Gonna ask a stupid question

I bought a 302 engine from a 1995 GT Mustang with only 51k on the clock. I heard it start and run before it was pulled.
The starter motor was removed when the engine was pulled. I can't get it to turn.

If I just took the positive terminal from the battery connected it to the starter terminal and grounded the negative on the starter casing. It should the motor turn over with just the starter off the engine and on the ground? (It does not spin)

I checked the positive terminal to the casing with an Ohmeter and it is giving me no resistance. This should not be happening - right?

On the offchance that there was some magic cutout I was not aware of, I installed the starter onto the engine and wired it up with the solenoid that came out of the car and all I could get was a click every time I turned the ignition switch.

Presumeably it was the solenoid relay working,but no starter movement.


Any help would be much appreciated. Like those other guys - I hate electrics.


Chris

 

Almost sounds like not enough power in the battery.

 

What starter are you using? Is it the one off off the '95 Mustang or an older one?

 

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My list of crap to look at while diagnosing a starter issue...

1) Make sure you have the correct starter. Lots of people think a starter is a starter...late model Fords take a different starter and old ones wont work...nor will new ones work on old engines.

2) Make sure your battery is juiced and has enough CCA to turn your 302 over. A dead battery sounds an awful lot like a bad solenoid or a weak starter. Just sayin that tossing your battery on a charger may be a good idea. Also, your local auto parts store should be able to test your battery...maybe it has a dead cell.

3) If the starter is easy to remove, remove it. Most parts stores offer a free starter test (bench test) that will load test it. It works, done it a million times. It saves you time. Hey...take the battery AND starter in...kill two birds with one stone?

4) If the starter is a pain to remove, then try testing it directly from the battery to the starter (ie bypass the solenoid). I don't advise this since the starter should be easy enough to remove...

5) Bad battery cables can cause some issues, so make sure your cables are pliable and not corroded internally. Sounds like a dumb response, but it happened to me before (and boy did I look like a dunce). If they have hard spots or feel very stiff in certain spots, the cable is probably trash.

6) Also, these are mount grounded. I assume you are testing it on the engine...if this has had an oil leak it can cause the ground to short...lots of things can cause the ground to be weak. Check it, clean it, be done with it. That area should be nice metal to metal surface...no need to tap a ground to the case.

7) Make sure the battery cable and other wires are connected right, and the posts are not stripped out. Again, sounds dumb, but it takes 2 seconds to take a look.

8) If ALL else fails, replace the starter.

If you actually make it to step 5...chances are the starter is junk. I never replace a starter without testing it first. People may say that bench testing it is not an effective method, I say if the parts slinger behind the counter knows what they are doing it is a great test. Often, I jump right to this point, cause if the starter works there, it means I have a screwed up battery (which should be there with me), bad cables, or bad solenoid. Problem solved.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Blue - it is the starter that came with the 1985 302 GT engine - heard it start the engine.

Fordman:

1) Make sure you have the correct starter. Lots of people think a starter is a starter...late model Fords take a different starter and old ones wont work...nor will new ones work on old engines.

See above

2) Make sure your battery is juiced and has enough CCA to turn your 302 over. A dead battery sounds an awful lot like a bad solenoid or a weak starter. Just sayin that tossing your battery on a charger may be a good idea. Also, your local auto parts store should be able to test your battery...maybe it has a dead cell.

Thought the same thing, however its a new battery anyway swapped it into my 1980 F250 and it started it up a treat

3) If the starter is easy to remove, remove it. Most parts stores offer a free starter test (bench test) that will load test it. It works, done it a million times. It saves you time. Hey...take the battery AND starter in...kill two birds with one stone?

I will do this - I don't see how it could have gone bad, but think it is as I have a direct short from the starter pos terminal to the casing. I am getting no resistance with Ohm meter.


4) If the starter is a pain to remove, then try testing it directly from the battery to the starter (ie bypass the solenoid). I don't advise this since the starter should be easy enough to remove...

Did this - it did not work (turn/spin the starter)

5) Bad battery cables can cause some issues, so make sure your cables are pliable and not corroded internally. Sounds like a dumb response, but it happened to me before (and boy did I look like a dunce). If they have hard spots or feel very stiff in certain spots, the cable is probably trash.

All new

6) Also, these are mount grounded. I assume you are testing it on the engine...if this has had an oil leak it can cause the ground to short...lots of things can cause the ground to be weak. Check it, clean it, be done with it. That area should be nice metal to metal surface...no need to tap a ground to the case.

Will double check grounding - don't think thats it as the solenoid is clicking when the ign switch is turned

7) Make sure the battery cable and other wires are connected right, and the posts are not stripped out. Again, sounds dumb, but it takes 2 seconds to take a look.

Must have checked that 50 times already!

8) If ALL else fails, replace the starter.

If you actually make it to step 5...chances are the starter is junk. I never replace a starter without testing it first. People may say that bench testing it is not an effective method, I say if the parts slinger behind the counter knows what they are doing it is a great test. Often, I jump right to this point, cause if the starter works there, it means I have a screwed up battery (which should be there with me), bad cables, or bad solenoid. Problem solved.

Will take starter to have it checked

thanks everyone

Chris

 

You may also want to make sure your solenoid is grounded...I had one that was questionable, but I rolled with it. It sounded like the solenoid was tripping...it eventually burned. A few quick hits with the wire brush to the mount, a few on the metal you are mounting to...good.

Good luck!

 

OK Fordman - you were right.

The guy at Napa tested my starter and it had shorted out. I think in retrospect it was my fault - when I was bench testing it - the ground was not good and sparks flew. I guess I should have stopped there and fixed it.!

I bought a replacement solenoid just in case.

I still find it hard to believe it was so easy to destroy the starter with a bad ground.

I learn something every day doing this resto stuff.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help

Chris

 

As it were, starters are pretty weak. They don't take well to shorts and bad grounds or being under-powered. The #1 killer of starters is a bad ground.

What is even more dis-heartening than that is most smaller shop wrenches don't know that either. Then again, they don't care cause the starter is often the most expensive part and where do you think they go first for starter issues? Slap that new starter on the oily greasy mount and let it die in 6 months!

Glad you figured it out!

 

Lots of starters get tested the way you did. That it died when it did was probably just a coincidence.