Help with starter wire testing.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 1,801
Likes: 2
From: St. Paul MN
Help with starter wire testing.
Hello. I recently replaced the starter and the new one worked fine for a couple hours. When I shut it off and it wouldn't start I looked down there and noticed the small wire laying on the header, looks cooked. I pulled it away from the header and check it with a test light while having my son hold the key to the crank position and don't get any voltage. The large wire shows voltage all the time. I've checked all the fuses and I think they are all good. What might be my problem? Is this smaller cranking wire protected by a fuse somewhere else that may have blown when the wire melted through to ground? I checked for cranking voltage further up the wire near where it comes out of a larger bundle of wires and still see no voltage when holding the key to crank. Thank you for any ideas.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Your cooked wire goes to the starter solenoid and it gets 12v through this path: Jump start terminal behind battery to fusible link, through firewall connector, to ignition sw "crank" contacts, to start enable relay contacts, to clutch safety sw (gear selector sw if automatic), back through firewall connector, to starter terminal.
You may have a blown fusible link. See if you have 12v on C1 and C2 of the ignition switch connector with a 12v lightbulb, if so, fusible link is ok. If you can't find C1/C2, then find the yellow wire on the ignition switch and see if there is 12v on it in the "crank" position. If not, blown fusible link, if ok, then see if 12 v is on the grn/wh wire on the clutch safety sw and on the purple wire on the clutch sw with clutch depressed and ign sw in "crank". If purple wire has 12v and wire at the starter doesn't, then firewall connector may be damaged or wire from firewall to starter is open circuit.
You may have a blown fusible link. See if you have 12v on C1 and C2 of the ignition switch connector with a 12v lightbulb, if so, fusible link is ok. If you can't find C1/C2, then find the yellow wire on the ignition switch and see if there is 12v on it in the "crank" position. If not, blown fusible link, if ok, then see if 12 v is on the grn/wh wire on the clutch safety sw and on the purple wire on the clutch sw with clutch depressed and ign sw in "crank". If purple wire has 12v and wire at the starter doesn't, then firewall connector may be damaged or wire from firewall to starter is open circuit.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 1,801
Likes: 2
From: St. Paul MN
Cool, thanks JFB! I'll be checking those things tomorrow and report back with my findings. I'm a little worried about being able to find C1 and C2 on the ignition switch. Is this connector down near the base of the steering column above the pedals? I know I can easily check the starter interlock wires on my shifter because I have a B&M Megashifter and I wired that up to the interlock wires and they're easy to check.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 1,801
Likes: 2
From: St. Paul MN
That's what I'm guessing too since it's obvious the wire burned through and grounded out. Where is the fusable link? I looked around the battery and don't seem to be able to find it. Is it buried under/behind the battery? Thanks. I did check the shifter and it doesn't get any power to the interlock switch when turning the key to the crank position.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Its about impossible to get to the fusible links unless you take the battery out. Also, all the wires on the jump start terminal are red so identifying the specific fusible isn't easy. There are 8 wires on this terminal. A straight pin through the wire beyond the fusible can be done to ohmmeter test the links.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 1,801
Likes: 2
From: St. Paul MN
Gotya, I think. I can see that big square thing behind the battery with a bunch of wires bolted down to it. I do get 12volts positive when I stick the probe onto the center bolt. Okay, I'll have to pull the batter then and ohm out several of those wires further down stream then to try to locate the bad one. Thanks.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,324
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From: Summerland B.C. Canada
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,324
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From: Summerland B.C. Canada
