Technical she wont crank over

hey all , ive just recently rewired my 56 and when tryin to turn the engine over my starter just barely clicks the flywheel batterys up , connections are good ,is it the starter ? if i turn on key and use a screwdriver to jump it it turns it over ? any ideas??thanks

 

If (I don't remember) it is 6 volt recheck and clean all of your grounds. Be sure you are running the correct cables (6 volt cables are larger). Take your battery to a shop and have it load tested. You might take the starter with you depending upon how far it is to the store and have it tested at the same time.

Charlie Stephens

 

nope not a 6 volt, batterys outta my unibody an it starts it great

 

check the voltage on the wire coming from the ignition switch on start position at starter solenoid, if it is low that is your problem, could be caused by bad ignition switch or corrosion ;check voltage at switch see if that is low ,could also be too light of a gauge of wire if you replaced that wire ,1956 should already be a 12 volt system ,

 

also could be weak starter solenoid seems unlikely if you can put juice to start terminal and it spins but possible

 

ok ill check that wire i had to add one from the solenoid to the starter besides the cable ?

 

I've had more than one occasion where old battery cables had such high resistance that the starter wouldn't move. Replaced it (was always the positive wire, if that matters) and it worked fine.

 

Where did you connect the battery ground cable? It should be connected to the engine or trans. I chased a no start problem for almost a year. Originally I welded a stud to the frame just for the ground cable. I moved the ground cable from the welded stud to the transmission and the problem disappeared. Good connections are critical in the starting system. Dirty battery posts and any poor connection will give you fits.

 

hmmmm , the battery ground is just on the frame thanks ill check

 

i tried cleaning the ground strap connections nothin same thing ,ok lemme shed some more light on the harness i used it was made for a chevy motor, im running a 351 fordin the diagram it shows 4 wires 2 10 guage that go to the battery side of the solenoid and 2 ,18 ,that were marked r side of starter and s side of starter these ive hooked to the solenoid one does absolutely nothing the other is the st wire from the ign switch which i have tried on both small posts , still doesnt crank it over ,yes the batterys fully charged, itook a voltage meter test the post on the solenoid reads 6.9 the batteryside 11.9 still lost ????????

 

So do you have a ford solenoid mounted on the fender or firewall?

One of those small wires needs to be hot with 12 volts when key is in start position and the body of the solenoid needs a ground.

Should take 30 seconds to test this and no sence doing anything unless you have this.

 

Is the solenoid grounded good?

 

Jump the 2 biggest terminals on the solenoid with a screwdriver. If it cranks, look to wiring from ign switch to solenoid. If it doesn't, look to cables & battery or the starter itself.

 

ok im thinkin its the starter , yes the solenoid is grounded to the fenderwell and i did check the wire from the switch to the solenoid , theres power when key is held to start position

 

Fenderwell?

Here I thought you had a Chevy.

 

Ok, so you are certain that you have both at solenoid - ground and key in start hot. And youve verified this with a test light.

I think this from your first post " ... use a scrwedriver to jump it , it turns over..." Pretty much says the starter works when it's got juice. Because of this I think your solenoid isn't n functioning.

On your solenoid, one heavy cable goes to the battery, the other to the starter. With a test light, see that only one cable is hot and with key to start that both sides are hot. You should hear/feel the solenoid click too.

 

ok thanks ill check that too , but gotta get my helper to operate the key

 

"i took a voltage meter test the post on the solenoid reads 6.9 the batteryside 11.9 still lost"

If I read this right, you measured voltage at the battery at 11.9, then the end of the battery cable and it read 6.9? If you are losing that much voltage across a foot or so of battery cable, it's the battery cable. Your voltage drop should be miniscule. Battery cables should show almost no resistance or voltage drop.

http://autoresource.internetautoguide.com/battery-cables-bad-1115.html

Good way to troubleshoot battery cables. They say a .2 volt drop across the cable is bad.

Also, if you still think it's the starter, here's how to test it. Take it out and set it on the garage floor. Hook up a jumper cable to it, black to the case ear and red to the solenoid or whatever input terminal goes to it. Hook the other red to a positive battery post and then touch off the black to the negative terminal. The starter should operate correctly (solenoid engage and starter spin and flop around on the floor). If it does, consider it good and look for something else. If it doesn't, replace it.

 

If your volt meter is accurate, and assuming a good battery, it should read 12.5 to 12.8 when fully charged, not 11.9 .

 

no those readings were at the positive side of the solenoid the small post and the positive side cable

 

For perspective -
This takes less that 2 mins to diagnose.

Required input to solenoid.
Desired output from solenoid.

If yes to both problem between solenoid and starter.

If no, problem is before solenoid.

What's the required input ?
Solenoid body grounded.
12.6 volts on large battery cable.
12.6 volts on solenoid trigger wire with key in start position.

What's the desired output from solenoid?

When triggered via start position solenoid closed an the other large lug gets hot sending power to the starter

It took Longer to type that on my phone that would do it

 

ok cool im gonna go test this when i get off work and its not 100 degrees in the garage ,, probably later tonite,

 

ok now the solenoid is buzzin while it cranks over , replaced the starter,with a new one , so tomorrow ill try aANOTHER NEW SOLENOID ?

 

You haven't said what the voltage readings were. Sorry throwing a starter at it didnt fix it, but you did say that the starter worked when you jumped it- not sure why you thought it was a starter.

Your solenoid is buzzing because its not making solid contact inside, its fluttering. it should click solidly. Only Two reasons for that. Either its defective or it doesn't have the required input. Without the proper input you are never going to get the desired output or proper function. You could try and throw another new solenoid at it and if that doesn't fix it, you'll need to use a voltmeter.

 

ok and i thought i did mention that i was getting 12.6 at the solenoid

 

It sounds like the solenoid's not grounded well.

As it closes the connection between battery cables, the starter gets juice, and immediately the voltage drops slightly.

If the solenoid is connected poorly or defective it can't stay closed at this lower voltage & it releases

Instantly the voltage rises, and the solenoid closes again.

Then releases again, & repeats as long as you hold the key.

that's the buzzing.

 

yep that was it faulty solenoid ,, yahoo, we always assume that just cause its new its fine huh thanks for all the help and patience guys

 

it lives !!!!!!!!!!