Starter question

[Roadcuda]

Now I have a starter problem but it's on my '65 Barracuda, with the Commando 273. When starting it to go the cruise last night, the starter would catch and turn once or twice, them stop, it would do this a few times, then finally it would catch long enough to turn it over so the engine could start. I've had this problem since I got the car, but not as bad as it was last night. One thing it did before was that it would just give a click, I'd release the key, it may click again then would engage to start the engine. I have cleaned the battery connections because of the new battery, and I cleaned the connections at the starter. Is this just a solenoid going bad? Or could it be a bad connection between the key switch through the bulk head connector? Once the starter starts turning it works fine. Once again, thanks for your help? Man this sh!t never ends! :crazy:

 

[A31PKG]

You can by-pass the relay with a screwdriver and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then you could have a bad relay. Resistance in the ignition feed ciruit to the relay would likely result in a no-start condition, but it would likely be a more consistant failure than you describe. Nonetheless, you could make a voltage drop measurement with a DMM on the wire between the switch & relay while cranking, and see if any voltage is being robbed by the circuit. A good circuit should read less than a volt when energized. Anything higher than that, would mean an unwanted load (resistance) in the circuit that is robbing voltage. If so, then the bulkhead connector is likely the source of the resistance. Another item - although unlikely based on your description - could be the starter's stator inability to sustain a sufficient magnetic field to engage the starter drive. Or a bad drive itself. The easiest way to deal with this is to simply install a known-good starter.

I would start by checking all connections at the bulkhead, relay and ign. switch. Give the female terminals a little squeeze so they bite and make good contact. Clean the male terminals with crocus or emory cloth. Apply a dab of dielectric grease on all the terminals. Re-connect and see what you got....Good luck!

 

[sam z]

Good luck....yes it sucks.
My headache was similar, but slightly different. Around every 10th start I would get absolutely nothing when
I turned the key. Zilch.
Anyway, replaced the relay, cables, cleaned everything, etc. It ended up being the starter itself. Went with a
power master mini starter.

Good luck, I know how frustrating it is.

 

[Roadcuda]

Well, I went out and tried jumping the relay, it turned over with no problem and the engine started right up! I shut it off to see what it would do with the key, and again it turned right over with no problem. So now I don't know what to think. I did take the time to take all the wires off the relay to clean all the posts, and connectors. I'll wait and see what happens next time I try it. I hope it was something that simple!

 

[sam z]

Hey...I went through the EXACT same thing. I had one of my brothers over one day and we jumped the relay. Yep, fired right up. So, went out, got a new relay for next to nothing, and the problem was solved, right? WRONG! About 10 or 15 starts later the same BS came right back. Turn the key and Zilch. I was basically tricked, and then pissed to boot. Ended up putting in a power master starter and that was it.

Again, good luck with this gremlin. I lived it, and I think a few others have dealt with it too. I changed cables, checked grounds, my own relay story, and the bottom line was it was the starter. If you need a starter and you run headers I hope they don't pose the same headaches on your car that they do on a RR....

 

[Roadcuda]

Hey...I went through the EXACT same thing. I had one of my brothers over one day and we jumped the relay. Yep, fired right up. So, went out, got a new relay for next to nothing, and the problem was solved, right? WRONG! About 10 or 15 starts later the same BS came right back. Turn the key and Zilch. I was basically tricked, and then pissed to boot. Ended up putting in a power master starter and that was it.

Again, good luck with this gremlin. I lived it, and I think a few others have dealt with it too. I changed cables, checked grounds, my own relay story, and the bottom line was it was the starter. If you need a starter and you run headers I hope they don't pose the same headaches on your car that they do on a RR....

Yeah, I"m not so sure the problem is solved. Since it turned over ok with the key after jumping the relay I have my doubts. maybe I'll get lucky by cleaning all the terminals on the relay, they were all pretty dirty. We'll see next time I use the car. No headers here so that won't be a problem.

 

[sam z]

That's good news on the headers because it really sucked changing out the starter if that is what you have to end up doing. Worst part for me was that I couldn't trust the car to drive it anywhere for a few months.