The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Won't turn over

Battery is good. Just replaced the solenoid on the starter. Have a new ignition switch. Wiring is correct. Don't have the resistor off the solenoid but that shouldn't be needed to turn it over.

It doesn't even make a sound like its trying to engage or anything.

Any thoughts.

Is it possible the starter isn't grounded well. I cleaned boy surfaces before bolting it on. Should I use some dielectric grease?

even with a poor ground it should do something, and skip the grease, clean tight connections work, especially if you have one of the ground cables directly to a starter mounting bolt with a star washer to dig in - if it doesn't even click the problem is with the solenoid, if it clicks but doesn't engage, the problem is with the starter, and either case could be improper wiring connections

Bill

The ground from the battery is connected to the bell housing. Is that acceptable? Is it possible to get a bad new solenoid. I just installed it

push it and see if it will start...

or jump it to see if it will spin

maybe take it off and try
this

Connect the solenoid wire to 12 volts. Use care you just want to connect and disconnect. I use a screw driver. Put it between the battery cable nut and the solenoid nut. Should turn. If it does you have a bad connection at the switch or the wrong switch connection. Is this a spring loaded ignition switch with a start position? If you have an original AD type switch you need some type of start switch like a push button or dare I say it? a horn button. Original foot start has no solenoid so no start position. Just On and Off.

I'll try crossing it. It is a spring ignition switch with the start position. Let me go try crossing it

Crossing it didn't make if turn.

where do you live in Tx

did the starter work before...
well I guess that is a dumb question being you installed a new solenoid to make it work

The starter worked a few weeks ago but stopped so I replaced the solenoid and ignition switch. thinking that was my issue. I live in Houston.

Got a helper? If you do, put a volt meter on the solenoid. Have helper turn the switch. Should have 12 Volts at the solenoid. Starter should turn. If 12 volts and no turn starter has other issues, like brushes, or commutator. If no 12 volts you ave a connection issue.

well, a tad away from you... good luck and I am sure you
will get it going........wonder if you have a bad new solenoid...not the first time I got a bad part........

I have a wife lol. I'll see if she will help.

I checked the solenoid when I try to start it and I get .5 volts... But crossing it with the main power in with a screw driver doesn't work either...

roll it down the drive,pop the clutch and watch it roar..

Brad this is a mostly general statement not directed at you but I am trying to address your specific problem at the same time: Trouble shooting technique dictates you don't make statements like "Battery good", "wired correctly" and all that. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG, SOMETHING IS NOT GOOD OR CORRECT. It's either a part or it's you. You can not be an optimist while trouble shooting. I.E. batteries can have 12.6V when static, then break down when loaded, so can connections and grounds. Sometimes when we do something wrong or wire something or test something incorrectly we don't see the mistake because our mind thinks we did it right. You have to change hats and not trust anything you did. Talk yourself carefully thru each thing. Don't just look at it and say yeah that's right or I already checked that. This is why we take so long to find something. Trouble shooting your own work is very tricky. Break it down to each little thought. That way you will find what you did or someone else did wrong or find a bad old or new part, as said. Isolate, temporarily replace (battery) or bypass each component or wire to identify the culprit. To begin with, follow the voltage and see where it ain't. Watch the voltage on the battery when starting/loading. Jump the solenoid/starter, that will bypass the switch. Is the solenoid cycling? The starter is just a motor with two switches, the key switch and the solenoid. It's the 1.battery/cables, 2.key switch, 3.solenoid or 4.starter motor that's malfunctioning if you have it all wired/grounded properly as you say. If the starter gets 12V, it rotates. Pushing a vehicle is for a problem with firing up, not for no crank. The trickiest thought process we all do besides "I know I did it right" is: "New parts can't be bad".

bartamos is correct. Break it into little steps. Check everything. .5 volts at the solenoid will not get it done. You may have a bad batt, a bad connection(loose), a bad ground or a short. You can test the starter off the truck Hey it is only 2 wires and 2 bolts you know. Check the batt under load? Easy turn on the lights and see if the voltage at the batt drops. It should stay at 12 volts with the lights on. So use the list that bartamos gave you and do one thing at a time. And yes that solenoid might not be good. Test that too. Put 12 volts onjust the solenoid. If it jumps the gear out it is fine. If not...you get the idea.

really? point 5? one half a volt? you MUST read a full 12V with a meter at the starter terminal or all this chatter is meaningless - if you have a full 12V at the main start terminal and on the solenoid S terminal and nothing happens, you have a defective starter

from your picture I'd say someone did a poor job of making wire ends, the main battery cable MUST have a soldered end, not just a squashed on terminal, same for any ground cables, where you have the ground should be fine, but the area doesn't look very clean, it must be absolutely clean to bare metal - and why is that extra nut under the cable end? why isn't the cable end shiny copper color? what's with the red paint? why is there no lock washer on it [preferably an external toothed star washer]?

the problem appears to be all wiring, take an ohmmeter to it and check every individual part of the circuit and every connection point and get everything to be nearly zero ohms from the bettery posts on

Bill

Your hot connections are not road worthy, but they should give some life to the starter. If that is the battery ground I see in your small pic (grounded to the bell hsg) and it's really that dirty/rusty/painted not shinny metal as Bill indicates, that's your problem. The flat spot, the bolt, the washers, the cable end, all have to be bare! metal. NO GREASE! NO PAINT! NO OLD RUST OR OIL. That's on every grounding spot. You need to ground battery to bell hsg/eng, eng to body, body to frame or your switches and motors and lights will not work. Assume you checked 12V battery feed by touching the exposed copper strands down at the starter to see 12V, then touch the solenoid contact also. What are you touching your ground test lead to? Shinny spot on starter or motor or what, when you get .5V. Should use store bought, factory terminated, shrink sleeved, new, battery cables. Not DIY.

Pushing a vehicle is for a problem with firing up, not for no crank, you really believe that?

at any rate let us experts know what you find,, do it one step at a time if you can so you will know what the problem was...

Thanks for the advice Bart. I have triple checked the wiring. The battery was fully charged last night. I took it to wal Mart for a battery test. Tested good. I tried jump starting it to see if my charger wasn't working.

And it leaves me with I think the new solenoid is busted. But will have to try that tomorrow.

you might even try a light tap on the solenoid, done that before..
might kick it in, might not... wont hurt to try..

Thanks joker ill try that too.

Joker, I really do believe that. If you push it and it starts, how does that identify why it won't turn over? The heading of the post is "Won't turn over"

well a sprint car wont turn over but you push it to start it,

maybe this thing is locked up and needs a little help, I have no idea but I for one would not mind trying to see if I could push to start it and unlock it if locked up..

some think you cant push start an automatic but you can, depending on the transmission......I do not have any problem
with your tips and I am sure you know a lot more then I do
about mechanical stuff but I still stand behind my statement..

it wont turn over can mean a lot of things, bad battery,
bad starter, locked up starter, bad ignition , etc...

so I still stand behind what I said and due respect to you
for your thoughts.....and I suppose you never tapped on a solenoid and be lucky enough to un stick it....I have, usually works better on the fender type but one never knows.. my International was acting up, it would do nothing,checked ever thing... bought a new solenoid, decided it was a pain in the rear to remove the starter, so I tap hard on it and for what ever the reason, it worked
turned over and good to go........still running today although my neighbor now has it...........

and by the way, I can read the title of a post...but thanks for reminding me.......

nice Jimmy you have,would love to have your Dodge

similar type post from another bolter....

Tapping on the solenoid is a good idea. 63 Dodge Town Wagon will be for sale soon. Thanks
You asked if I believe that so I just answered.

roger that, I hope he responds back when the trouble is fixed,
so many folks do not..

I plan on working on it again today. I will report back on how things go. I hope I return with good news.

Does anyone know a good restoration shop in Houston?

You should at least hear a click from the solenoid when you try to start. On my '49 I have a braided ground strap from the bellhousing (where your cable attaches) that runs to the frame.
Your negative cable connection, as mentioned above, is nasty and must be cleaned up for good tight metal/metal contact. I have my negative cable connected to the lower starter mounting bolt but I don't think your lug hole is big enough. See if the parts store can test the solenoid for you. Wiring/start problems can be frustrating. Good luck.

You should have the skills to make factory-like quality cables of the right thickness and not rly on store bought ones. I spent a lot of money listening to parts counter guy that sold me the wrong size battery cables. Check the groundstrap as well!

A 2 gauge cable cannot get the power to a starter like a double ought cable can. Made that mistake and fixed the problem immediately. Quality solder loaded lugs are available cheep on ebay and star washers are a must.