Last weekend I had to replace a corroded freeze plug, located directly above the starter. Obviously I had to remove the starter and replace when complete. The car started right up but I noticed the "buzzer" that comes on when you put the key in the ignition sounded strange, almost weak and a deeper tone. I had to make a few stops on the way home from a buddy's shop and each time the car was harder to start. The starter would turn but never seem to send fire to the distributor. Now it will not start at all. Still makes the odd buzzer sound and turns over easy but wont fire. Does this sound like a bad solenoid? Ignition switch? Any ideas before I drop the starter again and replace it?
I would say that you likely have a positive wire that is shorting out and draining your battery.... My next guess would be a loose connection at the starter. I would start by charging up the battery if the voltage is below 13 Volts. Buy a low cost Voltmeter if you do not have one already.
Won't start means it cranks over at normal cranking speed but doesn't fire. Won't crank means the starter motor either won't crank the engine, or cranks it too slowly. You need to differentiate between the two. It sounds to me like you have no spark, or no fuel, and the starter motor cranks the engine OK, but it won't fire. Check for fuel and spark. Find out what you are missing. Then tell us more about what ignition, carburetor and fuel system components you have.
Yes, the starter motor cranks like it should but the engine will not start. I have checked to make sure fuel pump is working, getting fuel to the carb, and that there are no linkage issues. The engine is a 350 2 bbl with stock points in the distributor. I recently replaced the coil, cap, points, plugs, and wires.
No, I had replaced the points in the fall and everything was working fine until this past weekend. I went ahead and replaced the solenoid and made sure I had good connections on all 3 wires. I had my battery tested and it showed good but had lost quite a bit of charge. It is on the charger now. I have my fingers crossed that a bad connection had caused the battery to discharge. Ill find out soon enough...
With the battery fully charged the same problem is happening...starter cranks fine, fuel to the carb, but not start Since I have air and fuel, where should I start with spark?
Take a plug out, and connect it back up to the plug wire... Lay the plug on the intake manifold but be sure the threads of the plug are grounded onto the manifold and then have a friend turn the ignition on and see if the plug is sparking across the gap. If you happen to have an old plug around then just use that and you will not have to remove a plug.... I still think you have a bad connection at the starter.
http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...nd-HEI-System-function-tests-and-modification The third paragraph describes how to test for voltage at the + side of the coil. You should have about 5.5 volts with the key in the run position, and at least 9 volts with it cranking. Let's start there.
This may be a dumb question but how do I test for the voltage to the positive side of the coil using a multimeter? Specifically, where do I connect the positive and negative tips to get a correct reading?
Red lead goes to the + side of the coil, black lead goes to a good ground (alternator bracket or such). In case you don't know where the coil + is, the - side goes to the distributor, the + is the other terminal.
I am getting 0 volts to the + side of the coil. I tested my multi meter using a 9 volt battery and it is working. I know I have a good connection to the R side of the solenoid since I just replaced it and used all new nuts. What would be the next thing to check?
I am getting 0 volts to the + side of the coil. I tested my multi meter using a 9 volt battery and it is working. I know I have a good connection to the R side of the solenoid since I just replaced it and used all new nuts. What would be the next thing to check? ---------- Post added at 01:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 PM ---------- Apparently Im doing something wrong in testing the voltage. I was getting zero but when I pulled a plug and checked for spark I was getting a good spark to the plug. BTW, thanks to Larry and Sean for their help so far!
my first thought would be the wiring at starter fuseable links at starter (comes off large terminal) or the little wire on the other small terminal (not S terminal) that controls the ignition voltage to coil ( 12 volt cranking- 9 volt running) its possible that if you burned points if 12 volts went to points for too long
Read that linked thread again. I explain how the points system works. "This is how the stock points system works. Extending from the firewall engine harness connector(below the brake booster), is a calibrated length of special resistance wire. This wire does not extend all the way to the positive side of the coil. In the harness, it is joined by a wire leading from the "R" terminal of the starter solenoid, and from there, it extends to the positive side of the coil. There is a shorting switch inside the starter solenoid. When the starter motor is cranking the engine to start, the shorting switch inside the solenoid, sends battery voltage through the yellow wire to the coil positive, effectively bypassing the resistance wire. Once the engine starts, and the key is released to the run position, the yellow wire ceases to supply voltage, and voltage flows from the firewall via the resistance wire. This drops the running voltage so that point life is maximized." It is possible to have the solenoid jump out the resistance wire and supply battery voltage to the coil as the ENGINE IS CRANKING. But once you let go of the key and you are in run, voltage flows through the resistance wire to the coil. If you have a break in the resistance wire, you will read 0 volts in the run position, but the reading will jump to at least 9 volts when the engine is cranking only. Repeat the entire test as I described. "To test the system for proper functioning requires a volt meter. Connect the voltmeter between the positive side of the coil and ground. Turn the ignition switch to the run position. The reading should be 5.0-5.5 volts. It is important that the ignition points be closed for this test. If the points are open, the voltmeter reading will be full battery voltage. Bump the engine over until the points are closed, and check again. Again, 5.0-5.5 volts is the normal reading with the engine stopped, ignition key in the run position, and the voltmeter connected between the positive side of the coil and ground. The second part of the functionality test requires that you pull the coil wire out of the distributor, and ground it so the engine will not start. With voltmeter connected as before, crank the engine continuously, and observe the voltmeter. The reading should jump from the previous 5-5.5 volt reading up to 9 volts minimum. If it does not, it indicates a problem with the shorting switch inside the starter solenoid, or a wiring problem between the "R" terminal of the solenoid, and the coil. This will result in hard starting when cold." If you still get 0 volts in run, and the voltage jumps up during cranking, you have a break between the firewall and where the wire from the "R" terminal joins the wire to the + side of the coil. Unwrap the harness and find out where the break is.
So after checking and re-checking voltage and wire connections only to find that everything checked out as it should (Larry, i was able to get a good reading of 5.37 volts between the + side of the coil and the R terminal of the solenoid), I started going back through all the basics. Fuel good, spark good, air...ou: The choke was sticking closed on occasion. Once I held it open and it got a good dose of air she fired right up! Still need to work on the choke linkage but at least I found the problem. Thanks to all for sticking with me as I figured out the problem...even if i made it WAY more difficult than it needed to be
