Mike,
I've converted my bugeye over to negative ground, but I'm still using
the original pull starter solenoid. It definitly sounds like yours is
grounding through the starter pull cable. I'd have to check, but my pull
starter might be isolated from the dash, but with the way it bolts to
the back of the dash with a star washer , I doubt it. I'm not sure
about the internal workings of your pull switch, but it could be it is
shorting to the housing. The only reason the 'pull' didn't get hot, when
it was broken off, because it was no longer shorting through the dash.
You might want to try another pull switch, if you have a spare.
- Bryan
Mike Maclean wrote:
>
> I'm at wit's end over this starter pull cable. It gets hot enough to
> change the temper of the metal cable and make it very brittle. After a
> couple dozen pulls to start the car it snaps off right at the connector
> that connects to the starter switch. I initially thought it was a bad
> ground. I changed the position of the ground from the bell housing bolt
> on the trans to the clutch slave cylinder. Still hot. My friend that
> sold me the car helps me work on it when I have a difficult problem and
> he encountered the same problem with it when he tried to start it and
> snapped the cable off again. He applied a huge jumper cable from an
> engine mounting bolt on the engine side of the rubber and the other end
> of it to the engine mounting bolt for the bracket on the frame, in
> effect another ground (engine to positive ground body). What is
> perplexing is you could pull on the connector (wire snapped off) and it
> was not hot! So, I thought the problem was solved. I stopped at Pep
> Boys on the way home and bought a universal woven copper ground cable
> about 8 inches long.
> Today I installed the ground cable where my friend had the jumper
> cable and sweat silver soldered a new bicycle cable into the starter
> pull button to finish the repair. I just pulled on it a couple of times
> with the ignition off and it got real hot just like before. Huh?
> Is the starter pull cable grounding on the instrument panel? Or, is the
> starter drawing too many amps? Is the small ground strap I just
> installed inadequate for the amount of amps flowing through the
> (defective?) starter? Is the starter solenoid (switch) defective?
> I don't know where to look first. Ahrrrrrrrrrrrg!!!!!!
> Mike MacLean-60 Sprite
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