2011 Ex 3.5 Starter staying engaged

[Michael Pigman]

Hi Everyone,

I looked to see if there were any other posts like this but didn't see any so I'm not sure if anyone else is having this problem.

I have a 2011 Explorer with push button start that I rarely drive. If I don't drive it for a few days, it starts normally. If I start and stop it several times during the day, the starter remains engaged after successfully starting up. Eventually, it will disengage. I know this is hard to answer, but is this likely a starter replacement or a relay hanging or does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers!
Michael

 

[Rick]

Hi Everyone,

I looked to see if there were any other posts like this but didn't see any so I'm not sure if anyone else is having this problem.

I have a 2011 Explorer with push button start that I rarely drive. If I don't drive it for a few days, it starts normally. If I start and stop it several times during the day, the starter remains engaged after successfully starting up. Eventually, it will disengage. I know this is hard to answer, but is this likely a starter replacement or a relay hanging or does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers!
Michael

Yep it is hard to diagnose. It could be the Bendix drive on the starter sticking, or a relay that is staying energized putting power to the starter when it shouldn't be. You can test if it's a stuck relay by putting a volt meter on the starter cable when you have someone crank the engine. Of course it will have to stick while you are testing it... Good luck with that.