It's dead...

[Henri]

Finally...I've been bragging about how well my car has been driving...we did our OCC-BCR drive the other day on Saturday...no problems...drove like a top...tried to start the car on Sunday...it's dead...it will not turn over...battery is working and is fine...nothing...now I've got to figure out what it is...starter, solenoid, generator...???

[ 03-06-2003: Message edited by: Henri ]</p>

 

[BEEJAY7]

hi Henri

Sounds like an electrical fault.

The obvious things to check is the main Electrical feed cable from the battery, check and clean terminals at both ends.
It could be the starter solenoid. Check or replace.
Master Switch....You did switch it on?......Check Wiring and earth. This is the most likely culprit.

Good Hunting

 

[John Turney]

I used to have this problem. It was the master switch. It would develop high resistance. Fuel pump would work, but not turn over. Next time, put your hand on the switch and see if it's warm (careful, it may be hot). I ended up replacing it, but it can be bypassed, at least with the battery ground cable going directly to ground.

John, BN4

 

[Blonde Healey Girl]

Henri,
Sorry to hear your Healey quit, however, hope the paint still looks great!!!
My BT7 did the same thing. The screw holding the solenoid to the car came loose. (It's supposed to have two screws.) I'm not sure about BJ Series but on mine you can manually activate the solenoid by reaching around the back of the thing and mashing the button. Make sure Tranny is in Neutral!!!(that advice comes from a dumb blonde experience) (If you have the key on it should start up) Key off, and it will just spin the engine. Great for tuning or troubleshooting starters etc. I have a Pos Gnd car and yours is probably Neg Gnd. But if you're not getting a good ground, the starter button has no way to send power to the solenoid,
Keep us posted what you find out,
Shelly

 

[eric@associatedprinting]

I am also having a similar problem, though mine seems to be intermittent. Sometimes the car starts just fine(hot, cold makes no diff). Sometimes when I turn on the switch, I can barely hear the fuel pump ticking and there is no power to start the car. Then the other day, the fuel pump clicked but the starter spun without engaging, second try, it fired right up. New battery last fall, new cables to ground and solenoid. Any ideas?

67BJ8 in Western NC

 

[stever]

Starter spinning without engaging could be a missing tooth on flywheel or the gear that engages the teeth is all gummed up and sticking on the starter shaft. It is also possible that the starter wasn't spinning as rapidly as it should and thus not forcing the gear to move enough to engage - considering the other symptoms you mention, this is in my opinion likely. Strongly encourage checking all the connections, etc. mentioned above. Additionally, the battery and ground cables could be corroded internally to the insulation. I had that happen once and it stopped everything. Replaced the ground cable and fixed it all immediately.

 

[Hondo Hernandez]

Every time I have this problem, it is with connectivity between the battery and the starter. One of these days I'll replace the cable. Mean time, I make adjustments and get it to work.

Hondo

 

[healeygal]

Hi Henri,

From someone who speaks from (much) experience, it's no fun when the Healey is out of commission, so glad to see you're "on the road again!"

 

[Henri]

Yea!...it was the master solenoid...that's all folks..."I'm back in the saddle again"....

 

[stever]

Congrats on getting her going again! It is a really great feeling when you solve a problem with the Healey - AND having someone (or lots of someones) to tell about it! Wives usually don't get too excited about our little victories with the demon LBCs - or at least mine doesn't, anyway! Happy driving, friend!

 

[eric@associatedprinting]

Turns out my similar problem is also solenoid related. The car wouldn't start so I tapped on the side of the solenoid with a screwdriver (handle end) and she fired right up. I'm thinking it might be temperature related (50-55 deg in garage).

Drive on, Healey Man!

 

[Henri]

Eric...I actually was told that tapping the side of the solenoid is a method of jolting into place a flywheel of sorts...that gets stuck sometimes...and that a swift blow to the solenoid "might" jar this part into place and the darn car then starts...I don't really know...I'm just repeating what I was told...da!

 

[Johnny]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Henri:
.it's dead...it will not turn over...battery is working and is fine...nothing...now I've got to figure out what it is...starter, solenoid, generator...???

[ 03-06-2003: Message edited by: Henri ]<hr></blockquote>
I recently had a similar situation on a 100/4 I was working on. The problem turned out to be the cable from the starter to the solenoid relay. It looked great, but when you pulled back on the rubber insulation you could see green corrosion extending the full length! This presented an intermittent type of failure, much like you are experiencing.
Johnny

 

[John Turney]

Actually, it was caused by bragging that your LBC was running so well.

Remember, these cars have souls and ears.

Glad you're running again.

John, BN4

 

[Henri]

Actually, it was caused by bragging that your LBC was running so well.

I have heard that before...I thought my car was tone deaf...but apparently it must have overheard something I said...I'm going to have to be more careful in the future...