i would charge the battery regardless and lightly smack the starter with a hammer a few times. then try and hotwire start it.
Builds Won a '74 40 on a coin toss... (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter ginmtb
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
1911
chupacabra
Check your ground strap from the battery, clean the terminals on both ends and make sure there are good connections. Also the big positive cable that goes to the starter.
Also, check the cable ends over very carefully. Corrosion likes to build up under the insulation. This can leave a very lumpy looking surface to the insulation. This corrosion can increase the resistance within the cables, and decrease the amps available to the starter.
Don
Don
ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
- Thread starter
- #245
Ok jump started the car and it turned over! Woohoo!
Of course after letting it warm up once I stepped on the brake it died. Wouldn't turnover.
Jump started again and fired up. Avoided the brake this time. Pushed clutch in and it died. Wtf?
Wish I knew what was going on...
...via IH8MUD app
Of course after letting it warm up once I stepped on the brake it died. Wouldn't turnover.
Jump started again and fired up. Avoided the brake this time. Pushed clutch in and it died. Wtf?
Wish I knew what was going on...
...via IH8MUD app
if it was just the brake doing it, and with all the electrical stuff you just messed with, i would say its an electrical issue still. but the clutch doing it puzzles me. the harness up around the pedal bucket might be crusty/on its way out and you are bumping it with the pedal arms and shorting something.
Mike,
I agree with Kruisinkid... this is puzzling... but check the area above the pedals, as he suggested, and make sure nothing is shorting - it sounds like you have an open circuit somewhere - why else is your battery always down?
Then, back to the basics:
HTH
I agree with Kruisinkid... this is puzzling... but check the area above the pedals, as he suggested, and make sure nothing is shorting - it sounds like you have an open circuit somewhere - why else is your battery always down?
Then, back to the basics:
- check all your grounds (Rudi BJ40Green has a great write-up here on mud, about the importance of grounds - I don't recall whether he already included that suggestion here),
- Especially, check the ground wire, from the starter case to the frame (I would clean where it mounts to the frame, if you haven't already)... and
- Check the Negative cable ground to the frame - clean this frame connection, if you haven't already.
- Check the wires to the starter solenoid - I keep coming back to the starter because of the possible connection between you 'died when I stepped on the clutch' and the proximity of the starter wires and the clutch slave. Wouldn't explain the issue with 'died when I stepped on the brake' though.
- Check all the stereo wiring you did, to ensure (as you said) you haven't nicked something and caused a short.
- Check the fuse box again, to ensure there is nothing amiss, from all the work you did there.
HTH
ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
- Thread starter
- #249
Well what do you know? Changed the battery cables and cleaned every point of contact for them. Fired up like it never has - on the first try!
Unfortunately my garage was a mess at the time so I couldn't put it back in (daughter decided to move everything it seemed like into the stall). No problem I'll move it later now that the problem is solved...
Well shouldn't have thought that - just tried firing up and one click and nothing. Unbelievable. Frustrating.
Checked the battery still shows 12.67V. Checked the voltage to the starter and that read 11.87V. If it isn't getting 12V will it not work? If so, any thoughts on why it isn't getting 12V?
Oh and no lights either.
...via IH8MUD app
Unfortunately my garage was a mess at the time so I couldn't put it back in (daughter decided to move everything it seemed like into the stall). No problem I'll move it later now that the problem is solved...
Well shouldn't have thought that - just tried firing up and one click and nothing. Unbelievable. Frustrating.
Checked the battery still shows 12.67V. Checked the voltage to the starter and that read 11.87V. If it isn't getting 12V will it not work? If so, any thoughts on why it isn't getting 12V?
Oh and no lights either.
...via IH8MUD app
Last edited:
the reason for a lower voltage at the starter could still be corrosion in or on the wire between the batt and the starter. But i really think it would be better if you measured the amps instead of the voltage.
What happens if you take the wire off and measure the resistance? Maybe have somebody wiggle the cable while your'e measuring resistance?
What would be really nice, if you could find a megger and measure the insulation value at 500V or 1000V. Maybe there's leak in the insulation to the starter. Make sure the wire is connected though or you'll shoot 1000V to the starter
What happens if you take the wire off and measure the resistance? Maybe have somebody wiggle the cable while your'e measuring resistance?
What would be really nice, if you could find a megger and measure the insulation value at 500V or 1000V. Maybe there's leak in the insulation to the starter. Make sure the wire is connected though or you'll shoot 1000V to the starter
did you also change the ground cable from the starter to the frame?
My memory is always suspect, but it seems to me that your 'failure to start' began around the time that you installed your fusible link. I know cooleman's links are very professional and seriously doubt that there's anything wrong with the link itself.
But, you could have caused a short in the old, stiff, dried out wiring in the harness on the passenger fender well - or, you could have messed up the fusible link connection you made to the wiring harness (i.e. loose connector).
If memory serves, you made quite a few electrical enhancements around the same time (cleaned up fuse block; installed sound system; installed fusible link, etc.) - all of those connections need to be rechecked.
I also recall that, when you removed the original radio, you left an open circuit (or something) that caused your (new?) battery to drain - isn't this the first time your new battery was down?
I mentioned this thread earlier ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/never-underestimate-the-importance-of-a-ground.415151/ ) and falsely attributed it to Rudi (bj40green - he may have one also) - there is a lot of good information in this thread. Note: Post #12 mentions the possibility of the brake (or clutch) pedal contacting a live wire (as kruisinkid suggested earlier).
You really need to clean up all your grounds - it doesn't take much (corrosion, loose bolt, etc.) to cause grounding problems.
If that doesn't resolve your problems, I would then recheck all your work (fusible link, sound system, fuse block, etc.). If you aren't sure how to go about troubleshooting this, I'm sure Rudi (bj40green) would be happy to point the way. I'm not an expert - he is.
Also, I think it might be time to re-state what your starting issues are and the order in which they first occurred (e.g. started fine... removed old radio... battery down - no start... new battery... etc.) - I keep going back to the point that you removed your old radio - isn't that when your new battery died and you first encountered starting problems?
HTH
But, you could have caused a short in the old, stiff, dried out wiring in the harness on the passenger fender well - or, you could have messed up the fusible link connection you made to the wiring harness (i.e. loose connector).
If memory serves, you made quite a few electrical enhancements around the same time (cleaned up fuse block; installed sound system; installed fusible link, etc.) - all of those connections need to be rechecked.
I also recall that, when you removed the original radio, you left an open circuit (or something) that caused your (new?) battery to drain - isn't this the first time your new battery was down?
I mentioned this thread earlier ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/never-underestimate-the-importance-of-a-ground.415151/ ) and falsely attributed it to Rudi (bj40green - he may have one also) - there is a lot of good information in this thread. Note: Post #12 mentions the possibility of the brake (or clutch) pedal contacting a live wire (as kruisinkid suggested earlier).
You really need to clean up all your grounds - it doesn't take much (corrosion, loose bolt, etc.) to cause grounding problems.
If that doesn't resolve your problems, I would then recheck all your work (fusible link, sound system, fuse block, etc.). If you aren't sure how to go about troubleshooting this, I'm sure Rudi (bj40green) would be happy to point the way. I'm not an expert - he is.
Also, I think it might be time to re-state what your starting issues are and the order in which they first occurred (e.g. started fine... removed old radio... battery down - no start... new battery... etc.) - I keep going back to the point that you removed your old radio - isn't that when your new battery died and you first encountered starting problems?
HTH
changing the 3 main heavy gauge wires is your first cheap/easy/quick to-do
-starter to frame (ground)
-battery to frame (GND)
-battery to starter (12+)
it will cost you about 15 bux for all three. that would be first to do, then start chasing down shorts up under the pedal bucket area. good luck. electrical gremlins can be vicious.
-starter to frame (ground)
-battery to frame (GND)
-battery to starter (12+)
it will cost you about 15 bux for all three. that would be first to do, then start chasing down shorts up under the pedal bucket area. good luck. electrical gremlins can be vicious.
if you really really like that window sticker I could only suggest, however non original it may be later, is to take a picture of it and take it one of those place that do copies and make vinyl scans. it would work but it wouldn't be original ..Kinkos? some places that do wraps May be able to work with you under the table maybe? sounds like a great story with the whole coin flip....
