New van to me. first changed the battery. no crank. then I jumped the starter solenoid. fired right up. got a new one in. tried it no crank. put it in neutral it slowly cranked once. then never again. I tried jumping the new solenoid would not start. I'm thinking Maybe the neutral safety switch. also the ignition is sticky turning the key forward , sprayed pb in there helped only a little. what could it be?

 

Pretty sure your engine uses what is called a pole shoe starter.
When power is sent to the starter motor, a magnetic field is created that pulls a shoe down which engages the starter motor and also indexes the starter drive to the flywheel.

What should be done first is to verify power is getting to the starter when the key is turned to the start position. This can be easily done with a simple test light.
If power is getting to the starter , tap it with a small hammer (only on this type starter) , if it starts now starter requires replacement.
If no power is getting to the starter, verify the relay, which on Econolines is mounted on the firewall just to the right of center. That relay, has one cable from the positive post of the battery connected to it and when the relay is energized closes the path for power to go to the starter motor. When the key is turned to the start position, power from the ign sw goes thru the neutral safety sw down to activate the relay.
With that info you should be able to verify the path for power to the starter motor.

 

Do the headlights work? Do they dim when you turn the key? I am assuming you mean "would not crank" after replacing and jumping across the solenoid.That would rule out the neutral safety switch. If you can't get the starter to function while jumping across the solenoid, you either have bad cabling, faulty connections at the battery between the solenoid and the starter, a bad ground at the engine, between the starter and bellhousing or a bad starter itself. Starters can act up intermittently. Sometimes tapping on it gently with a hammer or piece of wood can make it work until it fails again. That would be a good test to perform. Myself, I would troubleshoot what I have mentioned using a volt meter and a helper to turn the key.
The stiff ignition at the column is a common problem with old Fords. There was a TSB issued long ago that mentioned the type of grease used in the column would dry and stiffen up in the cold weather. Sometimes the effort needed to work the ignition would break a connecting gear which activated the ignition switch. Only way to rectify is to disassembe the column, clean out old grease and apply a silicone lubricant in there.

 

im guessing these teeth are worn. not hardly any lube to speak of.

 

I have the steering column torn down. not much lube to speak of. submitted a picture. the starter engages the motor. does not run. have to turn key super far and hard forward. started cranking after jacking with neutral safety switch. head lights don't dim. it has led headlights .

 

going to check the ground next .

 

The ground from the battery serves the starter and the lights.

Seem to have conflicting info.
Anytime you jump the relay , the starter should crank the engine. Does it. yes /no ?
From what you describe the problem is coming from the ign sw because the linkage from the key has a problem. To get the vehicle to a comfortable place to work on, as long as you can insure the ign is in the on position , and you jump the relay,(shift lever in Park) the engine should start and you should be able to move the vehicle to a better work place. Too late since you have the column apart now. Just make sure when reassembled that the ign switch which is mounted on the LOWER STEERING column is adjusted correctly to only allow the starter to operate in the PARK OR NEUTRAL positions ONLY.

 

I greased the column and got it back together . key turns better not perfect. I changed the chassis ground. it cranks with key. it cranks by jumping solenoid . but will not run. yesterday day before I did anything I was getting a no crank .

 

Are you getting power to the distributor?

 

Monday I can work on it again. I went ahead and ordered a neutral safety switch. I put on a new chassis ground wire. I guess I got to be a big boy now and do some diagnosing with a multi meter. all lights work great. I will check power to the distributor. I have not messed with the ignition switch yet. when I first had no crank. I replaced the battery just because. still had no crank. so I jumped the solenoid. instantly fired up. so I thought that had to be it. I changed that . no start since. even by jumping solenoid. but I got it cranking with the key by greasing the inner column . anything to check with a multi meter let me know