[Spits] solenoid or starter?

[Doug Braun]

Measure the voltage AT THE STARTER TERMINAL while
cranking.  One meter lead on the terminal stud itself,
and the other to the starter body.  It helps to use an
old-school analog meter for this, since it is not as
bothered by the rapid fluctuations in voltage as the
motor turns.  This test will tell you for sure if you
have a bad battery, cables, connections, solenoid,
grounding, etc.

If you see insufficient voltage (less than 8 or so?)
you can repeat the same test with the meter connected
DIRECTLY to the battery terminals.  This will tell you
for sure if the battery is doing its job.

You can proceed in this fashion to isolate the
problem.  For example, connecting the meter to the
battery positive terminal and the starter terminal
will show the voltage drop across the entire positive
circuit.  

Doug


--- Jim Muller <jimmuller at rcn.com> wrote:

> Today being a nice day here in the upper right
> corner of the country, 
> I tried to fire up the Spitfire.  No go.   So I
> hooked up my faithful 
> portable starter battery.  Just a very slow
> whirr--wrr--wrr.  Not 
> even close to being fast enough to fire.