Chuck,
If you have a Sun type meter, try measuring the voltage drop at the starter
while cranking, or attempting to. You can also measure the drop at the
solenoid. Excessive voltage drop indicates a bad component. Excessive drop
at the battery indicates the battery can't take the load. You can also test
the grounds between the battery and the frame, between the battery and the
negative side of the solenoid or starter. The manual that came with the Sun
meter shows you how to systematically run through each segment of the
engine's electrical circuits for diagnostics. You can pinpoint your
problem(s) and be confident there's a logical need for each fix. Good time
saver.
Cables cost less than solenoids. Solenoids are cheaper than batteries which
are cheaper than starters. You could spend a lot on a hit or miss
replacement program!
On my Plus 4, for some reason I have a weak ground through the strap
connected to the left engine mount. I added another ground cable from the
starter directly to the frame. That helped, but what the meter told me was
I also needed a new battery. Similar symptoms to yours, except it would
crank very sluggishly, almost rebounding when each piston came up. Now it
cranks beautifully and starts right up.
Good luck!
Jerry Murphy
At 05:18 PM 10/18/97 -0500, Charles A Harris wrote:
>Before starting to replace everything in the starting system, does anyone
>have any extraneous suggestions to this problem. Matildas starter does
>not. Just before TexMog when you turned the key to start, the scuttle
>mounted solenoid would drop, but the solenoid on the starter would not,
>and the starter bendix did not move. I removed the starter, and had it
>tested, and the rebuild folks said it was o. k. My wife kept after me to
>check the battery, which I refused to do for some time, as it always
>something to do with Lucas. At last I did check the battery and found
>that sure enough it had died of some geriatric complications.
>Now with the new battery she has been starting fine until the day before
>yesterday when at the stables she refused to start. She bump started
>fine, and the starter worked for the rest of the day. yesterday she
>became like Bob Noguiras lottery starter on his return from Alaska, as
>sometimes it works, sometimes it did not. The new battery seems fine, so
>I wonder wheather the starter has sure enough now died, or if the
>solenoids are a problem. Any suggestion would be appreciated..
>Chuck Harris
>66 4/4 with 1600 x-flow and neg ground
>
>
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