Tedd Thompson

This issue may get a little long in the telling.... Sorry. I'm trying to get my SBC (327) powered FJ40 back on the road so I can sell it. It has sat for a year and a half in all the bad elements and It will not turn over with the starter. Battery seemed dead though it was charged till it read 100% and I got no response with a jump box not even a bump from the solenoid but the engine is not stuck as I can rotate the engine with a socket and a brake bar. I've polished the terminals and grounds and have gotten interment spark(once) at the hot lead bolt on the starter while in the truck.

Pulled the starter and while it hung there by it's wires. I tried it again and it spun over like there was no problem, thoughts were that maybe the Bendix was just stuck and it freed up pulling it. So I put it back in. Much easier said than done for me.... And dead as a door nail again. Pulled it out completely this time, put it it on the ground and used jumper cables and it whirled like a dervish. What I'm I missing here I'm running out of ideas. Maybe ignition switch, broken wire? The whole rig needs a rewire from moisture and corrasion and this is the third engine that I have put in it and I wasn't very kind in my swaps and splices sometimes. I'm kind of at a loss, taking it in tomorrow and have it checked out for a short or what ever at the Auto Zone I hate to just throw parts at it without knowing what the issue is...... Any ideas?...Tedd

A couple years ago

Ancient Iron

Is the positive battery cable getting warm to the touch??? If so it's corroded and has too much resistance to turn the starter. Change it. Happened to me on my '65 Starfire.

Vintage Chief

Tedd - I'm tending to think along the same lines as Ancient Iron. I've had that near exact issue on a couple vehicles over the years with the most recent being my Indian motorcycle several years ago where I troubleshot everything until I pulled the positive terminal wire from the battery and examined it. The image (below) is what the end terminal looked like after peeling away the insulation on the motorcycle. This resolved the entire issue with my no start condition. I've seen much worse on other vehicles. I'd take a razor blade and open the insulation on the positive terminal cable to see if you have the tell-tale signs of blue-green copper oxidation in the cable. Sometimes that oxidation runs along the entire length of the cable. Good luck!

allyolds68

I didn't read that you tried jumping the starter solenoid. If that spun the starter then it would probably isolate the problem to the key (ignition) side

Sugar Bear

Tedd,
Jumper 12V only to the solenoid terminal that the ignition switch energizes. I don't know the wire color on that vehicle, I'm guessing it to be approx 10ga wire. If it cranks it's a bad wire, neutral safety or ignition switch. Definitely look hard at the battery positive cable as others suggested, they fail from corrosion/age.

Its unlikely the starter failed from sitting.

Good luck!!!

Tedd Thompson

I didn't notice the positive cable getting hot or even warm but it did have one of those mickey mouse repair ends on it which I scrubbed (both ends) with a wire brush and sand paper till bright. I might as well replace it today just to eliminate one more possible issue.

The ignition was suspect but the starter worked when out of the car and hanging by it's wires (not a good practice) but didn't work when returned and tightened down. I don't remember any shims ever being used and that starter has been in there and working for about 8 or 10 years with no unusual issues. The exhaust does run very close to the starter but this has been the same for over 20 years.

A far as chasing color of wires this rig is a Frankenstein 1/2 Toyota 1/2 Chevy with who knows what's been added or subtracted through the years then throw in trail fixes. I'll keep working on it at one part at a time It's got to be something I'm overlooking... Thanks for the ideas They all help me think in a different way... Tedd

Vintage Chief

When you replace that (+) terminal cable open the insulation jacket for review.

redoldsman

Does the engine have a good ground to the frame? That is quite possible since it had an engine swap.

Tedd Thompson

The ground was removed scrubbed cleaned at both ends so were the contact spots. It's not a braded flat strap type of ground but a chunk of #10 wire with soldered ends. Looks better than some of my work.

Starter passed with flying colors at Auto Zone and I bought a new hot lead for the positive side. Probably start on it again tomorrow if it doesn't rain which it is suppose to.

Funny how I have ignored this vehicle for almost two years but now I have started I'm very impatient to get it done.....Tedd

Tedd Thompson

Up date.... She is alive! I think it may have been the + cable she came alive after the new one was installed but I had to shut it down because of short(shorts) and almost a fire in the main loom where it went through the fire wall, rubbed it's self raw where it passed through a crack in a gromit. I'll need quite a bit of splicing and wire removal before it will be safe to travel or even move. I should do a complete rewire, it's been patched and re patched so many times through the years it's hard to figure out where to start and where to quit. Probably only ran a total of a minute and a half of solid running after It caught its prime cleared its throat, then it tried to catch on fire. There was so much smoke I couldn't tell if it was electrical or a rats nest I missed some where around the exhaust manifold, probably was both.

We did this in a interment snow storm, frozen fingers and all . Trying to get a little motivated these days and luckily I have a young friend who wants to learn, is agile and is good at the upside down stuff.... Tedd