Canuck Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 One day it simply quit. I tested the starter and it is good. I tested the starter with my battery cable and it is good. I have power to the positive coil terminal when I turn the key. I do not have power to the R on the starter when I turn the key. I believe this tells me there’s an issue with the yellow wire that goes from the positive terminal on the coil to the R on the starter. Is there a fusible link on this wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 You have power at the R terminal and the coil when you just have it in the RUN position though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 1 hour ago, jft69z said: You have power at the R terminal and the coil when you just have it in the RUN position though? I don’t get power to R terminal at all. I have power to the positive coil terminal in the run position and when I turn the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 It would appear to be an open wire then. Easy way to check is with an ohmmeter. Disconnect at coil (or R term) and check continuity of wire with a meter. The troubling part here is that the R wire is just to provide full juice to the coil during startup if using a points type distributor. If your starter won't turn at all, that would seem to be a different issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 26 minutes ago, jft69z said: It would appear to be an open wire then. Easy way to check is with an ohmmeter. Disconnect at coil (or R term) and check continuity of wire with a meter. The troubling part here is that the R wire is just to provide full juice to the coil during startup if using a points type distributor. If your starter won't turn at all, that would seem to be a different issue. Ok, thanks for the info. My car is still the stock distributor with points. If that is the case, then the yellow wire is actually sending power up to the coil? The starter is only a year old and works fine when I test it. I guess I have more tests to do. I have a spare working starter so I could swap it and eliminate that as the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Yeah, the yellow wire sends full voltage to the coil during startup. But, it should happen when the 'S' terminal gets juice from the ignition switch/startup. I'm thinking something is going on there, if you're not even getting a crank at all. Either the solenoid, ignition switch, neutral safety switch, etc could be an issue. You said you tested the starter with a battery cable? That just probably tested the motor itself, not the solenoid, depending on that you powered up with the cable. Did you touch it to the S term, or the heavy motor lug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 5 minutes ago, jft69z said: Yeah, the yellow wire sends full voltage to the coil during startup. But, it should happen when the 'S' terminal gets juice from the ignition switch/startup. I'm thinking something is going on there, if you're not even getting a crank at all. Either the solenoid, ignition switch, neutral safety switch, etc could be an issue. You said you tested the starter with a battery cable? That just probably tested the motor itself, not the solenoid, depending on that you powered up with the cable. Did you touch it to the S term, or the heavy motor lug? I had the positive battery cable hooked to the big terminal like it is when in the car, grounded the starter to the engine block and used a jump wire from the big lug to the S terminal. The starter worked well. I agree I may have an issue with the circuit that goes to the S terminal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 Use the voltmeter and see if you have voltage to the S terminal when someone turns the key. If nothing there (quite possible based on your troubleshooting so far), then start back tracking from there. Don't forget, that 'S' term gets fed thru the Neutral Safety switch. That's fairly easy to get to, so probe there for voltage while turning the key to start as well. Even a little shifter misalignment may cause that to open up and not allow current to make it to the starter. Is it a column or floor shift? My console shifted one has the NSS right in the console, easy to see. If it's a column mounted NSS, just turning the sleeve right behind the key switch may make enough difference if its sloppy. I've had that happen before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 It is a column shift. I’ll take a look at the starter circuit tomorrow. I appreciate you helping me narrow this down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 No problem, I'll message you my phone number too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970mcss Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 I had all kinds of issues with my starter. My Yellow wire had shorted out by the block. That was one of my problems. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 9 minutes ago, 1970mcss said: I had all kinds of issues with my starter. My Yellow wire had shorted out by the block. That was one of my problems. Good luck That'll definitely cause a no start, 😬. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 If you suspect the neutral safety switch, did you try starting it in neutral? Also as i recall you just had your engine all apart for cleaning and detailing. Is it possible you somehow got a wire touching the block somewhere and the insulation has since melted through to the conducting wire and caused a short? Follow those wires up from the starter that go behind the engine block to make sure they are routed correctly and not resting against the block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 I was pretty careful with routing those two wires for the starter that run by the exhaust manifold but it never hurts to check again. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 2 hours ago, cbolt said: If you suspect the neutral safety switch, did you try starting it in neutral? That’s it! Popped into neutral and it started. Put it back in park and it started. The NSS may just be slightly out of alignment. THANKS GUYS! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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