HMMM, is it the starter ???????

[Guest outlaw car man]

Working on a 1932 Dodge DL 6-

OK, Checked connections, the ignition coil has been replaced with a newer starter switch & coil- Not the problem here I think-

Got me a new battery, used jumpers to connect the battery to the battery terminals so wouldn't have to keep pulling the seat out-

positive ground etc. No fire at all to the starter, not even a click- OK-

SO, connect the cables to the starter directly, ground the _ and nothing ??

Wadda ya think ? The starter is shot ? Bendix??? Pull the starter ?? ( ouch- bad thumbs)-

Before I break it to fix it, I'm asking the pros-

Appreciate any comments-

S Jones in Colorado with a dead car !

[nearchoclatetown]

If you're looking for pros, you came to the wrong place. If you want opinions we got plenty! Tell us the rest of the story, did it start before the new battery? Click?? Anything?? Are you POSITIVE the cables are good? not corroded? Are you POSTIVE you have current at the starter?

[Guest simplyconnected]

Did you connect your ignition-switch wire on the starter-side or the battery-side of the starter relay (large) posts? Make sure it is on the battery side.

Make sure your car is in NEUTRAL and SET THE BRAKE. Now, you can properly troubleshoot it using a meter or a light bulb.

1. Is your battery terminal securely bonded (bolted) to the car body AND engine? You said it is POSITIVE GROUND.

2. Is your starter motor connected with TIGHT connections from the relay to the starter motor, and from the relay to the battery NEG? Check your battery for clean, tight connections.

3. Is your starter-relay properly bolted to grounded?

If all this is correct, you can run the starter by using a jumper wire from the NEG battery terminal to the small starter-relay post. The solenoid should energize and the motor should turn.

If either doesn't work;

To check the starter motor, use jumper cables momentarilly across both large posts on the relay. Starter motor should run.

If it does, use a jumper from NEG to the small post. Hearing it 'clack' doesn't mean much, if it doesn't connect both large posts, inside. No 'clack' at all means the solenoid is bad.

If the starter turns, go on to the key switch circuit:

From the BODY (+GND):

4. Do you have NEG voltage at the key switch? If 'no,' connect the NEG from your battery to your starter switch. (Usually done at the starter relay.)

If 'yes,'

5. When you turn the key to "start" (or push a start-button) do you see NEG on the key-switch (or start-button) terminal? If 'yes,'

6. Do you have NEG voltage at the starter relay (small terminal post)? If 'yes,' your car should start.

There aren't any more possibilities.

Remember, bolt your copper ground wire as close to the starter as possible, and then to the body. Your GROUND wire should be as large as your starter wire.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Car ran about a year before I got it, appears to have been restored sometime in the past. This is the first time I've tried to put juice to it. Jump-Cables are good-

Thanks ?

[Guest outlaw car man]

I'll print this out, take it to the shop and get back-

\Appreciate it-

S Jones

[Guest outlaw car man]

Ok, Results:

1) Jumper from battery neg terminal to starter rely post- nothing

To check starter motor it's suggested to jump cables to BOTH large posts on the rely- Only have ONE post on the starter. Am I missing something ?

Not real good at auto electrics so checking & learning as I go.

Thanks again-

[nearchoclatetown]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: outlaw car man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ok, Results:

1) Jumper from battery neg terminal to starter rely post- nothing

</div></div>Am I understanding you have a NEW battery and there is NO current getting to the starter relay? If so you either have a bad cable or bad connnection at the battery or relay. OR a BAD ground. Are you useing a test light? Start at the battery terminals, make sure current is getting to the cables,now leave the ground on the battery and work toward the starter relay. The light should tell you where the problem is. Do NOT just start cross jumping with a screwdriver to see what happens, you may not like the results.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Yes- new battery. Optima 6V. ( have used them for years)

Newer Jumper cables. Hooked the negative side ( positive ground)of the battery to the SINGLE post on the top of the starter. Grounded the positive side of the jumper cable to the car frame.

NOTHING, not even a click.

I'm assuming this should at least make a click or something-

HMM, ground ??

Did pull the cover off to inspect the starter- little greasy, maybe.

Logic: direct connection to the starter solenoid & proper grounding should work or not-

If not pull the thing and have it checked- Nothing is easy ( but Fun)

Thanks for all the posts- Appreciate it-

SJ.

[nearchoclatetown]

DO YOU OWN A TEST LIGHT? Make sure you are getting current to the starter.

[Guest simplyconnected]

I am reading, your solenoid is ON your starter, not on your fender apron, right? And you have a cable running from your new battery NEG to your starter's heavy stud. So far, so good? And those two connections are tight? OK.

There is another small wire (#16awg) on your starter solenoid. This is the wire that comes from your key switch. If you jump from battery NEG to that wire, does the starter motor run? It should. If you don't hear a clack (with authority), replace the solenoid.

To sum-up, jumping from the starter's large lug to the starter's small lug should bring-in the bendix and start the motor.

Again, I assume your ground wire connections are SOLID. The biggest one should attach to the engine, as close to the starter as possible. Also attach a heavy ground to the car body.

Mr. Hershey is right about getting a test light. If you can't buy a 6-volt light, you can make one. Just get a small 6-volt light bulb and a socket, solder 2-two foot leads to the socket, and put allegator clips on the ends. Now you have a test light. Tape the bulb socket and solder connections with lots of tape because it's going to get banged around. Your new leads should stretch to four feet. If you need more, make a plain wire jumper with clips on the ends, and use that with your test light as an extension jumper. You can get everything at Radio Shack for a few bucks. If you buy a 12-volt bulb, you can use it on your modern cars, too. Just don't get the bulbs confused.

With your new test light, put one clip on the body, and touch the other clip to your starter wires. A shining light should indicate 6-volts is getting to the starter. If the light is not on, go back to the battery terminal and re-do it. - Dave Dare

[Guest outlaw car man]

OK Dave & all, I do have test lights, but they are 12V, probably not sensitive enough, buddy coming over with a volt meter this afternoon. That should solve that ( hope)

There is only one connection( post) on the starter, just the large lug on the solenoid top. To this is the large wire coming directly thru the firewall from the battery ( neg)

THEN there is another wire on the Solenoid lug ( like you say, Dave ) that is combined with two(2) others in a harness that heads towards the front, down behind the starter body, in the large major wire harness.

OK. Of the three that are at the solenoid lug only one is hooked up, other two are loose- I think were hooked to a cow horn.

I guess first things first, will see if I've got juice, if so, pull the starter and bench test it-

Appreciate the help- Will know more tomorrow what's what.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Starter problem- Ran a 6 V volt meter all over the car, checking a bunch of stuff, got juice to the starter but nothing- bad solenoid/starter switch .

At this point, going to pull the starter and get it fixed.

not fun with bad thumbs but done it before-

Thanks again for all the help here- also thanks to Larry Y for the starter pics and helping solve the mystery wire problem ( horn wires)

I'll be back !

S Jones

[Guest simplyconnected]

Glad you isolated the problem.

Go to Radio Shack and get the stuff to make your own 6-volt test light:<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: simplyconnected</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...get a small 6-volt light bulb and a socket, solder 2-two foot leads to the socket, and put allegator clips on the ends.</div></div>Again, for a couple bucks, you will have a test light.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Started to remove the starter, decided to take off the starter switch first to get it outta the way- The copper connection on the starter was completely corroded. Got some steel wool to it and back to bright & shiny-

Back to my cables and battery and hooked directly to this and off she went spinning like crazy.

All this did force me to clean up everything anyway.

Only problem seems to be a corroded copper stater connection.

Car had been stored for many, many years- \

OK, next............

S Jones

[Guest simplyconnected]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: outlaw car man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Working on a 1932 Dodge DL 6-

OK, Checked connections, ...

</div></div> This is your very first sentence!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: outlaw car man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Only problem seems to be a corroded copper stater connection. </div></div> This is nearly your last sentence!

WTF! I laid-out a complete troubleshooting scheme over a bad connection, that you claimed you checked.

[Guest outlaw car man]

DID- Everything worked but the bendix spring ( or whatever it's called) puked AFTER I got the whole thing re-installed.

Your troubleshooting advice worked perfect-

My only confusion was how to determine how I was getting current from the starter switch post/lug, thru the copper plate connection inside the switch, to the copper post on the stater motor with a new multi-tester.

Install and try- Whap !

Off to the the electrical shop in the next couple days-

Try again - Won't give up- It's only a damn car-

sj

[nearchoclatetown]

WTF! I laid-out a complete troubleshooting scheme over a bad connection, that you claimed you checked. If he understood, I doubt he would have had to ask. The best you can do is try to explain. He got it fixed that is all that matters. And I'll bet Outlaw learned something too.