So I have a 1950 Cadillac 331 in my tub, it has been on the road and pretty reliably starting for the past 13 years. Two years ago I switched the car to 12 volt but left the starter and figured I would have it rebuilt and switched to 12v when I had problems. About a month ago it started giving me problems. I won't recap all that but the current state is that a couple weeks ago I stopped into the local armature shop to have it rebuilt and they said that they were out about 3 weeks so we discussed the symptoms and he sold me a 12V solenoid. I put it back in the car and it started a few times but then left me stranded. I currently have 11.7 volts going to the small solenoid terminal (the guy at Chic's armature says it only needs 9V to pull in) but the plunger only moves about 1/16" when it is energized. I have the same symptom when I bypass all the other wiring and use a jumper straight from the battery. Could the problem be in the starer motor that should be providing the ground through the armature for the pull in coil? I did pull the starter motor apart the other day and it had a fair amount of oil which I worked to dry/ cleanup with brake clean and compressed air.
So, to be clear am i to understand that the solenoid only moves a small amount when activated hooked to the starter drive arm? Does the solenoid work if it is disconnected from the arm? Have you tried another solenoid or does it appear that the drive is jammed and not moving????
I hope that I can help you with your Cadillac starter. After bolting the solenoid on the starter, make sure the plunger from the shift lever is aligned with the solenoid. It has been a long time since I have done this. You may have to raise this solenoid with a spacer to get the plunger to move straight into the solenoid. You do this by moving the shift lever by hand. With that finished and the motor strap not installed, you ground the motor stud on the solenoid and apply voltage to the switch terminal on the solenoid. That should pull the plunger in and the drive moves out. You want the plunger all the way in with the drive gear close to the end frame, with only a small gap. I hope this helps you. As far as your starter goes, make sure the fields are not shorted to ground, same as with the armature. Anything that is copper in the starter must be insulated from ground. One other thing. I use a 1955 Chevy solenoid and the correct solenoid boot. Your boot looks like the type used on a 42 MT diesel starter, which is too stiff. That type of solenoid is adjustable, that is why there are slots in the mount. You may have to rework the mounting holes to get all of this done. I will be doing this very thing on a 1938 Buick starter soon. I don't have the starter in my shop now, otherwise I could give you more detailed information. As I said earlier, it has been a few years since I've last done this solenoid change over.
@ckdesigns You would be well served to contact @RichardL and discuss the possibility of shipping your starter to him. He is too modest to say so, but he has operated a successful Starter/Generator/Alternator shop for about 40 years and has a very loyal following. He knows his stuff. Ray
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