starter issue?

[jwhit217]

I've been unable to start my challenger with a 383.  when i crank it over i only get a weak response from the  starter.   The battery tested ok and checked the wiring.  after the initial attempt the starter seems to drain the battery. But if left can crank it over weakly.. Is this the heat soak problem i hear about?  The engine doesn't catch and i have spark.  I am running a 6al, blaster 2 and msd dist.  Any ideas would be appreciated thanks Joe

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Does it only do it when the engine is hot? Or both?

How did you test the wiring, just visually? Could be a weak starter, high resistance in the wiring, could even be fuel from the fuel bowls leaking into the engine and hydrolocking it (i've done that before!).

[jwhit217]

The carb was rebuilt over the winter, now you got me thinking.  Always been a hard starter though.    best way to remedy it if it is leaking down? 

[hemiken]

I thought i would jump in here and start by resizing your Avatar for you to save and use.......... Yours is just way too big.

[72bluNblu]

I just had the heat soak issue with a starter, thats pretty easy to figure out. Everything should work normally as long as the car is starting from cold, start and run without any issues. But if you drive it for more than 15-20 minutes you won't be able to start it at all.

If the starter is weak all the time then there may be a couple of issues. The starter may be bad and dumping the battery with all the resistance, or you may have a loose cable somewhere (check your grounds). If you've got an extra person you can check the resistance when your cranking it over, if its bad you'll probably spike a couple hundred ohms...

It sounds like your engine is turning over, which probably rules out a hydro-lock. If the cylinders are full of fuel nothing should move at all. Plus you would see that the plugs are wet when you checked for spark. If it is though you'll need to change your oil out before you run it again, as the fuel will leak past the rings into the sump and dilute out all your oil.

[6packCuda]

After you try to crank it over for a few seconds, feel the wires. If they feel pretty hot, you've got too much resistance in them. Probably due to corrosion or a bad connection. If the wires don't get hot, resistance in the wires is not the problem. The contact disc in the solenoid could be corroded also. This is a "dirty" connection that often leads to no crank or slow crank situations. To fix this, the starter will have to be disassembled. Starters are pretty simple. Just make sure you pay attention while taking it apart so you get everything put back together the same. While you're in there, you might as well replace the brushes and make sure the bushings are still tight. You can clean up the commutator(the copper surface that the brushes ride on) with some fine emery cloth or a scotch brite pad. If the armature looks burned, scrap it.

[ChallengerHK]

jwhit, here's a resized avatar for you.

[jwhit217]

thanks guys! sorry about the pic.  That was my dads satellite, thing is big enough already.  The starting problem happens cold--haven't started since the  fall. re built carb and rewired the msd and new coil. 

[6packCuda]

So are you saying it starts fine when it's warm?

[72bluNblu]

Nah. Sounds like it doesn't start at all. I'd recheck the wiring, especially with the new msd and coil. Still could be the starter, or a bad battery. Just because it shows voltage doesn't mean it has all of the cranking amps you need. But I'd check the wiring first (especially the grounds if its cranking slow), then pull the starter and have it tested at Kragen or the like since its not too labor intensive.

[Aussie Challenger]

  Another simple test is to get another good battery and some booster cables, connect the ground cable directly to the motor on a good solid section, the positive lead onto the positive terminal of the battery. If it still turns over slow its got to be your starter. 

[jwhit217]

I work for Jeep in service.   tested the battery there,tested good and even switched in another just in case--same thing.  time to go thru wire by wire.

[Chryco Psycho]

does it6 turn over fully , if it just stops you could have a hydro lock in one cylinder , you could try removing all the spark plugs & see how it turns over that way