Have a 52 Ford Customline with the flathead 8. Have not started. Previous owner says motor started with gas can a year ago. Note: I'm a 6 volt newby. So I charge a 6 volt battery. Install with positive to ground and negative to solenoid (like it was) I now have headlights if I pull the light switch but have nothing if I turn the starter switch. No click or anything. What steps do I take next? Just want to hear it crank at this point. Replace starter switch? Replace solenoid? Thanks!
Give the top of the solenoid a couple taps with a small wrench, then try again. If nothing, look for loose connections on the power from the solenoid to the starter. Also check connections at the ignition switch and everywhere those wires go on their way to the solenoid. You could try jumping over the switch to get some temporary power to the solenoid. This would eliminate the switch from the list of suspects if it makes no change. If you can find nothing obvious is loose or broken, I usually start replacing parts with the cheapest. I'd bet you can pick up a solenoid from the tractor supply for $20.
You can just jump the solenoid with a jumper cable too.Go from one large terminal to the other. Is your car an automatic? If so your problem may be the neutral safety switch.
Think that should be a on off switch with a push ****on starter? Maybe the cars were a little fancier and had a starter switch, truck would have a ****on to push after the key was switched on. the ****on on the left side of the dash on this 52
This is a car. My photo is of my truck and it does have the starter ****on. C Automatic . So jump one terminal to another on the solenoid??
yes the hot one to the - S - terminal I believe.....make sure in park ! Just a touch of the wires to see where your at....
Sometimes the cable connections can be tight, and still have corrosion that doesn't show. Loosen them and sand them so they are shiny and re connect them. I had an OT Chev Pickup that one morning would not start. All the connections were tight and look clean. I removed the cable to the starter which also looked clean. I used some sandpaper and got it shiny, re connected it and it started and was good till I sold it years later.
Starters usually never go bad. You could just use jumper cables to test the starter, forget the solenoid now. Ground + to engine / - to starter post. if it doesnt crank then go down the path of bad engine grounds, bad wiring, stuck motor , bad starter... etc. edit as an after thought ***make sure the car is not in gear when jumping it*** Yikes but common sense. you could always remove the starter and do the same, just put a couple nuts on the end of the two long bolts first. starter grounds to engine, amazing how a little paint f's the start up.
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