could it be the starter?

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Dennis Gerard

Dennis Gerard

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Just got my Barracuda back from body shop and won't start, relay clicks when you turn key, is the a way to check starter with out pulling it?
 
Have you check the battery connections to make sure they are clean and tight? And the battery voltage?
 
Very easy to test starter. If you want to avoid removing it. Which I don’t see why you would because it’s incredibly easy to do so. Take a set of jumper cables. Hook one end to the battery and other end to starter. Ground black cable anywhere on starter and as soon as positive touches the big terminal on starter solenoid. The starter should spin. If not the starter needs replaced or rebuilt with new brushes. Easy to do. If the solenoid clicks when turning the key. Solenoid is good and doing it’s job. It’s easier to test starter removed from car. But, you can do it either way. Good chance your battery is no good. Learn how to properly test a car battery. Just because it holds a charge doesn’t mean it’s any good. It might have a dead cell. Easy to test for that too. If the battery voltage dive bombs below 8 to 9 volts when you turn the key, after you verified it’s holding a charge of 12 - 13 volts. The battery would have a dead cell and is no good. This can happen to newer batteries too.
 
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You can jump the starter with a screw driver on the starter where the big cable attaches and the small wire next to it.
 
Next step in the process is the starter relay. Check for 12 volts from it to the solenoid.
 
pearljam724 said:
Very easy to test starter. If you want to avoid removing it. Which I don’t see why you would because it’s incredibly easy to do so. Take a set of jumper cables. Hook them to the battery and on starter end ground black cable anywhere on starter and as soon as positive touches the big terminal on starter solenoid. The starter should spin. If not the starter needs replaced or rebuilt with new brushes. Easy to do. If the solenoid clicks when turning the key. Solenoid is good and doing it’s job. It’s easier to test starter removed from car. But, You can do it either way.
Click to expand...
 
pearljam724 said:
Very easy to test starter. If you want to avoid removing it. Which I don’t see why you would because it’s incredibly easy to do so. Take a set of jumper cables. Hook them to the battery and on starter end ground black cable anywhere on starter and as soon as positive touches the big terminal on starter solenoid. The starter should spin. If not the starter needs replaced or rebuilt with new brushes. Easy to do. If the solenoid clicks when turning the key. Solenoid is good and doing it’s job. It’s easier to test starter removed from car. But, You can do it either way. Good chance your battery is no good. Learn how to properly test a car battery. Just because it holds a charge doesn’t mean it’s any good. It might have a dead cell. Easy to test for that too. If the battery voltage dive bombs below 8 to 9 volts after you verified it holding a charge of 12 - 13 volts. The battery would have a dead cell and is no good. This can happen to newer batteries too.
Click to expand...
 
So starter is like a chevy one then have not got in it yet. but body shop put on new cable and new battery and it would not start, I have power to the ignition switch, oh it a 318 engine.

2020-06-02.jpg
 
Check to see if the coil has both wires connected to it as well. If someone forgot those wires or they came loose. It won’t start. New batteries can sometimes be junk, the day you buy them. You have to test for a bad cell as I explained above.
Someone may have left the key or lights on. And battery may simply need charged.
 
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The only way to know if the battery is capable of starting it is to put a volt meter on it and then try to crank.

If the volts drop under 10.5, bad batt. If the voltage doesn't change, wiring issue. You should have 12.4-13 volts at rest.
 
Phreakish said:
The only way to know if the battery is capable of starting it is to put a volt meter on it and then try to crank.

If the volts drop under 10.5, bad batt. If the voltage doesn't change, wiring issue. You should have 12.4-13 volts at rest.
Click to expand...
battery is new took it out of my other car!
 
Dennis Gerard said:
battery is new took it out of my other car!
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Takes a minute to do and rules out a dozen things. I've seen lots of "new" batteries be trash. Yours may not be, we don't know.

What really sucks is spending money on new starters, solenoids, wiring, switches and bulkhead connectors plus all the stuff you break replacing that junk only to find out the battery was weak..

Just my opinion. Worth the price paid ;)
 
Start at the battery and work your way to the starter
and you’ll find it’s not a complicated circuit. Battery, connections and cables
start relay, solenoid and starter motor.
 
Learn to troubleshoot, HERE is how this works

Relay is an electromagnet activated by the key. The functional path is "key in start"----wire to one of two "push on" flag terminals on the relay. This is one terminal of the coil

Through the coil, out the remaining flag terminal, and to ground if it's a stick, and down a wire to the neutral safety switch if it's automatic. The NSS grounds the coil if in park or neutral.

Battery is always "hot" to the Great Big Stud on the relay. This is one relay contact and a handy battery junction point.

When the relay pulls in (key in start) the contacts close, sending battery power out the "big square" terminal. This is a large gauge wire and only goes to one place.........the starter solenoid, causing the solenoid to pull in and activate the starter

Trouble spots.........Even though the relay clicks, the contacts can be rusty/ corroded/ burned and not "make."

The wire to the solenoid can be open. THESE USED TO VIBRATE from engine movement down near the starter.......it happens.

The main battery cable can be bad.......and you changed that.

Start by (transmission in park or neutral) jumper the two largest terminals on the starter relay. If it cranks, the relay is at fault, because you can hear it click.

If it does not crank, or makes no noise from the starter, you are back to battery / cable connections, or just plain a BAD STARTER
 
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