Starter....NO starter...^%%$#

Jorge022770 · Post by **Jorge022770** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:50 pm

Ok...I connected all the wiring, re-installed the carbs, hooked the battery, and turned the switch........and again the same thing as the other starter....you hear the "clank, clank", but the engine doesn't crank. I don't know what is the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!

The starter that I removed seems to be fine....the battery is 2 months old, and the switch is certainly working as well. Could the problem be somewhere else and not the starter??????

Jorge

TR · Post by TR » Mon Jun 13, 2005 11:10 pm

Some things to check out and report back so we can help you diagnose:

Have you tried giving the battery a boost by jumping from another car?

What voltage do you have at the battery before turning the key and when on start?

Are your battery cables in good condition?

Is the car in gear?

Does the car roll freely in neutral?

Does the motor turn over if you bump start it?

Good luck with it and be patient, these things can be very frustrating...TR

spyder · Post by **spyder** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:53 am

What about "bench" testing the starter using jumper cables to see if it is good?

67 1/2 1600 · Post by **67 1/2 1600** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:58 am

Ok its time I head down there and see what I can do. When are you available?

Joaquin

eastmedia · Post by **eastmedia** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:00 am

Sounds like just not enough juice. Try jumping it from another car. If that doesn't work, maybe the ground is bad.

glennhuff · Post by **glennhuff** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:24 pm

Possibly a bad ground on the starter?

Jorge022770 · Post by **Jorge022770** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:27 pm

Ok...about the ground......which ones must I look at...just wanna make sure i didnt miss any.

As to TR checklist....

I have not tried jump starting with othe car..

The battery voltage, according to the amp meter, is right in the middle (?), and after i try starting the car, it goes back to middle.

The cables seem to be ok....

the engine seem to be turning fine (by hand, because the thing is that the starter is not cranking it)

I don't have the car in gear when I do this.....

So...........what do I try? I'll try jump starting it first...but my battery is 6 weeks old!....maybe the alternator is not working properly ( ??!!??) but how do I verufy that? When the engine starts, it works fine. And this problem just began all of the sudden...it simply started with this. ANd if I keep trying, all of the sudden in one of the tries it fires up whithout hesitation!

Any ideas?

Jorge

JoeK · Post by **JoeK** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:14 pm

I had exactly the same symptoms in a 510 wagon years ago. I was pretty sure the was ignition switch back then. I couldn't afford a new switch, so I just bought a remote starter switch and hardwired it into the starter. I'd turn the ignition to run and hit the button on the remote. Worked greta until I fried the remote switch from overuse. If you have a remote starter switch, you might try that to eliminate a few possiblities, like a starter relay or bad ground.

In terms if the ground, you want to be grounded securely to the engine and the frame, directly from the battery. I think the starter grounds through the engine to he battery, but I'm not positive.

Another cheap ass trick I used pull on an old Grand Prix was banging on the starter with a hammer, but it deosn't sound like bad brushes, which is what I trhink that is supposed to help with.

Good luck, you'll get it.

Jorge022770 · Post by **Jorge022770** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:34 pm

Thanks for all the replies!...

Joe, I'll explore the possibilities you suggest......

Hey SPYDER, how do I do the "bench" test with jumper cables?

JOAQUIN>>>I welcome the help bro!

and TR....I tried jump starting with my car, and nothing! I still hear the thing clicking to engage to the flywheel, but it's not cranking the engine.....I also turned the engine by hand (well, through the pulley's nut of course) in neutral AND in gear, and the engine turns without effort and when in gear, the car moves very easily as well, so it's certailnly not the engine.

Now, if the problem was a ground, wouldn't the whole thing be dead? And if not dead, which ground/s could directly affect the starter? I re-attached the strap going from the starter's mounting bolt to frame checked the battery-to-frame ground as well. The only thing I noticed was that in one of the wires from the starter harness the insulation got hard and is cracked, exposing the wire, but this is not touching anything else.

Jorge

glennhuff · Post by **glennhuff** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:37 pm

My starter was doing this and the contacts in the solenoid were shot. I pulled the solenoid apart and replaced the contacts with some from a Mazda starter. Did you replace the starter with a new one? I would try jumping the posts on the solenoid. This is a fairly dangerous thing to do so be careful. If you connect the battery terminal to the small "start" terminal with a screwdriver, the solenoid should kick in and the starter should turn over. This is the same as using a remote start switch (a better option) If that doesn't work, jump the large battery terminal to the large starter terminal. Be careful, as this is a lot more current through your screwdriver. This will tell you whick part of the system is not working. As I said, this will throw some sparks so be careful.

spyder · Post by **spyder** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:03 am

After I rebuild them I just hook jumper cables to the starter, black to the case and red to the solenoid. Apply a small jumper to the small post on the solenoid which you touch to thr red cable. If all goes well it will kick the bendix gear forward and spin the heck out of it. Also I like to do it on the ground because they can jump quite a bit!

Jorge022770 · Post by **Jorge022770** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:16 am

Spyder:

What do you mean by "apply a small jumper to the small post"? I hook the (-) jumper cable to the casing, and the (+) to the big post on the solenoid.....then what?

Sorry for the ignorance in my questions.....electric stuff has never been my strong area

Glennhuff:

What you are refering to is the same as what Spyder is explaining? how did you get the terminals out of the solenoid without breaking the small wire coming out?

Jorge

Bungle · Post by **Bungle** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:33 am

glennhuff wrote:My starter was doing this and the contacts in the solenoid were shot. I pulled the solenoid apart and replaced the contacts with some from a Mazda starter. Did you replace the starter with a new one? I would try jumping the posts on the solenoid. This is a fairly dangerous thing to do so be careful. If you connect the battery terminal to the small "start" terminal with a screwdriver, the solenoid should kick in and the starter should turn over. This is the same as using a remote start switch (a better option) If that doesn't work, jump the large battery terminal to the large starter terminal. Be careful, as this is a lot more current through your screwdriver. This will tell you whick part of the system is not working. As I said, this will throw some sparks so be careful.

I agree - the problem sounds like it's in the starter solenoid.

Post by **spl310** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:35 am

If you have it off, take it to Advance Auto, Pep Boys, NAPA, etc and have them bench test it. They will tell you the load that the starter is pulling. If the load is too high, then it needs to be replaced. Even rebuilt ones come out that are not right from time to time...

Post by **ppeters914** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:15 pm

What???? Take it to the store and miss all the fun of sparks flyin' whilst dodging the starter as it tries to launch itself?