347 Installed but won't start...please help!

[Davin]

Well everything is in but when I turn the ignition the starter solenoid makes a loud click or nock noise and then nothing..no spinning, no turning..nada. What could this be? The cars been sitting about 5 months and the starter was working fine before the build. The battery reads 12.01 v DC so I'm guessing that the battery is not the problem...headlights and windows work..all the grounds and wire connections look fine to me..I guess I'll try to jump start it tomorrow unless anyone else has a good idea...

 

[95CobraMike]

i think your battery should read more than 12.01 volts i know that is what most car electronics are"rated" at but for some reason i think your battery should be at aroud 14-16 volts?? i havent reciently checked my battery voltage but it wouldnt hurt trying.... it sounds like a low battery

 

[sage2k]

12ish volts when car is off, around 14ish volts when car is running and alt is charging

 

[HISSIN50]

A battery with the static charge removed should show 12.6 volts (2.1/cell). Gel batteries can read 100 mV higher/cell.

I like the jumper idea. With that beast of a motor, the starter is gonna need all the help it can get, either with stock gearing, or for a gear reduction drive (both need amps behind them for speed and/or torque).

Is still no-go, I have used jumper cables to augment existing power cables (ESP the motor to chassis ground). If you find the system performs better with some jumper cable configuration, whatever OEM cable you are paralleling is likely insufficient.

Good luck Davin.

 

[S/CBlack95GT]

The battery may just be a touch too low. Mine read 11.6v once and it just clicked.

 

[urban96]

might wanna also check the grounds on the starter. you can try running a jumper cable from the neg batt terminal ro one of the bolts that hold the starter inplace

 

[94GTLaserRC]

You should NEVER try to start a car that has been sitting for more than a couple of weeks without charging the battery first...this reeks havoc on your alternator.(unless you have the right type of battery for storage).

I let the stang sit in the garage for 3 weeks, and it would NOT start. I put the charger on it and it was just under 11v. When I charged it, the meter read ful at about 14.3v

Having said that, it could be some other things mentioned above.

RC

 

[Grn92LX]

Yup, its the battery. If you have a battery charger, see if it has an engine start option. That gives it full power so it should start.

Did you prime the engine before attempting to start it???

Prime it first, then what I like to do on fresh motors or motors that have sat is remove the coil wire and crank the engine and listen for any odd noises. Then put the coil wire back on and start it up.

 

[Davin]

Okay, hang with me guys, here's what I tried and here's the results...

Grn92LX, yep, I primed it, did it again this morning for good measure..(BTW, how long is a priming good for?) I tried to jump start the car, while connected, battery read about 13.84 V (up from 12 V while off)...no change, just a click when trying to start it..

Then I tried some jumpers, I believe the batt neg strap ground to the engine is the one that connects to the driver's side of the timing cover..I jumped this to the dist hold down bolt/clamp..no change..then I removed the jumper and placed one end on the lower starter mounting bolt and the other on a motor mount stud..nothing (note: this is all while the car is still connected to the other car via jumper cables). When I turned everything off, the battery's charge had risen to about 12.8 V. Finally, I tried running the jumper directly from the starter bolt to the remote terminal (battery is in the trunk)..nothing.

Thoughts?

Another side note, can anyone tell me if the yellow/tan (tach wire) wire to the coil goes to the front or rear terminal? I don't have my wires in the harness and I'm not sure which goes where.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

For the record 12.4v is the minimum for starting a vehicle. I had to do training on starters and alternators for our company a few months ago.

You sure the starter is on the flywheel correctly? I know its almost impossible to do it wrong. Its hard to guess over the net as to why at this point. I would keep checking things. Its usually something stupid. I couldn't get my fuel pump to prime when trying to start mine for the first time. I had the connector off the relay in the trunk. Plugged it back in and it fired.

 

[FORCED2DV8]

Can you turn the motor over by hand, Wrench on the cranck.....will it move??? You may have moiusture build up and parts rusty on the inside. Also pull the starter, you may have a bad solnoid thats not working right or the starter may be bad, If you had 13.8 volts and jumper cables hooked up it should have at least slowly turned over. If you have to replace the starter I would go with a gear reduction unit since you have a modified motor that requires more tg. to turn it over.

 

[Davin]

to be clear, when I turn the key there is a SINGLE click, not a ticking...

FORCED2DV8 - yeah, I hand cranked the engine yesterday to put it at TDC and it turned easily..

hey, our cars don't have a solenoid separate from the starter right, just the one mounted on the starter? If I jump the two bolts on the starter mounted solenoind with a screwdriver and it doesn't start (haven't tried it yet) does that mean the solenoid is bad? (assuming there is power to the starter of course)...

 

[mytight95]

i believe that would be correct, my starter quit on me one time when i took it to get the oil changed....What you are describing is exactly what it done////

it would just click....try tapping it with a dead blow or somehting and the try starting again as well...


jason

 

[johnmcgt]

my 2 cents is to take starter off and the battery and go to autozone, they can check both to make sure they are functioning correctly.
You can jump the solenoid but I think if you hear a click it is working, back in the day I used to have to tap the solenoid with a hammer lightly to free the mechanism inside.

Good luck

 

[Pokageek]

Check the fuse box in the engine bay. Check the EEC fuse and other fuses. It was real PIA but I had the same problem and turned out to be shorting out from the TB being tightened down on a fuel injector wire.

 

[Davin]

Poka - so you actually had a click when you tried to start it and the starter wouldn't engage because of a TB on an injector wire? Strange. Why would that be, could there really be a loss of voltage or ground becuase of that?

 

[HISSIN50]

For the solenoid: At the solenoid, If you jump the small gauge wire to the battery lug and it cranks, the solenoid works.

If you jump the battery lug to the starter cable and it starts this way, but not in part A, the solenoid is likely bad.

If no one mentioned it, before removing the starter, I would give it a light rap or two with a rubber mallet. If it springs to life, the starter itself or its ground is likely bad.

Good luck.

 

[Pokageek]

Yep, ..well my car clicked once but not click, click , click like a low battery if that is wha tyou mean...

 

[Davin]

For the solenoid: At the solenoid, If you jump the small gauge wire to the battery lug and it cranks, the solenoid works.

If you jump the battery lug to the starter cable and it starts this way, but not in part A, the solenoid is likely bad.

Hissin50 - what small gauge wire..the little ignition one of the one that goes from the other non-positive bolt on the solenoid? Also, to you mean the positive battery lug?, thanks

Yeah, I've tried rapping on it. no go...

 

[HISSIN50]

Hissin50 - what small gauge wire..the little ignition one of the one that goes from the other non-positive bolt on the solenoid? Also, to you mean the positive battery lug?, thanks

Yeah, I've tried rapping on it. no go...

Here is a picture, courtesy of S&2B's website. Is this how yours looks?

Yep, jump the positive battery lug to the big lug that has the cable going into the starter (this bypasses the solenoid).

Yep again - the small trace wire on the control side of the solenoid (often called an S-terminal in manuals) is the on/off switch that tells the solenoid to energize. Jumping this to the battery lug (positive) jumps the starter, albeit it via the solenoid (if this works, the solenoid works). You can also just put a test-light on the trigger wire and have someone turn the key to 'start' and see if the test light illuminates.

I had to dig up thisthread to find the pic (I remembered posting the pic link on Chris's thread) so I figured we might as well post the link to the actual thread in case it helps.

Good luck bud.