Replace The Starter
Are you facing intermittent starting problems with your F250 car and hearing any clicking sound? Most likely the culprit behind this is the bad starter. There are numerous gears in the starter that may get damaged over time which could prevent the smooth start of the car.
Several major reasons behind a bad starter are a faulty battery, a problem with the neutral safety switch, a blown relay, etc. By following the steps below, you can replace the bad starter easily.
- Step 1: At first, disconnect the positive end of the batteries. Put some fabric or insulator on the positive end so it can’t touch the battery.
- Step 2: Remove the 16 mm nut from the solenoid that is located underneath the starter using a wrench or socket. Also, disconnect the ground cable and power wire.
- Step 3: Then remove the 10 mm nut of the starter.
- Step 4: So, the starter is free to remove, hence detach it from the car.
- Step 5: Now install the new starter. For that, connect the 10 mm and 16 mm nuts snugly. As well as attach positive and power cables.
F250 starter replacement requires 250 to 400 bucks on average, where $100 is the mechanic cost and the remaining cost is the parts price. The video below explains the F250 starter replacement process.
#2- Faulty Battery Cables: Replace the Cables
Sometimes your Ford F250 car may encounter hard starting or intermittent starting problems due to the battery cables. The cables get damaged due to rubbing or when they get older. Voltage drop testing or battery testing may help you find out the faulty cables.
Any cable like positive, negative, or whole harness cables may be the culprit here. Don’t worry, you can solve the problem by following the steps.
- Step 1: Connect the multimeter to the battery and test the voltage drop after changing different cables separately like positive cables, negative cables, harness cables, etc.
- Step 2: Change the battery cable that is causing the problem. A good battery and cable connection will show a voltage between 12.2 to 12.6 V.
Depending upon which battery cables are faulty, you may spend 30 to 100 bucks to replace them. Also, you need to pay $50 on around to the mechanic to test and change the cables. Here is a table showing the exact cost idea of the faulty battery cable of your F250 car.
| Battery Cable Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Positive side terminal battery cable | $30 to $60 |
| Negative side terminal battery cable | $25 to $50 |
| Battery harness cables | $10 to $30 |
Pro Tips: While changing the battery cable make sure the car is turned off. You may require a wrench and spanner to do that. After replacing the faulty cable, connect all the cables in right place tightly.
#3- Corroded Battery Post: Remove Corrosion
If your car is old enough, you may see corrosion in the battery posts or in the cables. This will hinder the electricity to flow easily hence you might encounter intermittent starting problems in your F250 car. Let’s know, how to solve the issue.
- Step 1: Remove the cables from the battery post.
- Step 2: Remove the corrosion of the connector ends using steel toothed brush, wire wheel, or emery paper.
- Step 3: Spray rust removal or put grease on the posts or corroded cables to avoid rusting in the future.
- Step 4: Connect the cables and check everything is running well.
- Step 5: If the battery terminal is totally damaged, replace them.
You can solve the problem without any cost if you have a wire wheel, steel-toothed brush, or emery papers at home. The replacement battery terminals on Ford F250 may cost around $20 to $50.
#4- Fuel Pump Issue: Replace the Fuel Pump
The fuel pump plays an important role to pass fuel into the fuel tank. So, if it won’t work properly the ignition process will also be interrupted. This will be a reason for the hard start or intermittent starting of the F250 automobile. In this case, you have to replace the fuel pump in the following methods.
- Step 1: Before removing the existing faulty fuel pump, make the fuel tank empty.
- Step 2: Now detach the heat shield by removing all the 13 mm nuts using a socket, drill machine, or other tools. Also, disconnect the electrical connections, vent solenoid, and fuel pipe of the faulty fuel pump of your F250 vehicle.
- Step 3: Then remove the fuel tank. Before that put two-floor jacks under the tank to support it.
- Step 4: After that remove the existing fuel pump. To do that, remove all the screws
- Step 5: Now install the new fuel pump. Then reverse the actions above and check whether everything is running well.
To get a Ford F250 fuel pump, you need to spend $600 to $900 on average. Where $450 to $700 is the parts price and the remaining costs are mechanic costs.
Pro Tips: You can also remove the fuel pump by removing the car bed.
frequently asked questions (FAQs)
We have already covered the important things regarding F250 intermittent starting issues. However, you may have more questions. Here are some of them with answers.
Does Ford F250 show intermittent starting issues in cold?
Yes, F250 vehicles struggle to start if the temperature is too low. In cold or winter, the battery can’t supply cold cranking amperage (CCA) properly, thus you may notice an intermittent starting problem. Older battery shows this problem most.
How to diagnose the culprit behind the F250 cars’ intermittent starting issues?
On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) will give you a quick result to trigger the responsible part of the car for the intermittent starting problem. Luckily F250 vehicles come with the diagnostic tool OBD.
To figure out the problem, connect the wire of the OBD to the car. After that, the control unit will analyze it and send you the code according to the problem.
Summary
Ford Intermittent starting problem isn’t frequent but this may happen anytime. After facing the issue, you should first find out the exact culprit behind this. If the OBD doesn’t give you the desired result to detect the problem, take the car to an expert mechanic.
Sometimes you may troubleshoot the F250 intermittent issue by doing some small repairs but bear in mind the replacing the faulty parts. Best of luck!
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