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Starter Motor Issues

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AHSquarebodySprt

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Alright so here were go.

I have been working on my Sprite for a LONG time.

Finally decided that i need to finish this project and got all my wiring done etc.

My ignition seems to have 3 positions.

Off > On > Ignition.

When i put it in the 3rd position i hear the fuel pump clicking and then it stops however there isn't any starter motor action whatsoever.

So i ran a jumper right to the starter motor and there is absolutely nothing.

I can rotate the starter motor by hand and it isn't jammed however it will not spin at all.

Any thoughts?
 
Key positions are:
Off
Ignition On
Starter On

Fuel pump should make a few clicks in the Ignition On position, and then may stop when it builds up pressure (assume it is stock).
Ignition On should have voltage at the coil (not at the wire that goes to the distributor, but the other one).
If you ran a jumper wire from the battery to the starter motor (make sure it is the large post which goes into the starter), check your ground wires to the battery and the one from the chassis to the transmission.
Check that the battery is charged.
What year is your car? + or - ground.
Good luck
Scott in CA.
BTW. Until you know that you don't have any shorts to ground, I put a 5 amp fuse in line with the battery and check out all the circuits. Once all the circuits check out, then try the starter.
 
smaceng said:
Key positions are:
Off
Ignition On
Starter On

Fuel pump should make a few clicks in the Ignition On position, and then may stop when it builds up pressure (assume it is stock).
Ignition On should have voltage at the coil (not at the wire that goes to the distributor, but the other one).
If you ran a jumper wire from the battery to the starter motor (make sure it is the large post which goes into the starter), check your ground wires to the battery and the one from the chassis to the transmission.
Check that the battery is charged.
What year is your car? + or - ground.
Good luck
Scott in CA.
BTW. Until you know that you don't have any shorts to ground, I put a 5 amp fuse in line with the battery and check out all the circuits. Once all the circuits check out, then try the starter.
Click to expand...


it's a brand new wiring harness. It is a positive ground. The battery is brand new.

The ground should be fine right since the fuel pump clicks away just fine?

The starter has 12v at the motor but there isn't any action from it.

It worked fine about a year ago and now that i picked the project back up it doesn't work!

I haven't checked the ground to the transmission. where is that located? Pictures would be super helpful.

Any other thoughts?
 
There's a ground strap that runs across the bottom of the transmission towards the rear. It is about an inch wide made of braided copper. When I first bought my Sprite, I made the mistake of thinking "What on earth is this? This can't be important". I learned that bad things happen when the strap is not hooked up. There are some people on this forum that can attest to the strength of the ground strap as they forget to disconnect it while removing the motor. Not sure what the record "pull" is for lifting the car with the ground strap.
 
Ok so I pulled the starter motor and took a look at it carefully.

The terminal on there was a little corroded and loose. I used some RTV high temp gasket maker instead of the worn out plastic one and used a screw on either side to hold it in place better and it spun right up.

Now my issue is that i don't have any spark.

I pulled a cap to a spark plug and stuck a screw driver in there and held it near the spark plug and there was nothing. no spark.

Any idea where i should start with this one?
 
Follow the spark trail, probably starting with the coil. At some point the electricity is going to get interrupted. IIRC, the distributor can be installed improperly, 180 degrees off, and you wouldn't know it.
 
SaxMan said:
Follow the spark trail, probably starting with the coil. At some point the electricity is going to get interrupted. IIRC, the distributor can be installed improperly, 180 degrees off, and you wouldn't know it.
Click to expand...

so my coil has obviously two terminals a - and a +. I have the + terminal of the coil with a jumper that goes to the distributor and on the negative terminal there is a white wire.

Thanks for all of the help. I really do appreciate all of your time! I am trying to learn as i go
 
SaxMan said:
Follow the spark trail, probably starting with the coil. At some point the electricity is going to get interrupted. IIRC, the distributor can be installed improperly, 180 degrees off, and you wouldn't know it.
Click to expand...

I don't have any power at the coil but i can't figure out why.
 
With the switch on, the white sire should have 12 volts. If not then you have to backtrack until you find out why. To eliminate a possible shorted coil or something similar, start by disconnecting the white wire from the coil and check it for 12 volts with the switch on. If still nothing, report back and we can work from there.
 
You may want to consider opening a new topic too with a title reflecting your current issues. Someone who might not respond to a starter question may when it is ignition related.
 
Bayless said:
With the switch on, the white sire should have 12 volts. If not then you have to backtrack until you find out why. To eliminate a possible shorted coil or something similar, start by disconnecting the white wire from the coil and check it for 12 volts with the switch on. If still nothing, report back and we can work from there.
Click to expand...

It doesn't have 12 volts at the white wire. Maybe i have it wired incorrectly at the ignition.

I'm going to take some photos so that i can provide a little more insight into my wiring nightmare at the moment.
 
Ok, we need to know a little more then. What year is the car and do you have a wiring diagram for it? Also, is it original wiring or if not then from where?
 
Bayless said:
Ok, we need to know a little more then. What year is the car and do you have a wiring diagram for it? Also, is it original wiring or if not then from where?
Click to expand...

The problem was my spark plug wires. I guess they were just bad. When i went to replace them the screws in the distributor cap were rusted in place. Replaced both the cap and wires and it started right up!
 
AHSquarebodySprt said:
The problem was my spark plug wires. I guess they were just bad. When i went to replace them the screws in the distributor cap were rusted in place. Replaced both the cap and wires and it started right up!
Click to expand...

Hooray! Onto the next stumbling block!

As I have almost always found is the case -- the more catastrophic the failure, the simpler and more obvious the fix. It's the intermittent stuff that will drive you to drink.
 
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