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TR6 My TR6 won't start

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Triumph_blue

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I use the car every day, came home from work all was well as I shut her off. Next day, nothing, no cranking at all. Checked the battery and found it to be fully charged. While I had time to poke around I also change the ignition switch since I had a spare, still nothing. I took out the starter which I was going to change anyway, and replace it with the gear reduction one I had, still nothing. That is where I stopped for the moment. Has anyone been in this situation before. The lights, radio, horn all fuction. Does anyone have the magic bullet. Thanks, Frank
 
Do you have juice to your lights and other electrical circuits? If not, clean your battery terminals. If our suggestions don't work, test the battery.
Also, clean the ground connection from the battery to the engine.
 
I do have juice to the lights, radio, horn and the battery is fully charged. Do you know if there is any inline fuse that could be the culprit. By the way the TR6 is a 1973.
 
Triumph_blue said:
I do have juice to the lights, radio, horn and the battery is fully charged. Do you know if there is any inline fuse that could be the culprit. By the way the TR6 is a 1973.
Click to expand...

All of those items you mentioned are hot all the time...the ignition switch doesn't control them. Turn on the ignition switch (not to the start position) and see if the gauges, heater and wipers work. If not, then the ignition switch is not being fed. On your year car, there is a connector that comes from the brown main feed wire that branches off to the ignition switch. You can see it in this schematec from Advance Auto Wire. Scroll down to '73 TR6. I don't know where in the car it's located.

If the heater and wipers etc. work, then the problem must be in the white/red wire going from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid.
 
DougF said:
clean your battery terminals. If our suggestions don't work, test the battery.
Click to expand...

Both a weak battery and corroded terminals can allow most accessories to work but not provide enough power to turn over the engine.
The most common thing to cause the problem you are having is corroded battery posts. Clean them with a brush and a baking soda solution. WEAR EYE PROTECTION. If cleaning the battery terminals does not work you can try a direct jumper from the battery to the starter to see if it will turn over.

An easy and professional way to check the battery is to use a volt meter on the battery posts. A fully charged battery will register about 14 volts. When turning over the engine (or when the switch is engaged) it should not drop below 10 volts. If the car does not turn over and the voltage does not change you have a bad connection. If the engine does not fire the reading should go up after releasing the key. If it drops to less than 10 volts or does not rise at least some after attempting to start the battery is bad.
 
Here's what I would do, Clean the battery first, charge it for an hour.

With the help of a friend, put a meter across the low current side of the start solenoid, and turn the key to start, see if you are getting current/voltage to the low current side of solenoid.

If no reading on the low current side, check the wiring back to the key switch, and did you check all the fuses? Keep looking until you get current on the low current side of the solenoid.


If you are getting current on the low current side, try checking the high current side with a meter. If you get no current/voltage on the high current terminals, its almost sure to be the solenoid. If you get a reading, it could still be a bad solenoid, and the contacts are charred enough to raise resistance to not to allow high enough current to get to the starter. Solenoids are relatively cheap, change it if your in doubt.

You could try the remote starting directly to the starter, but if you don't have a remote starter, be careful, its hard not to arc and mar a bolt/nut, and you are working with VERY high current.

Be careful, when working on the battery/high current side of the wireing. remember you are dealing with current that can weld steel, the usual disclaimer I take no responsibility.
 
I want to thank all of you that gave me some direction in dealing with my no start problem. I will be checking those areas of concern and I will keep you posted.
Thanks,
Frank
 
73 have a seat belt interlock?
 
gjh said:
73 have a seat belt interlock?
Click to expand...

'73 has a seat belt warning system, but looking at the wiring diagram, it doesn't appear to affect the starting of the car. That mess of stuff showed up in '74.
 
Nobody has mentioned the fuse block getting so old and funky that electrons only flow fitfully in small bursts.
Also if you are still running the stock and very unsafe original pos cable, all of your power wires are plugged onto this cable(very subject to corrision). I like to add a fuse block and power all 3 wires from it to save electrical fires. If interested I can post a picture....
MD(mad dog)
 
Art,
Everything works when I hit the ignition switch, except for the empty silence of the engine coming to life. I will check the wire you suggested this weekend.
Thanks,
Frank ?('73 TR6 CF4076U)
 
Hey Mad Dog,
I have installed a new fuse box, but I still have the original positive cable. Like you said, maybe its time to get rid of it. I didn't think about that.
Frank
 
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