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Solenoid clicks....won't start #242311 03/03/09 08:14 PM 03/03/09 08:14 PM
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 905 AZ H Harlow383 OP super stock
Harlow383 OP super stock H Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 905 AZ	Working on the 318 coronet I pulled home. When I go to start it I hear the solenoid kick out but it won't crank. The weird thing is, if I try it again it won't click at all. I have to disconnect the battery and try to crank it again to get the solenoid to click again. I cleaned the ground, the battery posts and cables. That battery was fully charged. Next thing I tried was jumping the solenoid with a screw driver. Same thing as turning the key. If I disconnect the battery and reconnect it I can get it to click but nothing more. I tried taking a long screw driver and giving the starter some good whacks. Still no luck. What should I check? I'm thinking its not the neutral safety switch, and its not the starter solenoid since it won't crank even if I jump it across the two terminals...

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: Harlow383] #242312 03/03/09 08:24 PM 03/03/09 08:24 PM
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 5,080 organ M maximum entropy master
maximum entropy master M Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 5,080 organ	can you turn the engine by hand? for what is the good life if not doing things thoughtfully?

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: maximum entropy] #242313 03/03/09 08:29 PM 03/03/09 08:29 PM
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 905 AZ H Harlow383 OP super stock
Harlow383 OP super stock H Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 905 AZ	Quote: can you turn the engine by hand? I can turn the motor over by the fan pretty easily. The belts just slip around the pulley but the engine does turn quite easily.

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: Harlow383] #242314 03/03/09 08:33 PM 03/03/09 08:33 PM
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 5,080 organ M maximum entropy master
maximum entropy master M Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 5,080 organ	it sounds like a bad contact in the solenoid. it energises, but doesn't pass enough current to run the starter. could also be a bad connection at the battery or starter, or possibly a bad ground. for what is the good life if not doing things thoughtfully?

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: maximum entropy] #242315 03/03/09 09:17 PM 03/03/09 09:17 PM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland 1fastrunner top fuel
1fastrunner top fuel Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland	For a $10 part, just be careful. I'm not sure what really happened to me, but.... Every once in a while I would turn the key to start and nothing would happen, then, on my way home from a show, my car was running hot and suddenly my starter started running. I turned the key off, and it still ran. I had to pull over and disconnect the battery as it was almost out of power with the starter smoking. I sat waiting for AAA and everything cooled down. I was hoping to just disconnect the starter, but it wasn't that easy and I wasn't sure the car would run without it being in the circuit. As the tow truck showed up, we decided to push the car to start it, but he was in the way and it didn't work. I had him pull way ahead, and as I put the key in the run position, I noticed I had some power, I tried the starter and it started. I made it home (160 miles) and that was the last time I could start the car. I replaced the starter, and then the solenoid. I'm not really sure what caused it all to happen, but it could have been the solenoid? Jim

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: 1fastrunner] #242316 03/03/09 09:29 PM 03/03/09 09:29 PM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska R RapidRobert Circle Track
RapidRobert Circle Track R Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska	open up the starter or get a different one live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: RapidRobert] #242317 03/05/09 10:14 AM 03/05/09 10:14 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,791 Hamilton, Ontario Canada Magnum master
Magnum master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,791 Hamilton, Ontario Canada	A bad battery cable can do that too. It will carry enough current to click the solenoid, light up a test light and show voltage on a meter but not carry enough amps to crank the starter. Try the booster cables right on the big starter lug. 69 Super Bee, 93 Mustang LX, 04 Allure Super

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: Magnum] #242318 03/05/09 10:24 AM 03/05/09 10:24 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 25,200 Upper Midwest M MoparforLife Too Many Posts
MoparforLife Too Many Posts M Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 25,200 Upper Midwest	Quote: A bad battery cable can do that too. It will carry enough current to click the solenoid, light up a test light and show voltage on a meter but not carry enough amps to crank the starter. Try the booster cables right on the big starter lug. I agree with this. Probably the number one cause of your symptoms are dirty, corroded, or loose batter terminals. A lot of the time tapping the cable clamp with a hammer will get you started and home. Remove the cable clamps from the battery posts and clean shiny with a good wire post and terminal cleaner. Then when putting back on make sure that they tighten down good and tight. If the clamps squeeze together and are still a little loose take the cable to the vise or squeeze together with a vise grips, take out the clamp bolt and run a hack saw throught the tight joint. This will trim enough of the terminal away so that it will clamp tight again. Clean it, if it's Dirty. Oil it, if it Squeaks. But: Don't fix it, if it Works!

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: MoparforLife] #242319 03/05/09 11:37 AM 03/05/09 11:37 AM
Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 8,879 Ontario, Canada S Stanton Don't question me!
Stanton Don't question me! S Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 8,879 Ontario, Canada	The solenoid itself doesn't take much to operate in the way of current. Since it won't continue to work you have a problem getting current to it - wiring, terminals, low battery, etc. If you don't have the power to make the solenoid continue to work then you certainly don't have the juice to crank the engine over. If you get the power sorted out and the starter still won't crank then its likely the contacts in the starter are shot. This is nothing more than a big copper washer and if you take the unit apart you can usually flip it over and get a bit more life out of it.

Re: Solenoid clicks....won't start [Re: Stanton] #242320 03/05/09 12:52 PM 03/05/09 12:52 PM
A Anonymous Unregistered
Anonymous Unregistered A	Quote: The solenoid itself doesn't take much to operate in the way of current. Since it won't continue to work you have a problem getting current to it - wiring, terminals, low battery, etc. If you don't have the power to make the solenoid continue to work then you certainly don't have the juice to crank the engine over. If you get the power sorted out and the starter still won't crank then its likely the contacts in the starter are shot. This is nothing more than a big copper washer and if you take the unit apart you can usually flip it over and get a bit more life out of it. This is not really a true statement. Actually the solenoid takes a fair amount of power and you have to understand the "trick" as to how they work. First the starter MOTOR must have continuity. This is because when the solenoid pulls in, there is a bigger, heavier, higher current winding IN THE SOLENOID that is IN SERIES with the starter motor. This winding draws a LOT of current through the starter motor to ground and is called the PULL IN winding. WHEN (if) the solenoid pulls in and makes contact, the circuit now puts battery ON THE STARTER motor main terminal (output of the solenoid) and this little "trick" NOW DISCONNECTS the "pull in" winding because there is now battery on both sides of the winding. HOWEVER........ There is a SECOND winding in the solenoid wired to ground, called the HOLD IN winding. This winding draws less current, and does not have the power to "pull in" the solenoid, but it is stil activated during cranking, and therefore "holds in" the solenoid WHAT ALL THIS MEANS is: IF the solenoid does not get enough voltage from the firewall relay, it won't pull in IF the solenoid "pull in" winding is open, it won't pull in IF the starter motor has a problem, such as a broken brush spring, and therefore is not electrically "continuous" to ground, the solenoid won't pull in All this is starter/ electrical troubleshooting 101 Make sure the battery is good, "up" (charged) and that the posts, cables, and connections are clean. There is only two ways to make sure and that is to either take the cables apart and clean them, or measure with a voltmeter UNDER LOAD Take a voltmeter from the block to the battery post, and jumper the starter solenoid, and measure the voltage. Make sure you have AT lEAST 10V and that is the bare minimum. At this voltage the engine "should be" cranking. Move your positive post around to the relay,follow the cable, and down to the starter, check both the solenoid and battery posts. IF you have good voltage, say 11V or more, and the starter won't crank and the solenoid won't click, IT IS TIME to yank the starter. In this day and age---and especially with reduction starters--I'd just go buy a replacement. The point is that if you have to ask how to troubleshoot this problem---and I'm not trying to be wise, just stating facts--then you probably don't want to try tearing into one of these starters.

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