Hello all I am having a problem with my engine cranking. After I first rebuilt it it cranked over fine but I had been having problems with it starting so it was being cranked a lot finally it got to where it would not crank over very fast. I have charged the battery just changed out the starter cause the brushes were getting bad. Just a couple days ago when I was cranking the engine trying to get it started
I didn't realize that the connections at starter silinod were loose so it had started to melt the insulation around the wire cause it got so hot. I have since cleaned all connections and made sure all were tight I have tried replacing the starter silinod and still it will not crank one revolution. When those wires got hot could it have burned them up to where not much voltage can go through? Also after reign to get it to start with nothing but it clicking the wire was already getting warm. I am not sure what else to do other than change the positive wire as after it got hot it never wanted to crank over. Thoughts and advice would be helpfull.

So, the starter is new, and the battery is charged (did you have it load tested?).

Is the timing so far off its firing so soon it stops it?

Did the main wires-battery to solenoid-solenoid to starter- ground to starter, all get hot, or only at one loose connection.

I've not seen it happen on a car, but overheated crimp connectors can expand, making them loose when they cool. Or the fine strand wire might have been damaged inside the crimp.

What's it crank like with the coil lead pulled, or the plugs out. And it's always possible you got a bad solenoid or starter, even though they're new.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

The starter was tested at the parts store. I have not tried cranking it with the plugs out. For the most part it just clicks. As for the wires when I noticed the wires were loose I checked all the wires and all were hot but the battery to the silinod was the hottest. Once I tightened them up the positive from the battery to the silinod is still getting hot. I am gonna replace all the cables in it just to mark that off of things to check cause the is the only part left in the system that has not been changed.

Try this. Turn on your headlights and try to crank it. If the lights stay bright your battery is OK and the problem is downstream from it. Pete

Ray, just start with the one bad cable. If it failed, there shouldn't have been enough amperage flow to damage the rest of them.

Pete, that's a great idea.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Well got up this morning and put all new cables on cause it needed done anyways. Once again all it did was start to rotate and than it just clicks. After a few times I noticed a higher pitched whine that wasn't there earlier. Than I saw that the starter was smoking. So that means I am getting power to the starter. My confusion is I saw the starter being test run at the parts store to
See the differance between the old and the new one. So what would cause it to start smoking? Is the drive gear possibly jammed? Like I said it rotates a little bit at first.

Ray,

I've had problems with the starter on one of my race cars doing similar things. I changed starters, wires and solenoids. turned out to be I wasn't using a
heavy enough battery cable to starter. Changed the cable and no more problems. Don't know if this is your problem but it's a cheap thing to try. Good Luck.


Larry Short   

Well it started fine right after I rebuilt the engine but due to so much cranking the starter wore out. So I put a new starter on it. The new positive cable I put on was 4 gauge wire. But what would cause the new starter to start smoking? Could the drive gear be causing a problem? Does it kick out like a bendex gear. If so could that not be kicking out.

At this point, I would remove the spark plugs and try turning the engine over by hand using the crank pulley bolt.
It should turn quite freely.  Then use the starter to do the same thing.  This way you are eliminating some mechanical cause for the problem.
If it turns freely by hand with the plugs out, but drags with the starter, then the most probable cause is the starter and connections. Even though the parts store tested it, the stater could be bad....
Do the load test with the lights on too as was suggested.

Ok I will try that. I am restoring the truck so the lights do not work. However I may take the battery in and have it load tested.