So I’ve got this problem with my 1949 Chevy (converted to 12V/alternator with a EZ wiring harness, 235 inline 6 in it) that is absolutely doing my head in, but maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Story so far.. •about a year ago I was spending about 10 minutes trying to start it, it normally starts right up. At some point I press the ignition ****on and all of a sudden I’m getting nothing all. All I can hear is the sound of me pushing the ****on. This from memory was while I had the neighbor jumping my battery from his pick up truck. Thinking it was a weak battery issue. In hindsight I think it was just old fuel in the tank that had sat too long. •I put this issue down to a blown solenoid as it still had the original 6V solenoid on the starter (common practice for a 12V conversion) So I purchase a new 12V solenoid. I install it, and push that ignition ****on with high hopes.. nothing. • I pull the starter and solenoid out to do the jumper lead bench test with it connected to the battery. Screw driver across the terminals.. Both starter and solenoid are working fine, gear plunges and spins. • I put it back in the car, still nothing. I then disconnect all the wires and do the direct jumper lead connection to the battery with the starter bolted to the engine block/bell housing. Now I get nothing. So basically it seems to work doing the test separate from the car, then once it’s in there connected to the block it doesn’t want to play. • It may be worth adding as well, that for some time I’ve had something draining the battery pretty quickly, so I have to disconnect the battery after each time I have driven it to avoid a flat battery. Any helpful suggestions would be m***ively appreciated.
Probably toasted the starter ****on. 10 minutes use heats & cooks the bakelite, and takes the tension out of the springs under the contacts. The owner's manual cautions the operator not to crank longer than 30 seconds … and we can't tell how your new easy wiring is wired, so there may me something happening there, too.
If that was the issue, wouldn’t the solenoid/starter function when the starter is bolted to the block and I had the only the jumper leads connected, and used the screw driver across the terminals? (Because the ignition ****on is totally removed from the picture then isn’t it?)
Is there a good ground connection from the battery to the engine block? Both positive and negative battery cables good? I've seen corrosion in the factory lug crimp cause faulty current flow through cables. Many times with corroded connections you will get good voltage readings, but while under high current demand like starting, the high resistance from the corrosion stops current flow.
May be bad wiring between the starter ****on and the starter. Especially after having a hard time getting it started, may have shorted from the heat
Reminds me of an old electric story... My neighbor Ron had a '57 Chevy 'A' g***er, '60 Pontiac 468" mill. Ignition weak, so he bought a Pounden magneto. (Pounden was in Santa Rosa, short drive...Beautiful aluminum casting, made to order. Mag had an inert ground problem, (unbeknown to us) so when installed and cranked over there was no spark. Removed mag from car, mounted it in the vise. Removed top cover, checked things out...a ground cable inside was loose, so I tightened it up. This was a brand new unit. Back on with the cap, Ron was inspecting the plug ends on the wires... Tommy Joe, Ron's nephew, gave the gear a spin...//WHACK!// Ron sat down HARD, you could hear the zap 10 feet away. It was the ground, all right... CHECK THE GROUND CONTINUITY FROM BATTERY TO ENGINE BLOCK, THEN TO STARTER CASE.
The Jalopy Journal
