>At 07:29 1:22 21/11/95 -0700, CTDreher@aol.com wrote:
>>> To summarize the problem, my '79 Spit won't start. It had been
>>> sitting in the garage for a little over a week. I tried to start it
>>> and the motor turned fine, but would not start. I tried several
>>> times, and then suddenly, CLICK CLICK came from the solenoid and....
>>
>>Either the starter is big-time dead or the connections from the solenoid
>>aren't getting joice to the starter.
>
>I had the same problem and it turns out that the battery post had worn
>enough that the cables no longer fit tight enough to provide enough current
>to the starter. Eventhough everything else worked perfectly (ie. lights,
>fan, radio, etc.) My advice would be to clean all the contacts/connections
>and tighten it all up. In the case of worn posts, sleeves are available to
>increase the OD of the posts although I'm not sure if that would be
>considered a 'backyard' soloution or not.
(snip)
one easy test i haven't seen in this thread is to check voltage (starter
switch to start position) with voltmeter contacts at the battery post, then
on the battery end of the cables, then on the "input" side of solenoid,
then on "output" (starter) side of solenoid- same holds for the ground
side, start on the battery post, then the battery end of cable, then the
engine block/body end of cable, then on the block, and finally on the metal
of the starter case itself- big voltage drop at battery posts implies
either a bad battery (most likely, and by the way, make sure you top off
the cells with distilled water) or a very high current short (virtually
always in the starter itself, but less likely than battery failure), a
significant discrepancy when moving contact one position closer to starter
or engine block suggests high resistance between these positions (most
often at battery-cable interface)- your battery, cable, starter, solenoid
may all be ok, but your contacts may not, often requires simple cleaning of
the posts and cables, but you'll narrow the problem's possible source
quickly using this method
joe
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