Starter Issues when Cold?

[samwise68]

hey all.

the truck finally made it on the road. today, my dad drove it to work, with no hitches. aside from one littl thing.

when it's cold, the starter just *click*'s. like, it won't engage the drive, or something. he wiggled the cables, and it started.

so, could it be a bad connections at the starter? or is the starter shot...?

your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance all.

-Sam.

[Longhorn Man]

if he wiggled the cables, and got it to start... I'd start with tightening the cables.

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

if he wiggled the cables, and got it to start... I'd start with tightening the cables.

I'd pull the cables & clean them, & the battery terminals before snugging them down.

[samwise68]

alright, total misunderstanding on my behalf, from my Dad.

the cables wouldn't wiggle. (sorry, i just caught something about cables).

all the starter would do is *click*, and he finally got it to engage and turn the engine over.

he said something about there being two washers in the starter...that might not be doing their job...? idk.

i hope that clears some things up, since it's not the wires. heh.

-Sam.

[89 crew]

Is it one fast click? or fast repeated clicks?

[samwise68]

just one click at a time, per key turn.

i'm thinking it's something in the solenoid...?

-Sam.

[Bob 68327]

I would say start with the sol. and while you have the starter out try hooking a battery to it and shorting the bat. term . to the start term . and see if the starter works . You could also take it with you to the parts store and have them test it. My 2Cents , Bob

[89 crew]

The one click at a time means it is getting enough power to engage the solenoid. but it can't turn the engine. I would guess the solenoid is good and the rest of the starter is the problem. Could be a dead place in the armature, or excessive wear. I would recommend just replace the starter.

[VetteVet]

Cold increases resistance to current flow so it may be something as simple as the cranking amps of the battery. I would say that 600 cca or less might be the cause especially if the battery is older. There are too many other things that might cause the problem also. The two large terminals inside the solenoid are what sends power to the starter windings and armature. They are connected by a copper washer inside the solenoid and if there is arcing on the washer it would cause high resistance and a poor contact to the starter. I have included a picture of how all this works. If the battery is ok and all the connections are good then I agree with 89 crew that a new starter is the best option. VV

[heavy70]

Just bypass the solenoid on the starter and put a ford solenoid on the inner fender!

[crzngmychvy]

Originally Posted by heavy70

Just bypass the solenoid on the starter and put a ford solenoid on the inner fender!

My 59 used to do that and this was my solution. In my case it would happen when the starter got too hot.

When I was out on the road and had trouble starting it I would have a person hit the ignition while I hit the starter with a rock/pipe/some hard object. If I timed it right it worked every time.

[89 crew]

Originally Posted by VetteVet

Cold increases resistance to current flow so it may be something as simple as the cranking amps of the battery. I would say that 600 cca or less might be the cause especially if the battery is older. VV

I thought about the battery but most of the time if it is that bad it won't start after it is warm either.


There are too many other things that might cause the problem also. The two large terminals inside the solenoid are what sends power to the starter windings and armature. They are connected by a copper washer inside the solenoid and if there is arcing on the washer it would cause high resistance and a poor contact to the starter.

If the washer had that much resistance it would pop in and out instead of locking in and not turning.

I have included a picture of how all this works.
great pic showing how it works.

If the battery is ok and all the connections are good then I agree with 89 crew that a new starter is the best option.