Totally dead after running for an hour

ok so as i read this now you bench tested the starter and it works.

in the car when depressing starter voltage drops so starter was energizing the other day..

try and see if you can turn the engine by hand to make sure its not SEIZED

since the crank pulley does not line up and you cant use the hand wrench

either put in gear and rock car and watch the crank pulley to see if it moves or put a large screwdriver into the crank pulley openings and try to turn the engine..
if trying to turn engine with screwdriver or by hand make sure its in neutral
 
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Your starter switch plunger should be pushed back against the case so the plunger doesn't rattle with your foot off the switch.

Even though the point of contact is off center, it still should spin when mounted. Do you have good sized starter cables?
 
If you are attempting to turn it over by hand or by pushing it back and forth to see if the engine is seized, remove the spark plugs. It will turn more easily.
 
Mitch//pa said:
ok so as i read this now you bench tested the starter and it works.

in the car when depressing starter voltage drops so starter was energizing the other day..

try and see if you can turn the engine by hand to make sure its not SEIZED

since the crank pulley does not line up and you cant use the hand wrench

either put in gear and rock car and watch the crank pulley to see if it moves or put a large screwdriver into the crank pulley openings and try to turn the engine..
if trying to turn engine with screwdriver or by hand make sure its in neutral
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Engine turns over by hand, so it's not locked up. I put everything back together and got nothing. Not a single noise when depressing the starter rod. Battery is still testing fine; 6.18
 
You need to press hard on the starter button and read the voltage on the switch stud while doing this. Could you have a faulty battery cable? Twice I've seen what looked like a good cable, but the cable pulled out of the battery post terminal with a slight pull.
 
Run a jumper cable from the negative battery post to the starter, if it cranks O.K, replace the battery cable. It may have been damaged in your original problem with the shorted starter switch. Bill W.
 
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Bill W I think he should hook a jumper cable from neg post to starter switch unless it has been changed to neg grd for some reason.
 
columbiA said:
Bill W I think he should hook a jumper cable from neg post to starter switch unless it has been changed to neg grd for some reason.
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Thank you sir! I just edited it, my brain must have been in my back pocket:eek: Bill W. (Or maybe I was just testing everyone?)
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
You need to press hard on the starter button and read the voltage on the switch stud while doing this. Could you have a faulty battery cable? Twice I've seen what looked like a good cable, but the cable pulled out of the battery post terminal with a slight pull.
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It is still reading close to 6.2 at the switch before cranking and 4.2 while PRESSING STARTER ROD. Cable ends are brand new and tight on both ends. They are definitely old but look ok. Wouldnt the voltage reading at the switch show a bad cable?
 
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Rust Merchant said:
Engine turns over by hand, so it's not locked up. I put everything back together and got nothing. Not a single noise when depressing the starter rod. Battery is still testing fine; 6.18
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Rust Merchant said:
It is still reading close to 6.2 at the switch before cranking and 4.2 while cranking. Cable ends are brand new and tight on both ends. They are definitely old but look ok. Wouldnt the voltage reading at the switch show a bad cable?
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I'm confused: does it crank or not?

Regarding voltage readings, there can be a big difference between no-load and under-load readings. Enough current can get thru a bad connection to activate the voltmeter, but then the connection totally collapses when you start trying to draw a significant amount of current.

Seems to me it's gotta be the cables. Like others have urged, try using the jumper cables to completely jump the battery to the installed starter: Run one cable from the battery ground post to a bolt or something near the starter; run the other cable from battery hot post to the starter switch (BEING CAREFUL NOT TO SHORT ON PUSH ROD, ETC>). If that doesn't work, try removing the starter switch and touching the hot cable directly to the big button on the starter (CAR IN NEUTRAL). This should tell you whether problem is in the switch or the hot or ground side of circuit. IF this doesn't work, I would look for an exorcist.
 
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Steve S posted this,........

"I'm confused: does it crank or not?

Regarding voltage readings, there can be a big difference between no-load and under-load readings. Enough current can get thru a bad connection to activate the voltmeter, but then the connection totally collapses when you start trying to draw a significant amount of current."

And I guess I'm confused also.......does it crank?

Also, have you "load tested the battery" ?
 
And I'm also confused.:confused: If it cranked OK and ran, in the begining of this thread, but then suddenly won't crank, I'd say the starter cable or battery must be at fault. The switch has been changed, and the starter has run OK on the bench. Any chance the starter was taken apart to be worked on since it last cranked?

Put a 3 to 6 amp charger on the battery to be sure it fully charged, then try it again. Unless your engine has a heavy drag the voltage reading is low for normal cranking voltage, but still should spin the starter.

Clip one volt meter lead (-) on the battery - post and the other meter lead (+) on the starter post and read the voltage drop when the starter button is pushed down. This will let us know how good the cable and connections are.
 
I'm sorry guys. I edited the post to read, when pressing starter rod, instead of cranking.
When rod is depressed, nothing happens. Battery is brand new and worked fine before. I am going to put a charger on it and try jumping Pos & Neg.
Starter has not been apart since I got the car.
If jumping doesn't work, I'll pull the switch and touch the battery lead to the button.
Then I'll call the exorcist!!

Thanks for all of the advice! I'll let you know what happens this evening.

Dwight
 
Rust Merchant said:
I'm sorry guys. I edited the post to read, when pressing starter rod, instead of cranking.
When rod is depressed, nothing happens. Battery is brand new and worked fine before. I am going to put a charger on it and try jumping Pos & Neg.
Starter has not been apart since I got the car.
If jumping doesn't work, I'll pull the switch and touch the battery lead to the button.
Then I'll call the exorcist!!

Thanks for all of the advice! I'll let you know what happens this evening.

Dwight
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OK, now you're scaring me. I hope you mean "jumping" with a voltmeter, like Tom suggested, and not jumping with a cable or some such.

Steve
 
steve s said:
OK, now you're scaring me. I hope you mean "jumping" with a voltmeter, like Tom suggested, and not jumping with a cable or some such.

Steve
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He is going to use jumper cables rather than the battery cables one neg post to starter SW, pos post to engine block. To eliminate the battery cables as the culprit. If this does not solve he will remove the switch and hold the jumper cable to the contact on the starter. If still no luck he will jumper cable from another battery. One step at a time.
 
Phil said:
He is going to use jumper cables rather than the battery cables one neg post to starter SW, pos post to engine block. To eliminate the battery cables as the culprit. If this does not solve he will remove the switch and hold the jumper cable to the contact on the starter. If still no luck he will jumper cable from another battery. One step at a time.
Click to expand...

Great, I hope you're right--that's what I suggested too. It's just that "jumping pos & neg" sure sounds like connecting positive to negative, which would be ok with a voltmeter but not with a jumper cable!

Steve
 
Just add the jumper cable to the battery cable, as it takes a heavy duty cable to carry enough amps to run a starter. Most of the jumper cables I see aren't up the the job.
 
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