Quil

I just replaced my carburetor this morning and was attempting to get the car started, and now the engine will not turn over at all. The starter was turning the engine over just fine, but I was struggling to keep the engine running with the new carb. Eventually, I got click-click-click and thought the battery must be low. This was after maybe 6 tries to get the car started. Tried jumping the car off with my truck, but no luck. Now I get nothing at all when I turn the key.

I tested the voltage at the battery and it's good. With the key on, I get 12v at the big terminal on the starter. I'm working by myself, so I tried jumping the big terminal to the S terminal on the starter to see if it would energize and turn over...got a spark when I touched the two together, but nothing else.

I checked all connections at the firewall and the connection on the purple wire at the wiper motor, and everything looks good. The engine and body harness are both brand new. The starter was also brand new, but I'm afraid I've smoked the solenoid.

Any suggestions before I pull the starter and head to the store to have it tested?

66jack

Is/are the main battery wires/connection good and clean...ground/hot internally corroded?...

Quil

The battery is brand new and so are the cables...I'll go make sure they are good and tight, though. Although if I'm getting 12v to the starter, shouldn't that indicate that the issue is with the solenoid or the wiring in between? Or maybe the ignition switch?

Quil

It literally went from working perfectly to clicking to nothing in two turns of the key...

newps

I had a similar problem on my 396 Chevelle. It turned out the alternator voltage regulator was bad and the battery was not charging. Symptoms were very similar. Have you driven the car at all with the new battery? The voltage test at the regulator is pretty simple and can be done by yourself. Easy enough to do to rule out any charging issues. Wish I had done it on my SS before replacing the starter and battery...

Quil

I can test the voltage regulator, but even if it was bad, but even if it was a charging issue with the battery, wouldn't the car at least turn over when I jumped it off with my truck?

deejaydu

Check and make sure that you have good connections at the wire harness connectors located in the engine compartment on the driver's side firewall. There are two large connectors. That is usually the culprit when nothing works.

Quil

Man, I've checked them every time I've been to the garage today, but I'll certainly try them again.

If the starter solenoid is shot, will an auto parts store be able to tell on a test?

newps

That's exactly what I thought when my Chevelle finally bit the dust. I first brought my Honda Odyssey over to jump it and got nothing. Then the AAA guy came with his super jumpers and we still got nothing. The battery seemed ok from our tests but it had gone bad due to the bad voltage regulator. Even after putting the battery on the charger overnight, I still got nothing. Now, if your battery is truly brand new and has never been used in the car, it's probably something else, but if it has been used, it could very well be this issue. Again, it's simple enough to see if your alternator is putting the right amount of voltage (14+V) to your battery or not to just rule one more thing out.

Quil

That makes sense, and I'll test it out and see. The battery is brand new and this car has never been down the road. I've been putting the car back together for 2 years now. The battery, voltage regulator, alternator, all harnesses, starter, etc are all brand new.

Quil

How do you test the VR if the car won't run?

buns

I would take a hammer and give the starter case a few good whacks with the steel end, then give the solenoid a few light whacks with the wooden end.

newps

Actually, if the battery is brand new and has never been used, it's probably not the VR. There are a number of YouTube videos for bench testing the VRs, so it can be done, but if your battery has never been under load, then the symptoms you're seeing are probably from a different issue. The other suggestion to mechanically agitate the solenoid is a good one, as I have seen this work, but again if the starter is new, this would be highly unusual. Checking the firewall harness connections as another member suggested makes sense too. Good luck finding this issue and please share with the thread when you solve it. Having been through this, I feel for you, as these can be maddeningly frustrating to isolate and fix.

newps

Does your ignition switch work in the Accessory position? I swapped switches when troubleshooting my '67 Chevelle as well, but it made no difference. Is your switch brand new too?

Mr D.

Run down to your local auto parts and buy a remote starter trigger, this will help you troubleshoot

newps

Nowhere Man

Did you take a test light to the coil and see if you got power there. Or anywhere else in the starter system. Seems like that should have been the first step

65GGvert

put your meter on the 12v you got and turn on the headlights. Do they come on? Does the 12v drop when they do?
I personally think your starter solenoid is stuck or bad. Don't waste your time checking regulators and alternators, etc until you find if the battery is good. I'd disconnect one of the leads to your car battery and connect the jumpers from the truck directly to the cables of your car. Sometimes the battery is shorted, or so weak that a jump with it in the circuit won't work. You can read 12v on a battery and have no or very little current available for a load. Post back what you find when you turn on the headlights or try to start the car while monitoring the 12v supply? It will tell you a lot if the voltage drops way down, or if it doesn't change at all. Two different troubleshooting scenarios.

stellar

Jumping the starter and getting just a spark and no click along with click click then nothing and nothing with jump from start, indicates a shorted battery or a bad starter. Put a volt meter across the battery and turn on the lights. If the volts drop fast try another battery or try jumping with car battery disconnected. If you still get nothing pull the starter.

Quil

I have 12v at the coil.