Possible solenoid problem

C

classiclover

Junior Member
Greetings

Back again with another issue. My 40 ford won't turn over, behaves like a Dead Battery, but had battery tested and found good. When I push starter button I hear a click at the solenoid and that is all that happens. Is there a way I can test the solenoid before I purchase a new one. All input appreciated

Dale
 
You can bypass solenoid by jumping across both terminals (large ones) If it cranks, good. If not then problem is elsewhere. If it cranks then remove jumper and apply ground from battery to small terminal and if it cranks problem is likely starter button which must have a good ground to work. Make sense?
 
If the starter teeth are hung up in the flywheel you will get only a click. Put transmission in high gear and forcefully rock car back and forth. When the starter clears you will hear it. Good luck.
 
A volt meter applied to the starter terminal of the relay while it is energized will show full battery voltage if it's good. A battery can show full voltage but still not have any capacity for cranking amps. I always check the battery first.

I hesitate to use jumpers to test around high amp terminals. It's easy to damage a copper terminal that way. If the relay passes voltage then the starter should be getting some if the cable is good.

Starter cables deteriorate and many were replaced with too small a gauge of conductor cable. Starter brushes and bushings wear out too. Checking the starter relay is a good idea only after the battery is checked. Then go on from there if it's good. I haven't had much problem with the starter drives hanging up. If they do, I pull the starter and repair or replace it as required.

The old starter bendix design only has a light duty spring to aid in disengagement from the flywheel. It really relies on the engine starting to allow the centrifugal force to disengage it.
 
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My bet is you need a new solenoid.
Just curious, what was the voltage reading of your battery when you had it tested under load?
 
Battery test was done at O Reilly and feedback was "Meets OEM Spec.

Another piece of info--When I was trying to start it yesterday, it was turning over fine and suddenly just stopped like it was locked up.
 
Don’t buy a new solenoid until the rest is checked. If you need one best to look for nors ones as the new ones can be crap. Rotowrench is right about using jumpers as threads on terminals can get boogered if not careful.
 
Do what 40cpe suggested in post #3 and report back. It sounds like a jammed starter from the additional information you provided.
 
Greetings to All of you fine folks

I have checked out all possible causes, except the Starter motor. I have had trouble starting the car after engine is up to temp for quite some time, and have suspected the starter. Now with the latest issue, and rechecking all possibilities, I am committed to replacing the starter motor. I seee Dennis Carpenter has the replacement for about $200. I hear good and bad things about Carpenter parts. Any advice on where to buy the starter
 
classiclover said:
Greetings to All of you fine folks

I have checked out all possible causes, except the Starter motor. I have had trouble starting the car after engine is up to temp for quite some time, and have suspected the starter. Now with the latest issue, and rechecking all possibilities, I am committed to replacing the starter motor. I seee Dennis Carpenter has the replacement for about $200. I hear good and bad things about Carpenter parts. Any advice on where to buy the starter
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Take it to a good auto electric company to have it checked out. If it is defective they can probably repair it for you for under $200 and you save shipping.
 
I had the starter for my ‘46 rebuilt at an old school auto electric shop at a cost of $125.00. The technician even knew to mask off the face where the starter meets the bell housing before giving it a nice coat of black paint.
 
A good (experienced) auto electric shop should be able to fix the starter for you…..assuming you can still find one near you. If the armature or the field windings are bad, it can get expensive very quickly….assuming the shop can locate them. A phone call can give you some idea on pricing.

New starters are available from various vendors. We stock them as well. I choose not to stock them with the modern barrel type drive as I’ve seen too many issues with that drive. We install new (made in the USA) bendix type drives on the new starters and they’ve worked out well.
 
classiclover said:
Greetings to All of you fine folks

I have checked out all possible causes, except the Starter motor. I have had trouble starting the car after engine is up to temp for quite some time, and have suspected the starter. Now with the latest issue, and rechecking all possibilities, I am committed to replacing the starter motor. I seee Dennis Carpenter has the replacement for about $200. I hear good and bad things about Carpenter parts. Any advice on where to buy the starter
Click to expand...

Take your old starter out and exchange it for a rebuilt one at your local NAPA. For around $70-80 bucks, you've back in business. Just take off your Bendix before the exchange.

I would suggest replacing the Bendix spring while it's out as well.
 
I got a bad one from NAPA last year. The fact that they took it back with no questions asked leads me to believe that it is not a rare occurrence.
 
tubman said:
I got a bad one from NAPA last year. The fact that they took it back with no questions asked leads me to believe that it is not a rare occurrence.
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Interesting. Did it just plain quit? Curious what went bad. So far, so good on my NAPA rebuild.
 
It would barely turn the engine over, much worse than the one I replaced. We double checked everything to make sure we hadn't made any goof-ups when installing it. It's a pretty simple installation. When I replaced it with a third good used starter I had found, the engine turned over like there was no tomorrow.

As I said above, the cavalier way they just took it back with no questions asked made me wonder. I walk in with it, put it on the counter and say "This is no good". The guy says "Oh, OK" and processed my refund then and there. It seemed like it was an everyday occurrence. It used to be : "No refunds on electrical parts".
 
tubman said:
It would barely turn the engine over, much worse than the one I replaced. We double checked everything to make sure we hadn't made any goof-ups when installing it. It's a pretty simple installation. When I replaced it with a third good used starter I had found, the engine turned over like there was no tomorrow.

As I said above, the cavalier way they just took it back with no questions asked made me wonder. I walk in with it, put it on the counter and say "This is no good". The guy says "Oh, OK" and processed my refund then and there. It seemed like it was an everyday occurrence. It used to be : "No refunds on electrical parts".
Click to expand...

Yeah, sounds like it.

Fingers crossed I got a "good" one. I know Kube has had luck with the NAPA units as well.

Maybe you got a Monday morning or Friday afternoon rebuild from them. LOL!
 
Did you check to make sure you had a good ground? It may not be any of those items. If you don't have a good ground on a 6 volt system you will get the same symptoms you described in your original post.
 
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