Electrical - Turning switch drops voltage to starter solenoid, no start

[normde2001]

If you have 12.85v battery is good. Don't worry about what voltage where otherwise. Get dash lights "on" with switch in run or reason why not.

 

[YanmarFever]

1. I would try a different battery out of one of your cars
2. check the batt cables thoroughly to make sure the isn't a brake in the middle of one and wire brush them and the batt posts.

I thought Winston had it nailed with the cable connection cause I repaired many like that too.

Also it could be a mouse that chewed up your wiring under the dashboard.

Always look for the basic stuff before you spend a lot of time & $$$ on it

 

[aczlan]

Ok- I disconnected the ground (bolt connecting cable below the radiator) and sanded where it connected to the frame and both ends of the cable removing the battery terminal (new) to sand where the cable connects.

After doing that I still get no dash lights when turning on the switch.

Here are my voltmeter readings. To Aaron痴 post I do get readings greater than 1 where I shouldn稚 with the switch turned to accessory or start.

At the battery posts, 12.85

Solenoid with negative to frame, result is 11.20v

Press solenoid in to engage, reading on solenoid with + to solenoid - to frame bolt goes to 0v

Put multimeter on the positive terminal, then on the battery lead of the starter solenoid and try to start it, result is 12.87v only when I turn the switch to accessory or to start

Repeat from the positive terminal to the "switched" side of the starter solenoid, Same result as above

and from the negative terminal to a bare metal part of the starter housing, result is 0v

Bad switch? I don稚 see any issues with the positive wire, I知 perplexed.

Thanks

Sorry it took me so long to get back to your thread.
I highlighted where you found the problem. From one end of the wire to the other (or from the battery terminal to the starter terminal) you should have less than 1V (like you do on the negative side from the terminal to the starter), thus your issue is with the POSITIVE wire.
If you see significant voltage from end to end on a wire, that is generally due to connection issues between your two test points.
There are a few common issues that can cause this:
1. Loose positive battery clamp
2. Loose/dirty connection from the battery cable to the starter
3. Corroded wire at the clamp-wire connection by the battery
4. Corroded wire at the terminal-wire connection by the starter
5. Corroded wire somewhere between the battery and the starter
It sounds like you have made sure everything is tight (#1 and #2), so I would bet on your issue being #3, #4 or #5 (with #3 being the most likely).


Aaron Z

 

[rScotty]

It sounds like you have the negative lead from the battery well-grounded to the frame. But that doesn't automatically mean that the engine and starter case are well connected to the frame ground. You might try running a dedicated wire from the frame bolt to the engine block. Maybe put the end under one of the starter mounting bolts. It's an outside chance that it would help, but it's easy enough to do, and poor continuity to the engine block does fit the symptoms.
rScotty

 

[aczlan]

It sounds like you have the negative lead from the battery well-grounded to the frame. But that doesn't automatically mean that the engine and starter case are well connected to the frame ground. You might try running a dedicated wire from the frame bolt to the engine block. Maybe put the end under one of the starter mounting bolts. It's an outside chance that it would help, but it's easy enough to do, and poor continuity to the engine block does fit the symptoms.
rScotty

Not the issue, he said "and from the negative terminal to a bare metal part of the starter housing, result is 0v" he has a solid connection from the case of the starter to the battery.
The issue is with the positive cable between the battery and the starter. He said "Put multimeter on the positive terminal, then on the battery lead of the starter solenoid and try to start it, result is 12.87v only when I turn the switch to accessory or to start" there should be 0V for this measurement just like there was with the negative side. Seeing 12.87V (battery voltage) between one end of a cable and the other means that the cable has a break or other bad connection somewhere in it.

Aaron Z

 

[normde2001]

Do you get dash lights "om" with switch in "run"? If not, why not? Everything else is just confusion factor for the novice.

 

[SailorBob]

Ok that sounds like a problem I had with my YM1700. It turned out to be a bad ground cable. The ground cable was corroded where the cable was crimped on the connector. I replaced the ground cable and no problems since.

 

[drunderw]

Thanks so much everyone! I have an update. With the suggestion that it was most likely cables I ran to Autozone and got new positive and negative cables with all the ends pre-made on them. I also had them re-verify the battery while there. Great news! She started right up! In fact much better than ever before. The date on the positive cable was 1988 lol so it had probably seen better days even though it looked fine on the outside. Thanks thanks thanks so much for being there for me, this is awesome! Y誕ll have a good one!

 

[rScotty]

Thanks so much everyone! I have an update. With the suggestion that it was most likely cables I ran to Autozone and got new positive and negative cables with all the ends pre-made on them. I also had them re-verify the battery while there. Great news! She started right up! In fact much better than ever before. The date on the positive cable was 1988 lol so it had probably seen better days even though it looked fine on the outside. Thanks thanks thanks so much for being there for me, this is awesome! Y誕ll have a good one!

And thanks to you for posting the fix. All too often on TBN we never get a posting telling us the resolution to the problem. It sure helps to know.
rScotty

 

[k0ua]

Give a big yank on that positive starter cable and watch if fall into two pieces. It is a piece of plastic cable sheathing with green/white dust on the inside where copper wire used to be. The whole cable wont be this way, but trust me when you pull it apart or cut it apart, you will see what I am talking about.