Schaggy

Hello everyone,

My '72 smallblock is giving me a thunk when I try to start it. After the thunk everything electrical goes dead until I pull a battery cable for a few seconds.

I've had the starter out and tested it is good.

I have recently cleaned up the starter pigtail, including the battery cable onto which I soldered a new copper loop.

The car started fine the first few times after I made the change then all the sudden.... Thunky-no-starty.

Anybody have any bright ideas? I have a volt meter and I know how to use it, I just don't know how to go through the four wires. Can anybody give me a run-through to make sure that everything's getting the proper volts and amps?

Thanks!

oldalaskaman

loose connection, possibly the battery, or your new part

Schaggy

So I had just had the trans out for rebuild and did a clutch job along the way and I had also shortened up and replaced connectors and sheathing on the starter pigtail, so I figured hey.... Gotta be something I touched in this project, right?

No.

I started chasing things and it turns out that the negative battery cable (completely at the other end of the car, of course) was corroded. A little emery cloth and a wire brush cleaned it right up.

Thanks for taking me back to basics oldalaskaman!

oldalaskaman

its happened to all of us...at least those of us who admit it.