!970 won't turn over.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,468
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From: Sherman CT
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (stock)
St. Jude Donor '24-'25-'26
After you do the things others have suggested, see if you can climb or wriggle under the car and tap the starter a few times with a rubber mallet, not hard enough to do any damage, but hard enough to shake things up down there. Also check the starter solenoid (attached to the top of the starter) for a good connection.
Regards
Roy
Regards
Roy
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,375
Likes: 788
From: Redondo Beach, California
Interesting post! I went out Sunday after noon to fire up the 68. Nothing. Turning the key to the start position, just caused the seat belt light on the console to dim. Damn. The engine is a ZZ4 and it has a mini-starter. I'll take my voltmeter and head out soon to start with some of the obvious checklist items.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 1,687
Likes: 588
Interesting post! I went out Sunday after noon to fire up the 68. Nothing. Turning the key to the start position, just caused the seat belt light on the console to dim. Damn. The engine is a ZZ4 and it has a mini-starter. I'll take my voltmeter and head out soon to start with some of the obvious checklist items.
Most (Not All) so called mini-starters have Permanent Magnets (in lieu of wound field coils). Be 'judicious' when rapping on its starter case with a hard tool or hammer. Those Permanent Magnets are a ceramic extrusion which is quite brittle and are held tightly to internal wall of case. They will easily crack from shock of a hammer (T shirt). Once cracked, they're junk; because that irreversibly disrupts & rearranges their magnetic field.
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Michael S. Palmer
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,375
Likes: 788
From: Redondo Beach, California
Caution:
Most (Not All) so called mini-starters have Permanent Magnets (in lieu of wound field coils). Be 'judicious' when rapping on its starter case with a hard tool or hammer. Those Permanent Magnets are a ceramic extrusion which is quite brittle and are held tightly to internal wall of case. They will easily crack from shock of a hammer (T shirt). Once cracked, they're junk; because that irreversibly disrupts & rearranges their magnetic field.
Most (Not All) so called mini-starters have Permanent Magnets (in lieu of wound field coils). Be 'judicious' when rapping on its starter case with a hard tool or hammer. Those Permanent Magnets are a ceramic extrusion which is quite brittle and are held tightly to internal wall of case. They will easily crack from shock of a hammer (T shirt). Once cracked, they're junk; because that irreversibly disrupts & rearranges their magnetic field.
......Short term happiness. While running the engine to warm it up, I notice the ammeter reading a full 30 amp (pegged). Turned off the engine. Will go out to trouble shoot this today. Classical symptom, for a car with an electrical fuel pump and electric fan, of an alternator failure. It's a new alternator, of course, so I'll go out and look for other gremlins. This car has been in storage for a long time.....hope there's not an internal short somewhere.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 1,687
Likes: 588
Rapping-tapping solenoid will not harm mini-starters' permanent magnets; But hitting starter motor case can & does.
Prior poster suggested cleaning ground cable and chassis ground point(s); I suggest same.
It's not uncommon for a cable to become severely but internally corroded, But well-hidden beneath its heavy plastic outer insulation; often requires slitting insulation & peeling it back to reveal the cancer. Replacement cables are remarkably inexpensive; do opt for heavy gage.
*nothing can reveal (& measure) a faulty battery (even a new but bad one) better than a true carbon-pile load tester; Local starter/alt/gen Rebuilder shops have em.
Prior poster suggested cleaning ground cable and chassis ground point(s); I suggest same.
It's not uncommon for a cable to become severely but internally corroded, But well-hidden beneath its heavy plastic outer insulation; often requires slitting insulation & peeling it back to reveal the cancer. Replacement cables are remarkably inexpensive; do opt for heavy gage.
*nothing can reveal (& measure) a faulty battery (even a new but bad one) better than a true carbon-pile load tester; Local starter/alt/gen Rebuilder shops have em.
