Years ago, like in 2013 ~before joining this forum...I also bought a D2 version because of the stories circulating of the reproduction ones sticking. I was thinking of how to best restore my original one or steal parts from a reproduction one to build one from the D2 as a donor for reliable parts...
As many have heard, I installed my restored engine into my project last weekend. What I hadn't shared, was various issues that surfaced when I went to start it...the PRIMARY issue was that my brand new, right out of the box D2 solenoid stuck on the very first cranking and stuck about every third time afterwards.
I bought another D2 from my local Ford Dealership and wasn't impressed with the "CONTENTS MADE IN CHINA" stamping on the box but I put in on anyways and, lo and behold...it also stuck 2 out of 2 tries.
I hunted up my old +200,000-mile C7 version an viola! It works perfectly every try!