[Shotimes] Weird intermittent starting problem

[Zach Leahy]

I assume your grounding the battery through the body and did not run
an entire seperate cable for the battery ground to the front of the
car?  if so, make sure your connections are tight and smooth.

other ideas could be a clutch switch that has an issue.  You can also
check out the connection on the starter where the single small wire
attaches via a spade terminal.  The problem can be that this gets so
much oil and deposits built up on it that it makes poor contact. 
might want to get a bit of brake/carb cleaner and clean the old oily
goot off the connector.   The littel wire is the "trigger" wire that
tells the starter to start, not the big red power one.  (disconnect
the battery before doing this.)  Lastly it could be a starter with
brushes beginning to go out, or a commutator that is very dirty and
the power is only intermittantly getting to the starter.

Best bet would be to see if you can get it home and get it to repeat
the problem.  Then do some troubleshooting.  test to see if there is a
+12v ignal to the trigger on the starter, check continuity between
starter ground and battery ground, same with positive (I assume
yousoltered all the terminals on and didn't crimp them on, if you
didn't, go back and solder them all on)

One of the laws on the VMW M/C list is to always look for the problem
in the last place you worked, so start at the battery relocation.

Z

On 7/25/05, miethos <miethos@cox.net> wrote:
> This Saturday and again today my SHO has not wanted to crank for me.
> Saturday night I drove somewhere and when I got ready to leave about an
> hour later my SHO turned over when I went to start it and died 2 seconds
> later.. Then wouldn't crank at all.  It will just not fire up..
> everything else sounds and works ok.  I rode with a friend and about 2
> hours later it started up and drove fine.  Now 2 days later I drove to
> work and 4 hours later on lunch I went to crank it up and it did the
> exact same thing.  It will first start for just a second and die
> immediately then won't crank.  I haven't tried to crank it again since
> that (about 45 minutes ago) but I am hoping it cranks later tonight when
> I leave work.  I just wanted to get any suggestions on what would cause
> this.
> 
> Recent changes ive done with the car were putting the battery in the
> trunk.  Has been running fine with that change for the last month and
> Saturday this happened.  Everything is pretty stock just the battery in
> trunk and 80MAF with snorkel so far.  I'm off the next 2 days so I want
> to try and troubleshoot this problem.
> 
> Any insight?
> 
> '93 MTX 102k miles.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Joe
> 93 MTX 102k
> Black/Grey
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