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Spridget Starting Issues.

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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

Yoda
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Question, are solenoids available from the normal parts houses or do I need to go to VB or MOSS for one? Bugsy my '68 Sprite, for the third time gave me the single quiet click scenario yesterday and I needed to push start him at
the gas station. Interesting 4 guys saw me start to push him, stopped what they were doing pumping gas and rushed over to help push Bugsy, all without asking or exchanging a single word. A 10' push, popped into first and off I went. I waved thanks and went home. Rolled into garage,
turned key, and Bugsy started right out without any hesitation.

Now this is the 3rd time this has happened. I'm not getting the solenoid stutter as in not enough juice in the battery just a single click and nothing. Tried restarting 5-6 times same results single quiet click and nothing. I need to get in there and clean everything and check connections. This could be bad switch contacts at key switch, bad solenoid,
bad starter( not getting the click, click, click thing like low voltage from battery), battery that is now 6 years old, generator not putting out enough juice to pull down the relay, generator has been doing a little bit of major hi charge whine lately so possibly battery now 6 y.o.
might be suspect. Need to dig in and do some testing..

I know someone on this list or one of the other lists had a similiar problem and changing the solenoid resolved all issues.
 
Batteries really only have a life of four good years. And low voltage can indeed destroy many of electrical components, makes solenoids stick and componants heat up. Low voltage = High Amperage. Recommend you replace that 6 year old battery and than check for your suspected problem. Definatally cleaning those connections cant hurt.
 
Also you can use a universal 12-v solenoid. They are merely a basic switch. I have a golf car one in my midget with no problems.
 
Think I would change the battery and check the starting connections before I did anything else. Sounds like battery to me.
 
Thanks Type 51/53 batteries one of those two are fairly cheap. I think this wasa K-Mart special to begin with. Not that Bugsy needed to crank it up during the winter months but age is always an issue. Time this week to go through and check out all components / connections.
 
When you say "just a single click and nothing" do you mean really "nothing"?

I had that, I would turn the key & the dash lights up & I could hear the fuel pump start clicking then turn the key further to start and... "nothing" - no lights, no camera, no action at all.

Leave key on, open the hood & tug on wires until the power came back on.

Ended up pulling the fuse block loose, cleaning it, under - over & all around. No problem since then, been about a month now.
 
Need to check things out, didn't listen to see if fuel pump was running. Too noisy where I was at to hear. Must have been running otherwise car would have quickly run out of gas on the 4-5 mile trip home. I had radio. It's an intermittent thing.
 
Mine was intermittent too, sometimes if I just turned off the key & waited a few moments and tried again it would all be OK.

When it started cutting out while driving I decided it was time to tear into it & get it fixed.
 
Jim, If the solenoid is clicking, then the ignition switch is good, and the solenoid is good... most likely. The click you hear is the magnet slamming a piston with copper contacts that mechanically makes the connection between the 2 large posts on the solenoid. Very simple, basic and reliable, unless... the battery has low voltage and it doesn't slam the piston hard and hold the magnet so that the contacts burn and char from being not-quite-in contact. Several turnings of the key will sometimes get it to work. (I suspect you're cleaning off some of the charring) Test: car out of gear, cross the 2 big terminal with a screw driver. Stand back. Expect sparks. Starter should turn the engine. If the ignition key is on, the car should start.

If the starter does not turn, then the problem is likely the starter, or nearly dead battery. Try the test above with head lights on. If they dim, suspect the battery is weak.

I had been having a similar experience with my Mini (same bits), but I could start if I wiggled the starter cable, most everytime. This weekend I pulled the starter apart expecting it needed brushes,or the fragile wire post was weak. It was the wire post which had been poorly soldered by the previous rebuilder. It is very common for folks to tighten only the outer nut for the cable without holding the inner nut. This allows the stud to turn, and breaks the connection to the field coils. I soldered it together, and it's been flawless since.

Peter C.
 
The nice thing about starter problems is that the number of things possible is very limited: starter, cable, relay, battery. There ain't much else. Once it starts misbehaving again (believe me, it will, probably when least convenient) you can trace down the problem with a voltmeter. Turn the ignition, to "start," see if you have voltage at the starting-motor side of the relay--if you do, starter or cabling is bad; if not, work back towards the battery to see where it's disconnected. Should take you maybe 15 minutes.
 
Thanks Peter,

I'll go through Bugsy this weekend, no time until then but I'll start with a new battery to begin with. Granted no use to speak of during winter months but Bugsy came home in October '01 and I bought a cheap $39.95 K-Mart or something special soon thereafter. It could well be the battery. Solenoid must have neen replaced in the not too distant past. Brad sent me a link for one with as pushbutton on it, something helpful under the hood. I have noticed the last few times this has happened pretty good generator whine when the engine has started thereby leading me to believe it might be battery related. I had driven 7-8 miles down to get coffee at a pretty good clip over some back roads when I pulled in and stopped to get coffee. Coming back out 3 minutes later yielded click, not a click, click, click, just a single click. I'll check it out htis weekend. Between graduations, family parental unit health issues, Spring planting and yardwork, launching the ski boat and keeping Mama happy pulling her on skis no time left gfor Bugsy, and then there's that work thing. Take care and thanks for the help. I'll let you know if I need a solenoid.
 
If you dont drive your spridget regularly, then I would sugest buying one of those battery maintainers from harbor freight for 7-8 bucks. I use one on my motorcycle and it works well. Batteries last a whole lot longer when they are kept at full charge rather than being allowed to drain down over time. Those maintainers only put in a small charge and then cut off one the battery is topped up and cut back in as needed. I switch my bike on and the headlight comes on nice and bright and hit the switch and it spins over real quick.
 
Yup, that's what I did with my boat for 20 years.
 
Bugsy gets driven every single chance I get even into the winter months when temps are above freezing and no salt on the ground. Summer months driven daily. It's not for lack of driving time just an older battry is the place to start. Peter C's note about voltage being down above and solenoid contacts describes my situaiton fairly well. Now to just manufacure another 4 hours in each and every day so I can find time to fix Bugsy. Either that or go without sleep. Too much on my plate right now, that work thing is intruding into my LBC Time.
 
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