You wrote:
<snip>
my 79' spit has been acting up lately....i first thought my generator
must be going out, as occasionally the car would act as if there was a
low or dead battery. a re-charge for aprox 10min seemed to fix the
problem and the car started right up (although i did not get the
expected glowing red light indicating charging going on). this has now
happened 5 times or so in the last 12 mos. i had the generator checked
and rebuilt, so i don't think that is the problem. the starter "hot"
lead post seems to be weak. you can move it side to side a little. the
battery has not been changed for 2-3 years. so, today i go to start
in the am, engine turns but does not catch w/in the first 3-6 sec of
turning over...battery seems to have little juice...i re-charge for
10min and she starts right up. no red charging light. i drive for
aprox 45min w/no problems. i then park for about 5min and try to
re-start ...low power, not enough to start. i wait and try a few
times...finally it turns enough to catch and we drive home....no red
light, no problems. the only other interesting thing i noticed is the
heat build-up seemed to be extreme while trying to start. at one
point, i notices smoke seeping out through the vents on the hood, and
quickly popped the bonnet and felt the starter, generator and
wires. the terminals at the solenoid (sp) and the terminal at the
starter (black wire, somewhat loose) were too hot to touch....so, long
story...short question.....what should i replace first. the battery or
starter???
thanx for any and all advice....richard/colorado.....
<snip>
I had a similar, but more traumatic than what you have described.
Do you have a top post battery? I had my positive post come in contact with
the bonnet brace providing a short in the system. My negative battery cable
(brand new mind you) burnt to a crisp. My engine stalled out, the passenger
compartment filled with smoke (yumm - burnt plastic!) and I was quite
nervous, thinking I threw a rod or something drastic.
My Spit wouldn't start right up, but after sitting for 10 minutes she
recovered and fired up. I have since switched to a side post battery ( i
had to buy new cables anyway!) and have not had a single problem since.
Not to say that this is what is happening to you. It is very important for
all connections to be tight. The charging system will be trying to make a
ground, this could cause excessive heat in the cables. Check your ground
straps from the engine block to the frame as well as your ground strap from
the battery to the frame. All should be clean and tight.
Just for giggles, you may want to check your bonnet braces for scorch
marks! Mine has one now!!!
Good luck with your spitfire!!
Mark Townsend
Roch, NH
76 Spitfire
87 Turbo Quattro
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* Mark Townsend *
* markt@tiac.net *
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