Healey Will Not Start (a.k.a. "Failure to proceed") Part 137

[Bob McElwee]

I've sent Donovan a PM with the name of a local person that can sort out his problems if they can get together.

 

[Donovan2001]

OK, full story. The car has been in my family since 77 and in 84 it stopped running because they left it in storage and went overseas. In 2000, My brother took the car to his home and rebuilt the top part of the motor and he says got it running. No, I didn't see it run. Now, I have it and I want to get it full restored. It a beautiful car and it deserves to be running.

I bought the solenoid from moss motors. I think they sent me the wrong one, so I order the one with the button.

I checked again and the fuses are not blown. :frown: sorry for the confusion. I'm trying my best.

Once I receive the new solenoid, I will go from there.

Battery is good.
Power is getting to ignition switch.
Power is getting to the solenoid.

Once I install the new solenoid, DO I just press the button and see if the starter motor clicks?

This is a real post. I promise I'm having a lot of issues with parts and some learning curves.

Thank you for all the replies

 

[Keoke]

Once I install the new solenoid, DO I just press the button and see if the starter motor clicks?------NO!!!!

The motor should turn over when you push the button.

However, to check the electrical function of the solenoid and the related circuits you will need to turn the key to the start position and observe that the motor again also turn over.--Fwiw--Keoke

 

[tahoe healey]

You will want to put a little oil in each cylinder before you try the solenoid if it hasn't been played with in a long time. You may want to leave the plugs out when you do push the solenoid button the first time. In fact, I would put oil in the cylinders, put the car in third or forth gear and move the car just a little forward or back a few inches. You can do this by grabbing the front wheel and rotate it while watching that fan blades turn. If it does not rotate, and the car wont move you may have a seized engine. This would be the FIRST thing I would do.
TH

 

[TimK]

Once I install the new solenoid, DO I just press the button and see if the starter motor clicks?

Solenoids click, motors spin. The purpose of a starter solenoid is to transmit a small amount of power from a switch to a large amount of power to a the starter motor that requires high power to operate. A starter solenoid is basically a switch that is in series with the ignition switch.

Unless you have a lot of money to pay others to fix your Healey, you should research basic automotive systems so you can better analyze symptoms to come up with a diagnosis.

For example this is from wikapedia:
[edit]Automobile starter solenoid
Main article: Starter solenoid
In a car or truck, the starter solenoid is part of an automobile starting system. The starter solenoid receives a large electric current from the car battery and a small electric current from the ignition switch. When the ignition switch is turned on (i.e. when the key is turned to start the car), the small electric current forces the starter solenoid to close a pair of heavy contacts, thus relaying the large electric current to the starter motor.
Starter solenoids can also be built into the starter itself, often visible on the outside of the starter. If a starter solenoid receives insufficient power from the battery, it will fail to start the motor, and may produce a rapid 'clicking' or 'clacking' sound. This can be caused by a low or dead battery, by corroded or loose connections in the cable, or by a broken or damaged positive (red) cable from the battery. Any of these will result in some power to the solenoid, but not enough to hold the heavy contacts closed, so the starter motor itself never spins, and the engine does not start.

 

[Keoke]

Definition of solenoid:
Electromechanical device made up of a coil which produces a magnetic field when electric current is passed through it.

Dang -Sounds just like a relay--Keoke-- :lol:

 

[Deleted member 8987]

It IS a relay, exactly, but with heavy-duty contacts.

 

[rjc157]

did u get the new selenoid yet

 

[Donovan2001]

Hello,

I got the new solenoid installed yesterday, cleaned off the connections then I pressed the button on the back and it turned over.

Now I tried it from the ignition and it still wouldn't turn OVER.

What's next?

Thanks

 

[Keoke]

With the key off:

Take jumper from a known good12 Volt source and jumper it to the small terminal on the solenoid. I think we already know that you are not getting 12 volts from the ignition switch to the solenoid. But do it any way

 

[TimK]

To amplify Keokes instruction, when you push the button on the solenoid, you are manually moving the large contacts into position to connect the battery to the starter motor bypassing the solenoid magnetic action that closes the large contacts electrically. Keoke is asking you to verify that the new solenoid's magnetic action is working. Your problem still seems to be in the ignition switch not passing the low current to the solenoid small terminal which would cause the solenoid to move the large contacts into position to transmit the large current to the starter motor.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

That's what I told him 37 posts ago (I have no idea how many....).
From the battery lead on the solenoid, just jump to the start lead.
THAT would have told us weeks ago if the solenoid worked (which I bet the old one does), the battery and connections were fine, and the starter worked.
Would have pinpointed starter control and wiring, weeks ago.

In a production shop, the FIRST thing you would do was jumper, and you'd know where to go, instead of ordering and replacing parts and it STILL won't start from the cockpit.

The SECOND thing that would have happened is you'd get fired.

I'm surprised nobody told him to replace the coil.

Everybody replaces the coil before they figure out what's really wrong.

 

[Keoke]

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean "

 

[red57]

I'm surprised nobody told him to replace the coil.

Everybody replaces the coil before they figure out what's really wrong.

Thanks TOC, you made my day!

 

[Donovan2001]

wooohoooo I got it to turn from the ignition.

Solution: The solenoid was NOT properly bolted to the chassis of the car. Once I completed the ground the car finally turned over from the ignition.

Summary: The original solenoid was bad, had to replace it with the solenoid that had the button on the back. The connectors/battery terminals had to be cleaned and/or replaced. Ignition was bad, replaced with new one.

Thank you to everyone for the help. I know I was pain in the As*, but I learned a great deal. I promise next time I will take one step at a time and pace myself. I can finally close this issue and open a new one.

How to get the car start? ))))))

65 AH 3000 MKIII

 

[Keoke]

HE!!! got it to turn from the ignition

wooohoooo--------Keoke--- :laugh:

 

[elrey]

Congratulations! And none too soon as I was about to suggest a complete rebuild of the carburetors. :laugh:

 

[Keoke]

WHAT!!! I thought you were going to suggest he change the coil--Keoke-- :lol:

 

[Legal Bill]

Please start a new thread for the next problem.

 

[rjc157]

told you to make sure it was grounded good luck