Who can figure this one out.......

It has to be electrical. Check the voltage at the output of the solenoid while cranking not just the voltage from the battery Under no load this mean nothing. You can have a voltage drop anywhere in the circuit and with no load it can show full voltage at the starter. Engine ground??? Chassis ground??? Positive is only half the path for the current.

If you do not have the full voltage while cranking(or trying to crank) check each circuit as follow.

Take a small jumper wire from the battery positive to your voltmeter + and the - of the meter to the positive of the starter, crank and read voltage. Should read near zero. If you read a voltage this is what you're loosing.

Same procedure with the negative side. - of battery to ground of starter with the voltmeter in between. Also should read near zero. Any reading is a drop of voltage in the circuit.

 

can you please specify the "starting or not starting" better?
so does the starter turns and the engine will not start or does not even the starter does not start?

 

With my 86, I carried a leather mallet...tap the starter before you try to start it..is the new starter black case or italian silver??
If its Black, send it back.

 

Could it be a relay or it's connections?

 

Is the click coming from the starter solenoid or the relay?

 

This has been gone over so many times.

You need to understand that the pathway from the key to your starter has numerous connections. These are at the fuse box itself, the key switch, and harness connectors that ultimately terminate at your starter. It is one of these connections that is most likely causing your problem.

This is a silly question...but ...do you understand how a starter works? It is nothing but a relay itself. So the problem is most likely on your low amp signal, not the high amp side that turns the starter.

You need to see if you are getting 12v on the signal to the starter.

 

Sometimes the problem comes from worn brushes or bad contact of them, but if you have a new starter if shouldn't be it.

The low amp circuit for the pull-in winding take his ground from the starter internal circuit through the brushes. Sometimes the low amp is not getting good ground and people replace solenoid which is not the faulty part.

 

So how do you explain the flywheel portion?

 

Here is my extrapolation. The hold-in winding try to pull the plunger but is not strong enough to engage the solenoid disk to contact. The bendix then stay partialy engaged in the flywheel. Turning the flywheel rotate the bendix and make the starter motor to turn a bit and moving the brushes and give better contact. The pull-in then have a good ground and now work.

 

you may have a look at the teeth of the flywheel. may be some are damaged and the starter gear can not move between those teeth. when you turn the flywheel a little the teeth may be ok again??

 

Exactly. Otherwise known as a flat spot to us laymen.

 

I suspect voltage drop is not helping the situation. There is a small fix that adds a small relay to reduce the cable runs from the front of the car to the starter.

HTH

P

 

Just clean and check you connections.. Recent engine out and you just got her back.. Something on the connection side. Check cables and grounds

R

 

Install an extra relay as suggested by Phillwozza and I bet your problem will go away. It did for me. There should be a post somewhere detailing how to do it. If not, contact me.

Burnell Curtis

 

Connectors under the expansion tank.

 

I'd put my money on the ignition switch being bad and not sending enough voltage to the solenoid to get it to engage. Had that happen to me on two completely different cars. Same symptoms and starter replacement did nothing. Contacts inside the ignition switch get worn or burnt and don't pass full voltage to the starter. Usually worse when the car is warm. The tip off is that a new starter exhibited the same behavior.

 

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^

 

There are two cases.

If it does not start (using your definition), and you do not get 12V at the solenoid, trace the wiring to see where the fault is.

If it does not start, and you do get 12V at the solenoid, get a new starter. Do not have it rebuilt.

 

+1

 

Absolutely correct!

What did the VOLT METER say about this ? Or is it fixed by now.

In my case, the 12V went from ign key to fusebox ... in there, after measuring we found out one layer was burnt ... made a wired connection ... fixed ...

And yours now ?

 

I'm still interested to know what's up. Think we chased the OP away with the backhanded insults.

 

Hope NOT ....