'WHAT I HAVE LEARNED (destroyed) TODAY'
So with my NEW battery unable to hold a charge I set out this morning to
undergo a host of
diagnostic checks to get this 74 Midget 'starting' again.
Up until now, it jumps off by other cars great but takes a charge slowly and
behave like it has slow drain/short. Upon slow charging it all night, this
morning after turning the key all I got was the solenoid clicking like mad
as if it had a full charge.
So, I triple check my cable connections up top and then jack it up to get a
better look at the starter.
Could it be? Question #1
If a starter has gone bad - will an auto still allow itself to be jumped off
by another car superseding the starter ?
So here I lie under the car wondering how in the hell I am going to take the
thing off and go have it bench tested.
Upon looking for the starter from underneath I came across the small silver
cylinder that sits directly underneath the starter. Its covered in grease
and practically blocks the direct underside pathway to the starter. It
appears to have a once braided(worn) ground wire coming off and bolted to
the undercarriage.
NOW HERE IS THE PART THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SATURDAY JUST A LITTLE FUNNIER.
For you, not Me.
So on this newfound piece of transmission? equipment I notice their is a
piston like arm that has a rubber bushing leading into the cylinder and the
other side attached to the body. Upon careful inspection I could tell the
bushing was loose and packed with grit etc...
SO, what would any red-blooded curious new owner (read: dumb-ass) do.....
I cleaned the works thoroughly with a rag and gave the piston/arm a few good
in and outs.
It was on the forth or fifth in and out that I heard the hiss of pressure
being released somewhere up top. Forbidding music began.
Out I crawled and found I had lost a small bit of hydraulic fluid out of the
cap. No big deal.
Growing concerned and frustrated that I hadnt figure out problem #233
before instigating problem #234, I surmised that I would jump the car off
one last time to see how that was going. If I got nothing - the starter was
going to HAVE to come off and get checked.
So surely it jumped right off. I was able to shut it down a few minutes
later and start it back up. I think I might have located the short. MAYBE.
An ungrounded body parking light I haphazardly repaired a week ago.
BUT HERE S THE LATEST!!! The clutch wont engage. It feels a bit softer
and there is NO GETTING INTO ANY GEARS!!! AAAAAAAARRRRRGH !
So, my first reaction is to attempt pushing the piston/ arm back into the
original (opposite of what it is now ??) position.
But I am not trying anything until I do more research.
aaah, the weekend.
P.S.
While running after I jumped it off, I noticed something that has grown more
and more prominent in the past weeks. Every few minutes I get a high pitch
whistling / cry from the area of the alternator / drive belt. Whereupon
first inspection I thought it WAS the drive belt, I dunno. The tightness
feels right and I dont see any slippage while spinning. I am beginning to
wonder if it is coming from within the alternator itself and maybe it could
be tied to my electrical power loss.
Yeah, I know. Slow down on the hypothesizing, Miles
Thanks for listening.
Miles
|