Hi, John -
Sometimes the starter will spin without engaging the flywheel if the teeth on
the flywheel ring gear are worn or damaged. If the teeth are damaged only in
certain areas of the flywheel, this problem will be intermittent, depending on
where the flywheel stops in relation to the starter pinion shaft. If the
pinion is spinning, then the solenoid is doing its job to apply power to the
starter. You can inspect the flywheel teeth by removing the starter and
either turning the engine with the dog nut on the front of the crank, or by
putting the car in gear and rolling it (so "they" say. I've never been able
to do it this way). Look through the bellhousing opening exposed by the
starter removal to inspect the teeth, using a flashlight.
Another possibility would be that the starter pinion is not moving, or moving
far enough, on its shaft when the starter is engaged. I believe the
pinion/shaft should not be lubricated, but make sure there is no corrosion or
dirt present and that the pinion moves freely.
The purpose of the black/white wire from the cutoff switch in the boot is to
ground the power input side of the ignition coil when the switch is turned
off. This is intended to prevent hot-wiring the car to start it. The
switches are notorious for going bad and preventing starting through the
black/white wire. If this happens, the car will be completely dead when the
ignition key is turned to START -- no solenoid click, no nothing. I had this
problem two years ago at Lake Tahoe and disconnected the wire. It's still
disconnected, pending getting around to replacing the switch.
Happy Healeying!
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC USA
----- Original Message -----
From: John Adamik
To: healey list
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 4:17 PM
Subject: starter troubleshooting
Hello Listers,
isn't is strange how the healey knew that I was taking her for a "last of
the
season" ride when she decided not to start after gassing her up. It
sounded
like the starter pinion was spinning but not engaging the flywheel. I
tapped
the solenoid, no help. With a little help, I push started and ran fine.
Any
tips on testing the solenoid or any other suggestions?
Next, the kill switch in the boot no longer has a detent or positive
"click"
like it used to (found this when I checked battery connections for starter
problem). When I removed it, I noticed the white w/ black stripes wire
that
goes to the coil no longer connected to the switch, in fact it looks like
the
switch was broken some time ago where the wire connected. What does this
wire
do? It looks like it connects the coil to positive ground. Any suggestions
on
a replacement switch?
thanks for the help.
John '62 BT7
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