1964 cadillac coupe deville wont crank?? possible solutions...

1964 cadillac coupe deville.

.replaced engine out of another 64 coupe..hooked up all the wires..

i cant get her to crank...the dash lights oil and battery come on but no cranking....

checked wires to ignition cylinder all ok..

.switched starter solenoid wires around and still same problem..

could it be the nuetral safety switch stopping it from cranking??

where is this switch located on a 1964 cadillac coupe deville?

coming out of firewall in engine compartment is a dk.blue...yellow...red wire ran them to starter solenoid..is that correct?

Did the replacement engine run before installing?

I would be checking the starter first. Is there power to the starter from the battery? Is there power to the solenoid from the ignition when you turn the key? Will the starter turn if you "jump" it with a screwdriver? Is the engine grounded properly?

..had a new solenoid put on starter thinking that could be the problem...starter working fine.

engine grounded...where should i look for ground?

Start with the battery. There should be a thick ground wire from the battery to the engine block. Sometimes the main ground goes to the body or chassis and there is another ground wire from the engine to the body. GM usually grounds the engine block to the battery.

Another test is to connect the battery wire at the starter, to the solenoid wire that comes from the key. You do this with a jack handle or big screwdriver, by touching it to both terminals on the starter solenoid at the same time. Be sure the car is in park. The engine should turn over and you will probably get a big spark so don't use a good tool you don't want to get a burn mark.

If the engine turns over you know the battery is good, starter is good, cables are good, ground is good. All that is left is the connection from the key to the starter, and possibly the neutral lockout switch.

finally got some time to play with car...my ground wire for battery is bolted to frame of car...

not engine?? should i change to engine??

i tried jumping starter like you said and nothing happens...no spark..no nothing...

does car ignition need to be in the on position??

all fuses are good....

brand new battery also...and is charged...

Clean all of the connections from the battery....ground and positive.

brand new battery cables also....

If I understand this correctly it's acting as if the starter is DEAD? Nada........zip?

Have you tried bypassing everything and putting juice directly to the starter?

Use booster cables and another vehicle if need be.

If the battery is grounded to the frame the engine should be grounded to the frame or to the battery with its own ground wire. I know it looks like the engine is bolted to the frame but it is mounted on rubber.... sometimes they ground and sometimes they don't. So you need a ground wire.

There should be a big wire from the battery to the starter and a little wire to the starter from the key. You can use a jack handle, screwdriver or anything metal to connect these 2 and the starter should turn the engine. This used to be a common way to start a car if the key switch or wiring was messed up and it is also a good test of the starter.

If the starter is getting 12V and it won't turn, there must be something wrong with the starter. Check for 12v with a multi meter.

The battery's ground lead should be connected directly to the engine block and a separate braided ground lead between the engine block and the frame. You don't want to route 500 Cold Cranking Amps through the frame first.

that makes alot of sense...next time i attack this project going to add a couple engine grounds frame to engine.....frame to fire wall also....

i have triple checked almost everything it could be ..even replaced all fuses...checking wires from everything...has to be something dumb like the ground straps!! thanks my fellow old school car friends!! this help is awesome!!

But DID you run a booster directly to the starter to rule that out?

If you jumped the starter and nothing happened, you have a defective starter. The only other possibility is no power getting to the starter wire and we already covered that.

Time to take the starter off and take it to a local rebuilder. They will rebuild it for the same price or less as the chain store rebuilds, and about 400% better quality.

Did the replacement engine run before installing?

Mmmm....this question was not answered. I know it sounds silly to ask, but I have seen it happen to others. Or.....what Rusty said. Have you actually been able to turn the engine over by hand?

running and driving engine...thats not the problem...gonna check ground straps and had a couple more that i picked up at auto zone..