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Brand new FMS Starter wont work

  • Thread starter Thread starter dderek
  • Start date Start date Nov 8, 2005

dderek

New Member
Feb 29, 2004
180
0
0
Nov 8, 2005
#1
  • Nov 8, 2005
  • #1
just finished swapping the entire drivetrain.
tko 600, centerforce clutch, fms billet steel flywheel, fms alum. driveshaft, new bellhousing, new fms hi torque mini starter.

got everything back together, thought i wired the starter right.. it cranked the first 3-4 times i tried it, but wouldnt start.. but i knew my timing was off. so i kept getting out and twisting the distributor to different spots figuring that would help. then i go to crank it. and just *click*. nothing else turns off. everything else keeps power, but it wont crank over, just clicks once at me.

Ive tried a few things to try and fix this, or cancel out a few problems.. but nothing has worked.

1. Tried turning the motor over a little bit by the crankshaft bolt with a socket wrench.. thinking it might be stuck, etc.. didnt help.
2. Tried swapping the starter solenoid from my wrecked coupe in. I knew that car started.. Same click, nothing changed.
3. Tried charging my battery for about 20 hours. Didnt help.
4. I noticed i had the wires backwards from the instructions. the small black wire was on the side of the relay that the positive battery was on, and the thick red/black was on the other side. Swapped those back. Still clicked... Did i fry a wire?


What pisses me off is this starter is BRAND new. it shouldnt be doing this to me. and after alllllll that work i did on the drivetrain in my driveway, what a painamnit: . Im just dying to drive it, and hope all the bad vibrations are gone (had a warped flywheel), and bad throwout bearing.

Also, the instructions with it dont really match the starter. it tells me to put one wire on a blade connector. but there wasnt one on the starter. and no blade connector on the supplied wires.
So i wired as i figured it should go.

btw. the part number for the starter is 397-M-11000-A50..
incase some of you have the same one, and maybe know what im talking about?

Thanks for helping
Derek

ps. i refuse to attempt the "whack it with a big ****ing hammer" technique.
 

2000xp8

SN Certified Technician
Aug 8, 2003
8,026
1,617
194
NJ
Nov 8, 2005
#2
  • Nov 8, 2005
  • #2
You really don't need to hit it with a big hammer, more like a rubber mallet.
Try it, if it starts, pull the starter and return it.
 

86T-Top

Founding Member
Jun 29, 2001
553
0
17
Dublin, PA
Nov 8, 2005
#3
  • Nov 8, 2005
  • #3
Sounds like you may have fried the solenoid on the starter. This would make sense since you aplied a constant 12V to it instead of a switched 12V.

Make sure that you have a constant 12V at the starter on the thick red/black wire, and that you are getting 12V on the smaller wire when you turn the switch to start.

Mario
 
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