Hi all, I finally got my '69 small block 4 speed home to Australia after nearly 4 months of being trucked across the US, sitting in a shed in Long Beach waiting for a container, 2 months on the water and another couple of weeks waiting for Customs clearance. Went to the holding yard the other day to pick it up, hoping to drive it home, but the starter wouldn't kick into life no matter what I did.

The battery in the car was dead (no surpise after 4 months), so I used some jumper cables to connect up a fresh one I'd brought with me to the leads in the battery box (after disconnecting the old battery). This gave me lights, clock, etc. but when I turned the key to start the car, nothing but a single faint solenoid click. After trying various things I eventually jumpered my good battery directly onto the starter. This gave me several louder solenoid clicks but still no action from the starter.

Got the car home on a flat bed truck yesterday and will be pulling the starter to bench test it, but something else has me confused. When I turn the key to the start position, after nothing happens with the starter for a few seconds I turn the key back to the off position then the lights and clock stop working as if the battery's dead. However it's definitely not dead and if I either (a) briefly disconnect and reconnect the battery or (b) sometimes just wait 5-10 seconds, the lights and clock come back.

Before you ask, the battery I'm using is known to be in good condition but I've tried another battery with exactly the same result. The car was also starting fine without any electrical issues before it left the US.

Any ideas what could be causing this behaviour?

Cheers,
Brian

 

Have you looked at the ground connection on the frame under the battery compartment?
Have you looked at the battery connection on the starter solenoid?
Have you tried twisting the cable terminals on the battery while watching the interior light to see if there is a sweet spot where the connection is better?
Do you have a voltmeter?

 

Sitting by the sea for months can cause the solenoid to corrode inside......the solenoid needs to pull all the way to energize the motor circuit....probably not doing that.
You might be able to take it apart and clean it......or replace the whole thing. Checking grounds is good advice too.

Jebby

 

Planning on checking the first two tomorrow when the car's up on stands.
Good tip regarding twisting the cables but still no joy when I completely bypass the wiring from the battery box.
Voltmeter shows 12.8V at the battery terminals and 12.1V at the starter solenoid.

I was thinking along the same lines, will have a better idea after I bench test the starter.
Still confused by the behaviour where all the electrics go out and stay out for a while after an unsuccessful attempt to energize the starter...

Cheers,
Brian

 

I would just borrow a known good starter and hook the wires up and see if it works. IF not replace or rebuild the starter. If it doesnt work, investigate the wiring......divide and conquer..

 

Is there an aftermarket alarm /immobiliser on it ?

 

If you are hearing the solenoid click, power is reaching the solenoid. Whether the solenoid is actually engaging electrically, or not, is in question. Every symptom you have offered leads me to believe your problem is that the electrical system is "connected", but inadequate current is being supplied to make the starter turn over. Condition of main battery wires (positive and negative), any terminations, and the internal conditions of the power & ground wiring are probable suspects.

 

Spot on!

Car is now running: turned out to be a combination of a bad jumper cable, too long a run of wire in the system (battery box cables + jumper cables) and dirty connections on the starter solenoid. Once I pulled ths starter, cleaned everything off and tested, it ran fine. After I refitted the starter, charged up the original battery and connected it back up in the battery box, she started up pretty easy for having sat for 4 months.

Just took it for a 5 minute test drive and everything seems to be running fine. Many thanks to everyone who helped out with comments in this thread!

Cheers,
Brian