Starter electrical issues

[phaatazz]

Hello all, i am new to this site and in dire need of help. I have an 83 mustang with a 351c. I recently had to pull the motor due to burning antifreeze. Prior to pulling it, it started/ran fine. I just finished putting the motor back in. hooked up all the wiring (i took a plethora of photos before i pulled it) and all the started does is click. here are the specifics:

T5 manual trans
stock 83 bellhousing
stock 83 starter (just tested okay @ napa)
starter solenoid (new, replaced twice, just in case...)
wiring from battery: 2ga negative to block then block to engine cradle. both wires new (first thought was bad ground) 4ga from positive to starter solenoid. positive post on solenoid also has a green wire (to alt. wiring harness) and a black wire (to yellow fusible link). the other large post has a 4ga wire (also new) to the starter. the battery is about a year old. i took it to the place i bought it to have it checked and charged. just to make sure it wasn't the battery, i also tried hooking up a battery charger and setting it to 60 amp engine start. still nothing but clicks. i have full power on the interior, just won't start...this is absolutely driving me crazy. what am i missing? please help!!!!

 

[93 LX]

351C??? not sure if that works with a T5 but anyway.... I would try to jumper the solenoid and seeif it turns over. If it does you have a bad ignition switch. Also make sure your not shorted to the chassis anywhere around the starter. On my 82 Capri I installed headers and one of the down pipes hit the starter at the cable. It clicked and then nothing... move the cable problems solved..

 

[phaatazz]

Just checked. the starter wire does not touch anything between the starter and the solenoid. Also, I tried jumpering (not sure if the term is correct?) the solenoid several days ago. Still nothing but clicks. As far as the T5 to the cleveland, I ran the T5 with it for 4 years with no problems. the bell housing from the 5.0 that was originally in the car (which had a T5 as well) bolted right up to the cleveland block. As long as the flywheel, bell housing, and pilot bearing all match, no issues...in fact, much easier than i originally thought it would be.

 

[93 LX]

Didnt think the C motor had the same bolt pattern as the W engine.

Does the bendix engage the flywheel? Does the engine spin if you turn the crank?

Are you wires OK? Do they get hot when you hit the starter? If they do you could have a bad wire..

 

[jrichker]

No Crank checklist for 5.0 Mustangs

Revised 30-Jan-2009 to reorder checklist and add cleaning procedure for connections.

Since some of the tests will bypass the safety interlocks, make sure that the car is in neutral and the parking brake is set. Becoming a pancake isn’t part of the repair process…

1.) Will the car start if it is jumped? Then clean battery terminals and check battery.
The battery posts and inside of the battery post terminals should be scraped clean with a knife or cleaner brush tool.

The clamp on with 2 bolts battery terminal ends are a know problem causer. Anyplace you see green on a copper wire is corrosion. Corrosion gets in the clamped joint and works its way up the wire under the insulation. Avoid them like the plague...

A voltmeter is handy if you are familiar with how to use it to find bad connections. Measure the voltage drop across a connection while trying to start the car: more than .5 volts across a connection indicates a problem.

See Automotive Test Tools for help for help troubleshooting voltage drops across connections and components. .

2.) Check the battery to engine block ground down near the oil filter, and the ground behind the engine to the firewall. All grounds should be clean and shiny. Use some sandpaper to clean then up.

3.) Jump the big terminals on the starter relay next to the battery with a screwdriver - watch out for the sparks! If the engine cranks, the starter and power wiring is good. The starter relay is also known as a starter solenoid.

4.) Then pull the small push on connector (small red/blue wire) off the starter solenoid (Looks like it is stuck on a screw). Then jump between the screw and the terminal that is connected to the battery. If it cranks, the relay is good and your problem is in the rest of the circuit.

5.) Remember to check the ignition switch, neutral safety switch on auto trans and the clutch safety switch on manual trans cars. If they are good, then you have wiring problems.

Typical start circuit...
Diagram courtesy of Tmoss & Stang&2birds

6.) Pull the starter and take it to AutoZone or Pep Boys and have them test it. Starter fails test, then replace it. If you got this far, the starter is probably bad.

AutoZone wiring diagrams

For 79-88 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Get In The Zone!

For 89-93 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Get In The Zone!

For 94-98 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Get In The Zone!

For 1999-2005 model Mustangs
AutoZone.com | Get In The Zone!


Starter solenoid wiring for 86-91 Mustang

Starter solenoid wiring 92-93 Mustang or earlier Mustang with upgraded high torque mini starter.

 

[phaatazz]

Starter electrical issues: Update

well, i finally found the issue. My battery had a dead cell in it. it would read fully charged but didnt have enough juice to light a light bulb...who would have thunk it...

 

[SMOKEDYA]

well, i finally found the issue. My battery had a dead cell in it. it would read fully charged but didnt have enough juice to light a light bulb...who would have thunk it...

well me! i was about to say that! I went threw the same dam thing on my 93. All lights would work good and everything but as soon as i would hit the key click! Nothing I got this tester from a guy at work you hook it to the + &- of your battery and it puts a load on it, as i watched the needle it dropped fast from good to dead! I took it in and they said i had a bad cell in my oh so great $100+ bad ass piece of **** optima battery! I'll never buy another one of those batteries espically after seeing 4 more of them on the cart they set mine on with the same problem! Interstate batteries all the way! FTW! peace



john