Register now to get rid of these ads!

Technical Chevy 350 starter woes

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Clint86, Jan 24, 2015.

  1. rfraze
    Joined: May 23, 2012
    Posts: 2,008

    rfraze
    Member

    This tells you that you are NOT sending voltage from START switch or button to spade terminal on solenoid. You could try testing voltage at the spade connector (solenoid trigger) with wire connected. Use a jumper w/alligator clip connected to volt meter and test again.
    If you get a 12v+ reading at solenoid connector, pull off wire from start switch, make up a wire with spade connector for solenoid long enough to reach battery+. If this test turns on starter, there is a problem in switch to starter circuit wire or connector.
     
  2. about the time you reach in thru the window to turn the key and it fires in gear you'll wish that neutral safety switch was still wired in.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  3. And if it kicks right over when the terminals are jumped with a screw driver, you don't need to mess with shims. The starter works and the battery is goood. The key turning part ain't getting to the engine turning part that's all. Figgure that out, and you can wire your NSS back in. :)
    -Pat
     
  4. Clint86
    Joined: Mar 15, 2014
    Posts: 93

    Clint86
    Member

    So here's what I've done so far. I checked the wire leading from the switch to the starter, saw some damage, so I clipped the wire and put a new terminal on it. Still had some issues where it wouldn't always start but did sometimes. I made a short jumper wire to run from the start solenoid to the battery so I could bypass the switch, It started every time. So if the ignition wire is now damage free it should work just as well as the short jumper right?
     
  5. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    That's right, SHOULD. But be sure the wire from the 'S' (start) terminal to the solenoid is 14 gauge, not 16 or 18! I've seen wire of thin gauge just fail to carry the voltage in situations where a motor is driven.
     
  6. Probably wouldn't hurt to check the IGN fuse on the fuse block just to be sure there's nothing funky going on there. Yes the wire should be 12-14 gauge too little wire will cause low voltage drop and excessive resistance.
     
  7. What ignition switch are you using? you could try pulling the "start" wire off the back of the ignition switch and attach a voltmeter and see if it shows 12v every time you switch it to the start position. That pretty well narrows it down to the wire between the switch and the push on terminal at the starter.
     
  8. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Well, even though I am with Jim and a couple of others and can say that 99% of the HAMB "I've got problems with my 350 starting" involve those cute little "cool guys have them" starters it does look like your application calls for one. It also appears that is not and has not been the problem from the get go.

    If it starts with the key sometimes and doesn't start sometimes the issue is somewhere in the circuit for the ignition switch and down to the starter.
    The possibilities include:
    Bad connection between the main power source and the switch Batt terminal. From my personal experience if you have a spade terminal and not make contact or enough contact at other times just to drive you nuts.
    Wires not up to handling the amp load to the S pole on the solenoid.
    The Ignition pole on the solenoid is a resistor bypass for starting only unit. You only need it if you are running points and have a ballast resistor in the line or if you have one of those ignition switches that doesn't put power to the primary ignition circuit when you turn the key to start.
    If it has 12 or what ever volts to it with the key on and engine not being cranked with the starter it is just the feedback through the wire from the coil. It is NOT the pin you hook your ignition switch to.
    I am still with the concept that you either have a connection that is not making good contact all the time, suspect wire in a circuit feeding the switch or start pin on the solenoid or suspect switch.

    One last thing, If you do have an automatic it is bs to not have some sort of neutral safety switch or safety switch even if it is a pushbutton in the wire between the start pin on the ignition switch and the solenoid so you cannot accidentally start the car in gear just by turning the key. We have already had enough threads about Hamber's cars starting in gear and running though the work bench, tool box and or fridge to last us and don't need another one.
     
  9. Have you ruled out a bad starter switch? HRP
     
  10. Clint86
    Joined: Mar 15, 2014
    Posts: 93

    Clint86
    Member

    Yes I have, I've tried two switches and both do the same thing. Unless I've tried two bad switches (which isn't impossible but highly unlikely) it's not that
     
  11. Clint86
    Joined: Mar 15, 2014
    Posts: 93

    Clint86
    Member

    The wire is 12 gauge, it's a Painless universal GM wire harness. I trust them to make a harness that does the job right.
     
  12. Clint86
    Joined: Mar 15, 2014
    Posts: 93

    Clint86
    Member

    I promise not to start another thread on driving through my work bench, tool box, fridge or otherwise. It's a manual transmission, I park it in neutral and set the e-brake.
     
  13. You can't trust anything these days.
    Falsely Blocking the wiring from being suspect is what's caused this thread to go this far.

    This is a 10 min diagnosis if you need to jack the car up.
    2 mins if you don't.
    Pull wire from spade terminal
    Jump spade to battery cable -
    . ... Starter works or it doesn't.
    If it doesn't work - problem lies between the starter, cables to battery
    If it does work-
    Put test light into the wire from spade terminal and turn the key to start
    It will light or not.
    If it lights but starter inoperative the problem is most likely voltage drop to solenoid and the problem lies between the connection at spade to ignition switch.
    If it doesn't light the problem lies within the wire spade connection to the ignition switch.

    Within 2 mins you know what direction to go where to look for the problem. No tail chasing
     
  14. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member

    Ditch that yellow top Optima.. I went through three and the damn things would never hold a charge if I didn't drive it everyday!
     
  15. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    Oh...you disconnected the load from the starter switch circuit, then tested it, and said it's fine. I see a problem there...which is that maybe there's too much resistance in the starter switch circuit, and maybe you're not getting 12v at the solenoid, when you have the wire connected.

    I had exactly that problem on my 55 chevy. When I checked the voltage at the solenoid terminal, with the wire connected, it read about 7v when I tried to start it. Nothing happened, because there was not enough voltage present to make the solenoid work. I fixed it by adding a small relay to the circuit.
     
  16. rfraze
    Joined: May 23, 2012
    Posts: 2,008

    rfraze
    Member

    Repeat
     
  17. Clint86
    Joined: Mar 15, 2014
    Posts: 93

    Clint86
    Member

    Sorry on the long delay. Turns out that I had to move my battery ground, replace the engine ground, ground the alternator better, and cut out a bad section of ignition wire and splice it back together. Starts every time now, not sure if I've said this yet but, I hate electrical!
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  18. Grounds are your friends. I assume you used star washers on all of those connections, right?
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.