70 Duster Starter Relay Voltages

beep3406 said
I am afraid I may have unjammed the starter solenoid by removing it/transporting it to the auto store.

I do have a separate big + cable but it goes to the large starter terminal while the smaller cable goes through the relay and then to the small starter terminal.

I would suggest putting the starter back in and seeing what happens. If it works, then either the stater solenoid is getting erratic (time to replace/rebuild the starter) or look at the separate + cable from the battery that goes direct to the starter's big lug. Put the voltmeter on the starter's big lug and try to crank if it acts up again, and see what you get: if it is at battery voltage, then the cable is good and the solenoid bad; if it drops a lot, then the cable is bad.

And if you get the same issue, then see if you can get your hand safely on the starter body when activating crank to see if you can feel the solenoid activating.

BTW, re-charge your battery; the reading of 12.32 v on the battery when in crank but with no starter in stalled looks a bit on the low side. The only real current draw is the starter relay coil and it should not pull the battery down quite that much. And in looking back at your original post and the voltages, the readings are rather low if there is no cranking action; it might be this low if the solenoid is working but not making contact, and the battery is not well charged; the solenoid pulls 14-16 amps (about the same as 4 standard headlights or dual ones on high beam).

One thing I would ask about with your readings is where the - lead of your meter is being connected; it ought to be on the battery -.