The Ford F150 4.6-liter engine relies on a starter motor to get it running. The starter motor consist of an internal motor in a heavy lead casing that ejects a gear, known as a bendix, to turn the 4.6's flywheel and start the truck. If the motor should fail, or the gear refuses to eject, the starter turns into a giant, useless paperweight hanging from the bottom of your engine. Anyone with basic auto-repair skills can replace the starter on a 4.6-liter in a Ford F150 in about an hour.
Open the F150's hood and remove the negative battery cable from the battery terminal with your battery wrench.
Climb under the passenger side of the F150 with your jack stand and socket set. Position the jack stand under the starter motor to prevent it from falling when you remove the mounting bolts.
Remove the starter wiring from the base of the starter with your socket set. Remove the two starter mounting bolts with your socket set.
Pull the F150's old starter away from the engine and off the jack stand by hand. Use caution, as the starter motor is very heavy.
Slide the new starter motor into place on the jack stand. Thread the starter mounting bolts in by hand before tightening them with the socket set.
Connect the starter wiring to the new starter with your socket set. Climb out from under the F150 with the old starter, your socket set and the jack stand. Reconnect the negative battery cable to the battery and close the hood.
