I recently had my Ford e-350 Turbo Diesel 7.3 Liter repainted. After the paint job was complete and I got the van back, I noticed the radio would cut out, then climb back up in volume, then cut out again and repeat this. I also noticed that sometimes the van would not turn over at all. Auxilliary was working fine, but nothing when trying to start the van. Sometimes if I got out and jumped up and down on the front bumper and tried again, it would start. Not anymore! It won't turn over at all. Took it to a reputable mechanic. He said it was the starter so he replaced the starter. Nothing! After four days at that mechanic shop, I went down there to see what was going on. He gave me the keys and said "get it out of here! I don't want to work on it anymore!" So he could not fix it and was rude on top of that! Anyway, I took it to another shop and am still waiting to hear from them. HEEELLLLPPPPP!!!! Please???

 

Can we be a little more clear on just what is happening?
Usually when the starter cranks the engine over and the engine doesn't run is generally stated as cranks , but won't start.
If the starter doesn't operate at all , it doesn't crank over and when the engine doesn't run or start it just plain won't start.
When something doesn't turn over , which is it?
If it doesn't crank, its a starting problem and that could be anything from a defective starter ,poor connections in the battery/ starter system or even something with the batteries themselves.
If it cranks, but won't start now we get into a whole new set of conditions.
Some of which in this case could be fuel, air or both.
What year is the vehicle?
If it ran fine before the paint job , it could possibly be just poor connections starting from the batteries to the fuse block or poor ground connections.
Many body shops don't specialize in mechanical/engine work just body and paint work. It doesn't sound like a serious problem.

 

As stated. It does not crank, turn over. The starter is not turning over.

 

Oh, it's a 1998 7.3 liter turbo diesel

 

Regardless of what ever we post here now , probably the best thing is to wait and see what your second shop finds. We could post a lot of stuff and if none of it is what your second shop says they did , all it would do is get you more aggravated.
Hope you will understand.

 

I'd check the +12V and ground cables going from the battery to the starter, and also the starter relay - if you have one, I'm not sure about your particular car. The issues with the radio, and hitting the bumper to make the car crank, to me, look like symptoms of a loose connection somewhere. A paint job may be aggravating this kind of problems since painters often need to move cables around the engine bay to clear the areas that need to be sprayed again.

HTH ...