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Engine in, new photos and a dire question...

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hmmm... Asian?
 
The motor grounded is what I was thinking while reading. I grounded both ends. Probably over-kill, but I like a little overkill.
 
Thanks for the reassurance Jeff. My uncle came over to see the deck that I am building. His response was, "You are building it like a house." A little overkill I guess, but his deck had to be replaced a few years ago due to a sag. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
He is a bit of a critical perfectionist. So when I took him for the a ride in the BE and he said, "Now this feels like a real sports car."--- I was pleased.
 
Well now we grounded the motor with a new strap and replaced the solenoid. Just clicking nothing further. The starter is good, I don't understand what the problem is but I am about to call a wrecker and have them haul this piece off. First the crappy motor that at least ran even though the piston was making terrible noises in the block, now a new motor that I can't even get to start!

I got bigger problems to worry about than stripes on my brake resovoir thing. Besides if you don't get fluid on it then how will it get stripes. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif Blah whatever, I am about done with this car. It is taking up room in my garage and our truck is sitting outside getting bird doo all over it because I can't get this thing running enough to get to the storage building.

I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought this thing. I wish I would have got something from an owner that knew what they were doing instead of a hacked up piece that I can't even figure out what they were doing or trying to do.

Running driving car yeah right.
 
I'm sure it is something simple. If you have a good ground (scraped away all that black paint)and your starter is known good and is not binding up, and your motor can turn (check by rocking car in gear)... I'm going to say flat battery. What's that? You've already tried jump starting it from a running truck (with bird poop on it). Did you make sure your jumper leads were clean and not corroded?

Go sit in the air conditioning and reflect/meditate. You can't get rid of the car ... it needs you ... you need it.
 
Chill, Rachel. I had the same issue a week or so ago. Turned out mine was a bad starter. The major connection to the solenoid had come loose inside. It would work fine on the bench, but the minute you put a load on it, the connection wasn't good enough to spin the engine over.
Trust me, I've had more than my share of these moments, and I still play with these things after 40 years.
Jeff
 
Well I did laugh at Trevor's comment about jumpstarting the car with the truck with bird poop on it and I took both of yours advice and went to the Y and chilled at the pool and told the Sprite that I am not messing with you while I am angry. I am ready (again!) to start diagnosing. Will scratch away all the black paint, check the solenoid power, see if starter gets power, bench test starter, go to battery next.

Does this sound good? I think it is a good start, I also feel it is something simple but without really knowing this car it feels complicated.
 
Jeff's comment about that internal connection on the starter is important... read it again.
 
Seems very obvious to me. The starter is not getting enough juice to turn over. That's assuming the starter was pulled and checked at one of the local parts stores that do it for free, good service.

1. charge battery for a few.

2. check and clean all battery and solonid and starter conections, the big wires.

3. have starter checked if it has not been.

4. crank it.

5. if no joy bypass solonid to crank it.

6, if it does not go now you need to do steps 2 thru 5 again.
 
If you are going to the trouble to remove the starter, could you exchange it with the one from your other engine? It was working wasn't it?
 
Rachel,

You forgot to tell them Bengal Tiger Stripes. After all you are in Cincinnati.

If starter is an issue you can always swap from the other motor.

Good luck in getting it started.
 
...and TELL US what you're doin'! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
Ok! I have been out with hubby and think that we may have figured it out, I am very excited now! Took the one starter and tested it...nothing. Then took the old starter off the old motor and tested it and it seems good. So of course that is the one that is not cleaned up, so gotta clean it up and then put it on and see where we are at and see what other obstacles we have to overcome next.


Will continue to keep you posted!
 
Here's a test you can make, assuming you have a voltmeter. (If you don't, I suggest stopping by Harbor Freight and dropping seven bucks on one of their nice little yellow digital multimeters.)

First, check the battery voltage. Next attach the voltmeter to the starter terminal and the other lead to ground and click the starter. If you see the voltage drop noticeably--like, a volt or two, or maybe even more, the starter is conducting and it's jammed somehow. If you see the same as the battery voltage, there is an open circuit in the starter somewhere. If you see NO voltage, the starting relay is bad or something is not connected.
 
Well guess what???

It was the starter! Yeah I am very excited, this "new" engine runs so much better than the old one and sounds great even though (yes on to the next problem) it won't stay running.

I so appreciate everyones help and guidance and "keep at it" comments, it really helps me stick with it. My hubby has been great as well with this as before I got the car he decided that he didn't want to play with cars for a while and decided to move on to bikes, now I got him out there working on this car and telling me what to do and answering all my questions. I can't wait to move onto interior and body work, engine stuff makes me feel so dumb, it is kind of hard for me to understand but I am learning.

So this is what I am dealing with now, I have fuel, I have spark, I have oil pressure of 50 to 60, engine is def. turning over but dies. So hubby thinks that it is not top dead center and the order is off or it is the timing. He also said we need to check for top dead center before timing.

I need a vacuum line, it's the one that goes from the engine to the Weber carb, it is stretched across the top of the engine and I don't like that. Any idea where to get one?

I think I am close to having my little car going, you think?
 
I think you are very very close indeed.

It is going to run with the timeing quite a bit off, just twist the dizzy till you have it. Then You can time with a light.

If it has fuel and spark it will run or try to in any case.
 
For the vacuum line you can just go to your local auto parts store and get about 3 feet of common black vacuum tube (1/8" diameter I think). Works fine.
Be sure to verify the diameter before you buy too much.
Bill
 
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