Starter not turning?

[adam911]

Hi there,

Have a starter problem on a 71T. Turn the key and nothing happens. When you turn the key it puts the system under load as the ignition light dims and there's a low hum. Happened once before and after a couple of tries it caught and started. I tried tapping the starter thinking perhaps there's a dead spot, but no joy. Checked the connections on the starter, battery terminals and they all seem to be secure.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

Adam

[Joe Bob]

Whack the solenoid with a hammer.....not the starter. Check grounds and voltage at battery and starter. A big drop indicates bad wires, grounds or connections.

[al lkosmal]

+1 on the grounds, especially the one the runs from the tranny to engine. To check the ground path from the battery to the starter, I run a cable(I use my jumper cables) from the battery ground to the starter flange. This gives me a direct ground path from the battery to the starter................if your car starts...........it's your ground.

Regards,
al

PS: I had this happen on my 71 and my 73 within the last year.

[grendiers]

My new to me '85 Carrera had an intermittent no-crank when I bought it. Ended up being a combination of things, I think.

After doing all the research on this board, whacking the solenoid, adding a push-start button (really cool mod by the way), cleaning and tightening battery connections, cleaning grounds, still never worked.

Finally ordered a new tranny/body ground strap. Installed, charged the battery, it fired right up. The push button start I use exclusively to save wear and tear on the ignition switch. I still park on slopes when I can in case the intermittent no-crank happens again. The rebuilt starter I ordered is on the shelf......just in case!

[adam911]

Is there supposed to be a ground strap between the tranny and the engine? As all I can see is the tranny to the body ground strap and nothing else. If so where does it run from?

Thanks for the help guys

Adam

[adam911]

Bump

[pete3799]

Just the ground from tranny to body.

[adam911]

Okay, ran a cable from the negative terminal of the battery to the starter and no joy. Had my girlfriend try the ignition while I was tapping the solenoid and no joy, but I can hear a slight click as she tries the ignition.

Any thoughts? Next course of action is to remove and inspect the starter. Can anyone tell me, is it possible to remove the starter without dropping the engine?

Thanks

Adam

[Joe Bob]

Is the battery fully charged? If not charge it or use a jumper from another battery.

I've been able to pull a starter w/o a drop. The barrel nut on top is a bastard. Small hands and a mini ratchet with an allen attachment.

You REALLY need to check voltage at the starter to see what the drop is from the battery to the starter terminals. You'll righteously pissed off if you pull the starter and it tests OK when you didn't check the components for voltage drops.

The current goes thru the ignition swith BTW.....so it could be a problem there as well....

[Joe Bob]

Addendum.....the fact that you have a click.....leads me to believe that power is getting there....the solenoid is stuck or just not enoough juice. A multimeter is your friend.

[adam911]

Thanks Joe, I shall check the voltage at the starter.

I did already charge the battery yesterday, as when this previously happened I thought the battery was flat. Charged it and it didn't go right away, but caught on the second or third try. No such luck this time, but I'll try charging it again just to be sure.

I'll post voltages here after checking.

Adam

[Joe Bob]

No need to charge it if the meter shows 12.5 volts or more.....


Meter+answers is better than guesswork and extra labor.....

[adam911]

Okay, put a meter on the battery with a reading of 12.2 and then the main terminal on the back of the starter and got the same reading 12.2, which seems low to me. Can anyone confirm this for me?

Thanks

Adam

[Joe Bob]

A bit low but bad.......try some more juice.....

[Joe Bob]

Also, see what the drop is when you turn the ignition.....if more than 2 volts. It's something upstream.

[adam911]

Well, left battery on charge overnight and now it's working. Seems odd to me that it needs a certain voltage just to actuate, as opposed to turning over very slowly. Would this suggest my battery doesn't have enough cranking amps?

[Joe Bob]

Too me, you have a cranky solenoid. They can be removed w/o the starter and lubed and/or replaced or you can add a hot start kit.

It's a relay that boosts the voltage.......the relay is a bandaid, but cheap and it works.

[adam911]

Is the relay one of the ones in the engine bay and could that be at fault?

[Joe Bob]

No, it was originally an old Ford part.....add on for a fix that is in the starter circuit. They have a bosch fix sold by our host. $23 USD and change plus shipping.

Pelican Parts - Product Information: BOS-WR1

[adam911]

Thanks for the help Joe.

Think it's worth getting for peace of mind?