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Author
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Topic: Help, car won't start...
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 08:33 PM
   
went to take the stang for a drive and turned the key only to get a slow cranking and then nothing on the second try except a clicking sound.....
I replaced the battery (had it since '87)and now i do not even get a sound when i turn the key, no click or anything. I had the battery checked, it is fully charged. I replaced the starter solinoid, nothing changed. any suggestions where i should go from here?
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HHStang
Gearhead Posts: 372
From: SC, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 08:40 PM
It really sounds like a dead battery to me. I'd have the battery tested to see if it not only has the volts, but the cranking amps (you need a battery tester to know this). Have you tried jump starting the car? If it's not the battery, it gets tougher and is proabaly a starter or solenoid. I'll bet it's the battery though.
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adragon8u
Gearhead Posts: 4857
From: Oceano, Ca. member# 2895
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 08:40 PM
Battery clamps, neutral safety switch,I.E. make sure it's in park completely. My 66 had a bad shifter alignment and i had to push the shifter forward past park to get the starter to ingage.
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 10:23 PM
I just tried running a jumper wire from the + post of the battery to the "S" output on the solinoid(or starter relay i guess it is called) and now obtain the "Click" of the switch being opened, but still not able to crank the engine... what could the problem be?
p.s. took my new battery to autozone to check the volts on their equipment and it read a full charge.
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grandestang
Gearhead Posts: 374
From: Lake Bluff, Illinois USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 10:55 PM
Try turning on the lights or some other power accessory. If nothing works, than look to the batter cables. If they are the origingals they could be bad. Thats what happed to my stang, replaced the cables and I was good to go. So at least if you have no power to anything you can trace it back to this. I'm kinda reaching here, but its worth a shot. Also, even a small amount of corrosion on the clamps can resist current flow- make sure its clean.Paul
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-27-2003 11:26 PM
It seems there is only enough power to run the accessorys such as radio, interior lights, and headlights(which do not appear to be dim). First thing tommorrow I will try new cable, as mine appear to be original, with most of the plastic casing cracked off and are very brittle now that i look closer at them...
EDIT: Still not sure how all of the sudden it decides not to carry the amperage needed to start the car... I will post if the cables help any, thanks[This message has been edited by 65ponycar (edited 07-27-2003).]
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Mike W
Journeyman Posts: 26
From: CA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 12:04 AM
An easy test is to put a voltmeter on the starter side of the solinoid. Try to crank; if the voltmeter shows about 12 volts, the solinoid is ok.If it reads very low, say below 8 volts, the solinoid has a high resistence on the contacts, replace it. Then put the voltmeter on the starter terminal. If you see 12 volts, the starter is bad. Under normal conditions there will be a drop while cranking of 2 to 3 volts. I have seen many rebuilt starters that were bad right out of the box so beware. 
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grandestang
Gearhead Posts: 374
From: Lake Bluff, Illinois USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 12:24 AM
quote:
Originally posted by 65ponycar:
It seems there is only enough power to run the accessorys such as radio, interior lights, and headlights(which do not appear to be dim). First thing tommorrow I will try new cable, as mine appear to be original, with most of the plastic casing cracked off and are very brittle now that i look closer at them...
EDIT: Still not sure how all of the sudden it decides not to carry the amperage needed to start the car... I will post if the cables help any, thanks[This message has been edited by 65ponycar (edited 07-27-2003).]
Well, if there is still enough power to the headlights and all the accessories then it is probably not the cables at fault here. Your right it probably wouldn't be a sudden change like that, but you never know. (mine kinda slowly went bad, as I would not get a strong voltage all the time). Anyway if they are cracked like that they should definitely be replaced anyway. The voltmeter sounds like a very good idea though, give that a try and I'm sure you'll find your problem. Paul
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F-150Moneypit
Journeyman Posts: 34
From: Oregon
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 01:21 AM
My old '67 did the same thing.
Replaced battery - click
replaced starter - click
took starter back for new one - click
replaced solinoid - click
Battery cables and posts were spotless, you know how they have that grey look? Pulled out my pocket knife and made the cable ends shine - started right up!Ohh and how could I forget the time I parked it at the store and when I went to go leave - click!
This time it turned out to be the starter, the bendix gear broke and wedged between the flex plate, torque convert and belhousing!
Had to pull the tranny for that one. Hope yours is an easy problem!
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V8 Thumper
Gearhead Posts: 4376
From: Arizona
Registered: Dec 2001
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posted 07-28-2003 07:30 AM
quote:
Originally posted by F-150Moneypit:
Pulled out my pocket knife and made the cable ends shine - started right up!
Now there's the best advise yet
Easy to do, cheap (free), and could quite possibly be the problem. I've solved more electrical problems by simply cleaning/restoring ground connections... Welcome to M&M Moneypit  ------------------
1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9" All Blue Oval, no blue bottle
http://mustangsandmore.50megs.com/V8Thumper.html
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 12:50 PM
Update:
New cables from battery(+) to starter relay, from starter relay to starter, new ground strap, and new negative battery cable.
Followed the given advice of using a knife blade to make all the connections "shiny"
Heres the problem, I still get nothing when the ignition key is turned. However if i lay a wrench across the starter post and (+) post of the starter relay I get a click and then the starter spins... what would cause this?
Thanks to everyone who is helping me, this would be 10x more frustrating w/o the help and advice, thanks
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1_ZoNiE
Gearhead Posts: 690
From: Arizona - M&M Member No. 1968 & Owner/Driver of a 1968 Mustang Coupe! ~Happiness is Matching Numbers~
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 07-28-2003 01:56 PM
The weakest link from here is the ignition switch. Funny though, they don't normally die the way you have described it? Might need to pull the switch and check it's condition. If it's cracked within the "bakelite" area - replace it. But, before you do, check the connection to the switch. This might be loose?------------------
Jim 68 Mustang Coupe...My Show Car.
Winning over 60 "dust free" awards! So you want to know what the trouble is?
Trouble is, life is too short & movies are too long.
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skips69
Gearhead Posts: 337
From: Catlin, IL USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 07-28-2003 02:14 PM
A week ago, my dad drove his 73' Mach 1 out to my place, and we were going to go for a short cruise. Got back in the car after it sat parked for half an hour and it would not start. Checked all the normal stuff, found nothing wrong. I happened to have a spare coil in the garage, switched it out in just a few minutes and the car started right up. His coil was an Accel High Output coil, and was only 2 years old. Same thing happened to my daily driver truck (79' F150 4x4) this past spring - parked it for the weekend, wouldn't start on Monday - Bad Coil was the culprit. Grounds are also notorious for this condition, check them all out, clean the contacts, make sure they are tight, and replace if in question. You'd be surprised how these things happen out of the blue.
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 02:28 PM
Got my shop manual out again... completed test for starter relay, okay. Tried test for neutral starter switch, but this is where i get confused.
Shop manual:
"If engine cranks in step 2[which it did when i placed the wrench across the starter relay as part of test], remove the quick dissconnect from the starter neutral switch, which is located on the steering column under the instrument pannel. Connect a jumper wire between the quick disconnect terminals that are connected to the red-blue stripe wires. Operate the ignition switch to crank the engine." --does this mean to short the switch or the wires to the switch on the "main" engine wire feed that goes back up to the ignition switch?
I think my problem could lay in here somewhere, everything other is new or cleaned except for the ignition switch. Also, not to jump to conclusions, but I asked a friend with a '66 to check and see what happens if he tries to start car in reverse or drive, and it had the same symptoms as mine, no click sound and the radio and idiot lights go off but has no effect on headlights.
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 03:52 PM
CAR STARTED!!!
Finally after much trial and error I can now start the car from the ignition switch with the keys!
Problem was in the neutral safety switch. Followed the shop manual instructions to bypass the switch. I guess I could just leave it like this and just always double check to make sure the car is in park/neutral before starting as I plan to later convert to a 5spd.
Thanks for all the responses, I'm glad to have replaced the worn cables and cleaned all my grounds as a little "insurance" of an electrical failure later on...
So glad to hear the car run again, thanks, Dan
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adragon8u
Gearhead Posts: 4857
From: Oceano, Ca. member# 2895
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 04:16 PM
Glad to hear you got it going Dan!
quote:
Originally posted by 65ponycar:
CAR STARTED!!!
Finally after much trial and error I can now start the car from the ignition switch with the keys!
Problem was in the neutral safety switch. Followed the shop manual instructions to bypass the switch. I guess I could just leave it like this and just always double check to make sure the car is in park/neutral before starting as I plan to later convert to a 5spd.
Thanks for all the responses, I'm glad to have replaced the worn cables and cleaned all my grounds as a little "insurance" of an electrical failure later on...
So glad to hear the car run again, thanks, Dan
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HHStang
Gearhead Posts: 372
From: SC, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 05:06 PM
Congrats! Sounds like a great manual. What is it?
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65ponycar
Gearhead Posts: 748
From: Dayton, OH
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 05:22 PM
HHStang- Sounds like a great manual. What is it? the manual is just one I bought from NPD a while back. "1965 Comet, Falcon, Fairlane, and Mustang Shop Manual" --just covers a lot of basic stuff for guys like me who are just learning mustangs, has about everything.
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HHStang
Gearhead Posts: 372
From: SC, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 09:09 PM
Thanks! My car is WHACKED. The guy I bought it from has all these wires crossed and put together with electric tape. It is a nightmare but I am determined to solve it.
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adragon8u
Gearhead Posts: 4857
From: Oceano, Ca. member# 2895
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 09:18 PM
don't feel lonely, that's the way i got my 66 a few months back. I think the guy was selling parts off of it to make ends meet.
good luck with you car, these guys are great and will help you lots.http://webpages.charter.net/adragon8u/mystang quote:
Originally posted by HHStang:
Thanks! My car is WHACKED. The guy I bought it from has all these wires crossed and put together with electric tape. It is a nightmare but I am determined to solve it.
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N266fords
Gearhead Posts: 1380
From: Spokane ,WA USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 07-28-2003 11:57 PM
Painlees sells this kit for about 600. so does jegs its # is 20120 here is the link..
http://www.painlessperformance.com/
Maybe this will help..Bruce
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