If the starter on your 4×4’s diesel engine has failed, or if you simply want to be proactive and upgrade your rig’s starter, Powermaster Performance has something you need to see. The company offers its Ultra Duty Diesel Starters, which are designed to handle the tough workload of cranking over a diesel engine.

Shown here is the Powermaster Ultra Duty Diesel Starter PN 9058. This unit’s fitments include Cummins 5.9-liter and 6.7-liter turbodiesels. This unit makes 260 pound-feet of torque, 3.6 horsepower, and has 5.5:1 gear reduction.

The Starter Is A Critical, Unsung Hero

A 4×4’s starter is a critically important component that we often take for granted. We routinely turn the ignition key or push a start button, the starter whirrs, and the engine starts. We can thank Charles F. Kettering for inventing the starter. Prior to Kettering’s invention, starting an engine wasn’t easy. For example, the Ford Model T had a hand-crank start, which required a bit of mechanical gymnastics to operate. The process included activating a hand brake, using a lever to retard the engine’s spark, priming the engine, and properly grasping and pulling the crank lever.

Before the electric starter, the Field Marshall single-cylinder, two-stroke, diesel-powered tractor was started by inserting a smoldering wick (a quasi glow plug) into the cylinder head. Then, a blank shotgun shell was inserted into a breech on the engine, and a protruding firing pin was tapped with a hammer. The resulting charge in the bore sent the piston through its stroke, and the engine started.

Pictured here is the Ultra Duty starter from Powermaster for 2011-2017 Ford Power Stroke 6.7-liter turbodiesel engines. It features 4 horsepower, 275 pound-feet of torque, and 4.75:1 gear reduction.

About Powermaster’s Ultra Duty Diesel Starters

What Kettering invented, Powermaster Performance has refined—this time for a wide range of light truck diesel engines. The company’s Ultra Duty Diesel Starters lineup includes units with up to 275 pound-feet of torque. Average horsepower across applications is 3.6, and most applications feature a 3.8:1 gear reduction assembly. All have a heavy-duty solenoid that can handle extreme heat. The company says, “These starters are able to turn over the most aggressive diesel engines in the harshest of environments.”

Applications include Ford Power Stroke and non-Power Stroke engines, Dodge/Ram Cummins engines, and General Motors Duramax and non-Duramax engines. Each starter is a direct bolt-in and has a durable black wrinkle finish. It’s also notable that Powermaster Performance offers factory refurbishing services for all its starters.

For more information about Powermaster Performance’s Ultra Duty Diesel Starters and the company’s entire line of products, visit powermastermotorsports.com.