The sbc in my roadster doesn't want to start for me. Battery shows good (with load test) but starter clicks as if a dead battery and the ground strap from the body/frame to the engine gets hot. Do I need to recheck and clean my grounds?
Check your ground from the battery also, clean them all. If that doesn't help you may have a bad solenoid. The battery cable is probably getting hot because the amperage is passing through it directly, probably with little or no load (i.e. starter just clicking).
I would check and clean grounds, but also make sure the cable itself hasn't corroded. I've had that happen before, ussually at the cable end
Bad ground bad ground. Either bad connection or defective cable. Clean connections and or replace cable and clean ground connection to block
Electricity runs from ground to positive, contrary to popular belief. The ground has to be just as big if not bigger than the positive connection. You should check all of your grounds and ensure you have a ground from the battery to the frame, battery to engine, engine to frame and engine/frame to the body.
Batteries are "mis-marked" because of electron flow, the positive is the negative and vice versa. So, on the car, the flow does come from the "positive" post and goes to the "negative post".
Don't think so. Check a battery with a voltmeter and you'll see positive and negative are marked correctly. IOW, put the positive probe on pos terminal, and negative probe on neg terminal, and you'll read a positive voltage. Interchange the probes and you'll read a negative voltage, indicating the probes are hooked in reverse.
Thanks for all the replies and advise I appreciate it. I will check and clean all connections and probably put some heaver cables on.
Let's not get into the 'holes' and electrons flow direction thing. That's been covered. To the OP, heat indicates it's either connected to something hot or resistance. Clean all main connections and recheck.
He's referring to electron flow (current, commonly referred to as "amps). Electrons (amps) flow from negative to positive, hence my reference to batteries being intentionally "mis-marked". Voltage is a potential difference to ground. Voltage "pressure" is what pushes the amperage towards the load. I don't want to sound like an ass, but this stuff is confusing enough without muddying the waters. So, check your grounds, but more than likely you have a problem with your solenoid or with your starter sticking.
That's probably why I graduated at the top of my class and got that job as the lone night shift electrician/electronic repairman (in my facility) with an international manufacturing corporation...
Electrical theory is fine but in this case the cause is a high resistance somewhere in the ground side of the circuit. I think you are already on the right track but look for Corroded connections on the ends of the cable including where the cable connects to it's end. Loose connection between cable and cable end. Corrosion inside the cable. poor connections at either the battery or ground end. Paint under the connection on the block. (this is the usual culprit). Just go through it step by step and inch by inch and you will find the problem. If you have a ground running to the body and then a ground strap to the engine check every spot that there is a connection.
Whatever you do DON'T LET THE SMOKE OUT!!!......if you can keep most if not all the smoke inside the wires you should be OK
If you do end up replacing the cables, I suggest you use welding cable for stick welders. The filaments are much finer and it'll carry more amperage. Solder your connections with a torch. I did it in my car and it cured the infamous Chevy hot-start problem. Think about the amount of amperage a stick welder uses..
You may have a short circut in one of the field coils or the armature in the starter. Usually hot wires or cable means a dead short. Not saying there is not a corrosion problem in the ground cable. Just saying you should also check the amp draw on the starter.
Another good solution for new cables is to check with a battery store, I usually go to the closest Interstate dealer. Most have the equipment to make cables there at the store, I usually ask for 2/0 (two aught) with heavy ends. The last set I had made for my Jeep Cherokee cost me about $30, well worth the money. Welding cable works just fine too, I just like letting the guys at the battery shop crimp the ends for me. The worst thing you can do is use those stupid bolt-on cable ends, they don't give a good connection and promote corrosion like crazy.
Heat is caused by resistance, that's why heating elements in electric stoves and heaters get hot. First question--is your battery grounded to the engine block? Nothing on the car pulls more amps than the starter, and if you don't have the battery grounded directly to the engine block, you are going to have hot-start problems. Bigger (heavier gauge) is always better when it comes to battery cables, the heavier cable has less resistance, that's why 6 volt cars came with such heavy duty battery cables. Whenever you're making a ground connection to a painted surface, use one of the star washers with the teeth that dig into the metal. Ground the battery to the engine block, then run ground straps from engine block to body and engine block to frame. Of course, you may have a bad starter, but check out ground problems before you go buy a starter. Even if it does turn out to be the starter itself, still check the grounds because inadequate grounding may well be what burned up the old starter.
Test the starter out of the car.If it works you may have a ground problem or it may be the wrong starter or it may just need to be shimmed.Start with the basics first.Just my 2 cents
It could be starter related... Pull it out and have it tested for free at of the chain parts stores...
Prince of Darkness... Lucas three way switch... "Dim... Flicker... and Off"!!! I did have a jar of Lukas Smoke...
I have a question. If the wire has smoke in it why doesn't a little bit leak out each time you cut one? I've looked in the ends of the wire and can't see any of that damn smoke! Does anyone make smokeless wire?
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