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KLUTZ

KLUTZ

Luke Skywalker
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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Three months of no problem driving and now.. two weeks of GREEF.
Got the new electronic ignition system in last week. Car started and ran beautifully... for two days and 200 miles. Hiway driving was as before, nice and smooth great pick-up, especially at 120 KPH and over.
I went out to the garage to start it Monday morning, to go to work, and two or three quick turns of the engine, then a couple real slow ones, then the same again. I did this for about five minutes and gave up. Got home that evening, and tried again. Same thing. Car turns over realy slowly then turns as it should, but still won't start. The battery finally got too low to continue for that night. I charged the battery all day Tuesday. Got home.. full charge on the battery, and I opened the chokes again manually, (no cable connected yet). Same slow rotation, then a quick one and away she went. Car ran great when going. I took it around the block and shut it off. Tried to restart it again... same thing again, and it eventually started again.
What could be causing this new problem? Could my new Distributor have moved and needs to be adjusted again? I am scared to drive it to work now since I don't want to be stranded 70 KM from home. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Any one??
Thanks again

Paul /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif
 
is the rotor on the distributor timed right? maybe a pin broke on one of the timing gears and the distributor slips in and out of time.
 
No clue.
Wouldn't start the day after I got it home, Tried for a long time but the engine turned over fine. Realized the choke wasn't open at all. Set that, started right up and ran great, idled great around 900, nice and smooth.
Came home tonight and tried again; real slow turning over no start, then just clicking from glovebox area. Checked battery and heard liquid when shaking it. I had never heard that before, so I took the new one out of my MGB. Same thing.. just clicking.
I looked around the fuse box and the relays. I put in a new starter relay in the spring because it wouldn't start after driving long distances. That corrected it. Tonight, I noticed a LIGHT PURPLE WIRE just hanging around, obviously has been pulled out of a relay or somthing in the fuse box area. The only thing I see on the wire diagragm is that they go to the horn relay. The horn just clicks now too.
I guess tomorrow I will check all the fuses and wires, there must be another short. Oh ya... when I try for a while to start it.. the Positive cable from the battery gets hot.
I think a For Sale sign is getting better looking every day.
 
Klutz Check all ground cables. They MUST all be clean and tight. and of course you do have a ground cable from engine to chassis.......Brian
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif Good advice......sounds rather like my old MGB. Removing the earth strap to the body, cleaning around the mounting point and then re-attaching, this time more firmly, did the trick.
 
Thanks guys.
Today I re-attatched the purple wire to the horn relay. It works now. Cleaned up the mess of wires that come off the Positive cable from the battery, checked all other connections in the engine compartment, and they are all clean now, but still just a clicking from the fuse box area. I tried another starter relay I have.. same thing. Maybe it is no good though too.
I am getting spark from the coil when I turn the key, getting power to the starter, but that is the extent. I will look into the grounding cable to chasis tomorow since I am off to work tonight.
It is just weird. My mechanic fixed a short that was burning out the electonic ignition, now these problems. But he is gone for two weeks.

How could I test if the starter is kaput? Maybe I fried it when turning over the engine so much without it starting?

Paul /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Good advice, checking grounds. Assuming you have full battery, then check voltage drop to see what the story is.
Using your volt meter, place the black lead on battery cable right at the battery, and the red lead on the battery positive post. Then crank the engine. You should read no more than 0.1 volt. This is the voltage that is being used going across that connection. Now, put red lead on the battery cable right at the connection by the battery, and then the black lead at the connection to the starter solenoid. Crank engine and read voltage again. If the cable is all full of corrosion, you'll have dropped several volts going through it. Your reading should be about 11v at the lowest. A corroded cable will give you something like 8v at the starter - hardly enough. If that's good, then move the leads to measure from solenoid to starter itself, to check resistance in the solenoid. If all that is good, and you know (as a result of testing) that your ground from engine to chassis, and from battery to chassis is good, then the starter is bad.
 
Well, to recap what I did today.
I couldn't get my Amp meter so I cleaned the ground to chasis cable and screws, and re-checked the other "in sight" connections.
I took the starter off of the engine and forgot that you have to take half the engine apart to get it out of the compartment.
I removed the wires and cleaned and brushed off the connecters, and cleaned them up. I then re-attatched the wiring. At first, I heard a different clicking from the starter itself. I then manually moved the gears inside the starter, jiggled the wires onto the selenoid, and turned the key. The starter spinned for about 6 seconds, then stopped. I did it again and got a little more action from it, but not spinning.
Don't know if it is the wiring now, or somthing inside the starter. How do I hook the batery up directly to test the starter? I will have to get it out anyway and take it somewhere I guess.

Thanks
Paul
 
Hello Paul,
it sounds almost certain that the starter is defective, they are quite easy to strip down so you can check the commutator and brushes. Really there is not much to go wrong and brushgear maintenance will usually sort it out.
Good luck,
Alec
 
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