Thanks to all who gave me suggestions on why my battery was going dead.
After a through inspection and test todayI decided to replace the
battery cable to the solenoid. Under the solenoiod boot it was a rusty
mess (steel not copper)
Anyway I proceeded in snapping off the terminal on the solenoid but I
had a spare, all fixed and with new battery cables and a different
battery since the leak down tests showed no problems.
SAME PROBLEM!!
The problem was the starter, it apparently semi self destructed
internally.
It would spin for a couple of seconds but very slow and suck all the
juice out of a fully charged battery.
I replaced the starter and all is well. This one was another "drive you
nuts" LBC problem.
I do not know how the starter motor managed to break the front cone and
smash the bushing but it did. The armature has seen better days too. I
think the 5 speed/no starter cover let dirt and grime enter the starter
motor and put some very noticable grooves in it. Not that I found any
real grit inside the starter but something tore it up then it must have
said enough is enough and blew it's top.
The nose cone bushing is smashed and the cone is split. This one is
trash now.
Thanks for all the advise on the battery, I now have a new multimeter
and learned a few things.
--
Frank Clarici
Toms River, NJ
Down to only 3 Sprites, 1 Midget and an A40 Farina
http://www.exit109.com/~spritenut
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