Author Topic: Will not crank? (Read 15280 times)

73Chally · « **Reply #30 on:** August 30, 2008 - 08:02:23 AM »

Quote from: old-school on August 30, 2008 - 07:29:09 AM

Please explain what this will do for me in my situation. How will this tell me if i have a bad starter or some other problem?

I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago, with the car not starting. I would get absolutely nothing when I turned the key (no click, no nothing), so while on the phone, my shop guy told me to jump the relay exactly like Dodgeboys is saying. The engine turned over like it should, but would not fire. This indicated the problem that we eventually found with the main wire in the ignition harness. A quick look at the plugs under the column found the loose wire, and I was rolling in a matter of minutes. If you jump the relay and still get nothing, then there is a good chance the problem is with the starter.

old-school · « **Reply #31 on:** August 30, 2008 - 08:18:58 AM »

I just went back out there and tried jumping the relay again. I tried every possible combination with a screwdriver. Nothing but very light sparking. No noise whatsoever. I tried the main post on the relay with all of the other plugs on the relay. Nothing. Could i hook jumper cables directly to the starter from the battery? For instance, red on the battery to the hot lead on the starter and the black cable to the starter housing and see if the starter would engage? With the key turned on of course. Wouldn't this determine if the starter was bad or not?

Moparal · « **Reply #32 on:** August 30, 2008 - 08:29:47 AM »

2 wires come from your starter. A big one and a small one. If the starter has a very good ground sorce, take the little wire off the relay and touch it to the positive post on the battery. Even if you have to use a jumper wire to extend this little wire. Just touch it on there but dont hold it there for more than a second or so. It will spin the starter or it wont. Just that simple. Make sure you are in park or neutral. Key can be on or off.

CHECK YOUR GROUND WIRES
MAKE SURE THE BATTERY IS GOOD AND FULL CHARGE

Your problem is very easy to figure out as far as spinning the starter. Are the wires snug at the starter? You may be at a bad winding spot on the starter also, which would warrant a new starter.

Come back to us with some good info.......

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #33 on:** August 30, 2008 - 08:36:05 AM »

Check to make sure the wires going to the starter are not burned or melted from the headers heat.
Especially the little one, And are they tight on the starter

old-school · « **Reply #34 on:** August 30, 2008 - 08:46:28 AM »

Thanks guys i'll try all of this in a short while. I have to run a few errands for the next couple of hours. I'll post back later. Please check back if you can for my results so you can further give advice if possible. Thanks

nivvy · « **Reply #35 on:** August 30, 2008 - 09:13:57 AM »

changing the starter is not that big of a deal....unloosen the headers and the nuts on the posts on the starter... swing the headers over un looses the bolts holding the starter and just snae it out.... the hardest part about it is the litle bity nut bolt on the starter...

when people bring me over starters to check or sell me all i do is hook jumper cables to the battery in my car then clamp the negative to the starter somewhere and the postive on the big post on the starter and see if she kicks over .....

ksierens · « **Reply #36 on:** August 30, 2008 - 09:18:07 AM »

I agree with Moparal, make sure you have a good ground. I have seen this a number of times, replace the starter, and the battery, and it ended up being a bad ground.

old-school · « **Reply #37 on:** August 30, 2008 - 10:35:10 AM »

Ok here is what i did just now. I took the small wire loose that comes from the starter and attaches to the relay and used a small wire attached to it as a jumper to touch to the positive post of the battery. Nothing at all happened. I checked both wires at the starter and they were both tightened good where they connect on the starter. I then hooked a battery charger to my battery which is fully charged according to the meter on the charger so it's not my battery. Headlights are good and bright.

So then i had to rule out the wires going to the starter so i went underneath with my charger and hooked the positive end to the large terminal on the starter and then i grounded the negative cable to the starter housing and it did nothing but spark a little. just to make sure, i tried the positive cable to the smaller post on the starter with the charger as well and it did nothing. It didn't even spark off the smaller post.

I then checked the chasis ground wire which is good and tight coming off the battery. What now? By the way, from the looks of things, the bolts to the headers look like they are going to be a monster to get to and even then, it's so tight in there that the center link looks like it may have to come out as well just to let the starter move enough to come out. What do you guys think now? Is the tight fit between the headers and starter because this is a 73 Challenger with a big block instead on the smaller block that is supposed to be in a 73?

old-school · « **Reply #38 on:** August 30, 2008 - 03:45:34 PM »

Well my battery charger wasn't putting out enough amps so i just used jumper cables. Hooked the jumper cables to the battery, ran the other ends over the side then underneath where i hooked the positive cable right to the post on the starter where the smaller wire connects then when i touched the starter housing with the negative jumper cable, it easily cranked the starter!

So, how come when i took the small wire loose from the relay, made a short jumper wire and touched it to the positive side of the battery it would not crank or do anything but yet when i was able to do it with regular jumper cables hooked directly to the very same post on the starter that the small wire connects to?

The smaller wire going down to the starter is not bad because i took it off immediately and tested it with a ohm meter and it has continuity. I'm really confused now!

Bullitt- · « **Reply #39 on:** August 30, 2008 - 03:55:34 PM »

have you been able to get anything by shorting across the terminals on the relay?

old-school · « **Reply #40 on:** August 30, 2008 - 04:00:55 PM »

Nothing at all by shorting at the relays. I changed the relay yesterday as well.

NoMope Greg · « **Reply #41 on:** August 30, 2008 - 04:03:41 PM »

Did you check continuity on the positive (big) cable to the starter?

old-school · « **Reply #42 on:** August 30, 2008 - 04:11:05 PM »

No, i did not check continuity on the bigger wire because since the starter cranked with the jumper cables on the small wire post and wouldn't crank when i hooked directly to the smaller wire, i figured there was the problem

Bullitt- · « **Reply #43 on:** August 30, 2008 - 04:11:14 PM »

starting to narrow things down......continuity is one thing, being able to carry enough amps to spin a starter is another....poor connection, cable breaking down, not enough juice,

old-school · « **Reply #44 on:** August 30, 2008 - 04:18:00 PM »

So are you suggesting run a new smaller cable? If so, what size do you suggest?

Author Topic: Will not crank? (Read 15280 times)

73Chally

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

Moparal

Re: Will not crank?

thedodgeboys

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

nivvy

Re: Will not crank?

ksierens

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

Bullitt-

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

NoMope Greg

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?

Bullitt-

Re: Will not crank?

old-school

Re: Will not crank?