Ready to put my head through a wall

[sam z]

Guys,
Haven't posted in a while, been finishing a basement and watching a newborn.

Anyway, electrical is driving me nuts. For a few days, turn the key, get a "click."
Cleaned off negative battery ground. Still a "click." Had someone help me jump the
soelinoid. Car starts. Great right....? Wrong.

Put in a new soelenoid. Car starts fine. Go to start it a few hours later and guess
what....click. Nothing. Go to jump the new soelenoid and that doesn't do s#$%
either. Just a "click."

What gives guys? This is driving me up a friggin wall.

 

[Big John]

First check all the connections. Clean the battery terminals and clean and check the connections at the starter.

It may be the starter.... the internal connections at the starter solenoid do wear out.

BTW, what you probably changed was the starter relay. The solenoid is internal to the starter.

 

[mac]

my first car had a starter switch installed because the ignition switch wore out. it would switch on the run position but would not crank the starter. do you have another switch to try? if not i have a spare that you could try. let me know.

 

[george68hemirr]

SAMZ...do what they said but dont do that to the wall.....you have enough work to do :banana: :banana:

 

[sam z]

Hey Big John, you are right, bad choice of terms. The relay.

I sure as heck hope you are wrong about the starter. I have headers
and I don't think I have a fun job ahead of me....

Because this car was made in America, I've heard sometimes
you can tap the starter with a hammer and they will go. Any
truth to this with the big old Chryslers?

Thanks guys. Keep the info coming. And again, sorry for not
posting for a while. Life has kept me rather busy since Carlisle.

 

[ACME A12]

I had a similar problem about four years ago with my '74 Duster...so I replaced the relay...it was better but still not right...the starter would never work once the engine was warm. I chased everything under the sun as a possible culprit - except the relay because I had already replaced it...with some cheap piece of crap from Discount Auto (now Advance Auto Parts)... I tried heat shields and different mini starters thinking I had some kind of heat-soak problem. Everything was new... On a lark I went down to NAPA and got an Echlin SR5 - it cost more than twice what the chinese POS I bought from Discount cost me... It's still on there today and performs flawlessly...an instant cure. This may not be your problem...but with all of the cheaply made off-shore parts we're inundated with today you should keep it in mind...

Ray

 

[mcmopar]

This may sound stupid - but are you sure the battery doesn't have a dead or near dead cell? I've been bitten by the obvious more times than I care to admit.

 

[sam z]

Hey Ray,
Is that NAPA part the starter or relay please?

Mcmopar, the battery is only two months old. Seems
to be charged.

In a nut shell, this headache is getting old. I can't
trust the car enough to really enjoy it. Sucks.

 

[ACME A12]

Hey Ray,
Is that NAPA part the starter or relay please?

Mcmopar, the battery is only two months old. Seems
to be charged.

In a nut shell, this headache is getting old. I can't
trust the car enough to really enjoy it. Sucks.

Sam - that P/N is just for the relay - that is what was giving me fits - I already had a brand new mini-starter...

NAPA's on-line catalog says Echlin P/N SR5 is for automatic transmissions and that Echlin P/N SR6 is for manual transmissions.


Ray

 

[Basketcase]

yeah the hammer on the starter works. had to do it to my "Truck of Many Colors a couple months ago. been fine ever since.
The starer went bad on my car a couple weeks after I bought it. And it has headers. The last time I had to change a starter with headers, the headers came off in pieces. Didn't have any trouble with this car. Instead of unbolting the drivers engine mount, all I had to do was take out on manifold stud, and the header moved enough to let the starter to come easily out. This car has a 383, the other car had a 440.
And, after working in a parts dept for 9 years...just because it's a new part, doesn't mean it's a GOOD part. especially electrical.

 

[mac]

sam, how are you making out on the problem? for gits and shiggles, take apart the firewall connections and check for good, tight, clean connections. hey you never know.

 

[droptop]

My friend, I think you are in need of a new starter. And, with headers, I would put on a mini starter. They hold up better to the added heat of the headers.