Builds Won a '74 40 on a coin toss... (2 Viewers)

[ginmtb]

Okay, so cleaned up the ground connections on the starter and frame. Got the metal all shiny and cleaned up, put the dielectric grease on there, and tightened things down. Got in the car and WHAM-O!!! Fired right up. Woohoo!

Let the car idle, noticed the ammeter was pegged fully to the right. Don't know what that means, if anything. But all was good for about 10 seconds. Then it died. Thought, that's okay, that happens if the idle gets too low, I'll just start it up again. It tried a couple more times and it tried turning over, but then it went dark again. Nothing, not even a click. Lights dead.

So I called it a night. Very frustrating to get your hopes up only to be crushed again. I'm starting to question the "funness" of this hobby. I guess what is the frustrating part is that usually I can fix things but since I'm a car newb things aren't happening as I think they should. I don't know what I don't know. I keep telling myself my CrossFit mantra, "it doesn't have to be fun to be fun." Would be nice to start seeing some results...

My buddy was thinking the starter solenoid is bad - or at least gets stuck. If it is stuck in the open position, would that render the rest of the electrical system useless?

 

[kruisinkid]

so did you replace the ground cables from battery to frame and frame to starter? you should really do that if you havent. corrosion gets in and under the 40 year old insulation. are you sure your battery was 100% charged. i feel like something is draining the battery. or perhaps the alternator is dead?

 

[ginmtb]

Yes I have replaced both battery cables (pos & ground) and the ground from the starter. Cleaned up all points of contact with those cables and exposed bare metal. Used dielectric grease on each contact point.

Battery reads 12.58V as of last night. I can charge it up some more, but that seems to be in the acceptable range from what I've read.

How can I test the alternator? If that were dead would it ever start?

Thanks!


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[kruisinkid]

the alternator has nothing to do with starting, but keeps it charged. constant starting attempts* or short successful starts with out driving around above ~1100 RPMS for a bit does not charge your battery.

take your alternator to a napa or pep boys or the like to have it tested.

what is the status of your voltage regulator? original?

if the ammeter needle is pegged to the right, it means your battery is a fair amount low and it is being charged by the alternator, more current heading into the battery than is being drained/used. when it goes to the left, it means there is more current flowing out of the battery and if it stays that way, will drain it completely.

are you not even able to hot wire the starter to start it up anymore?

 

[ginmtb]

I don't know the status of the voltage regulator. I'm assuming it is stock like much of this vehicle is. Is there an easy way to tell?

I will throw the battery on my charger for a bit to see if that makes a difference.

And thanks for the ammeter lesson!

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[kruisinkid]

just looking at the case of the VR will tell you. if it looks old and crusty, it probably is. they are mechanical and have moving parts, and thus a lifespan. they cost 18$ for a refurb from toyota. its wise to swap it out.

but something is killing your battery. you are really going to have go through the harness under the dash and the rear that goes out to the taillights seeing how you touched that now too. have you disconnected the radio wiring and tried for a few successful starts and driving? get a very sharp razor blade and start opening up the harness. make your life easier and take out the front seats. get some bright lights and go to town.

 

[ginmtb]

I think my battery isn't getting killed anymore - before it drained overnight. It is at the lowest it has been but it also hasn't been driven for a month+. Does 12.58V not represent a good number? I believe it was in the 12.8 range back then. I will have to look through my posts as I can't remember.


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[kruisinkid]

no you have enough voltage but is the voltage getting to your solenoid and coil? put the key in the on position and meter from positive side of coil to the frame/ground

maybe your ignition switch is bad.

 

[ginmtb]

no you have enough voltage but is the voltage getting to your solenoid and coil? put the key in the on position and meter from positive side of coil to the frame/ground

maybe your ignition switch is bad.

Okay will try this tonight. Thanks!


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[Grizzley]

Congrats, it looks like you got a nice cruiser. Consider yourself lucky! I was in the exact same situation once and the owner had the two prospective buyers throw our written bids into his cowboy hat....needless to say I overpaid.....but won. Nice job.

 

[Dieselcruiser74]

Hi Ginmtb,
Get your TLC 40 running.I might meet up with you tonight or maybe tomorrow.Weather is so nice to drive the 40 around town.

 

[ginmtb]

Hi Ginmtb,
Get your TLC 40 running.I might meet up with you tonight or maybe tomorrow.Weather is so nice to drive the 40 around town.

If it were that easy I'd have already gotten it going lol.

 

[ginmtb]

Okay will try this tonight. Thanks!


...via IH8MUD app

Okay, voltage at starter solenoid 12.22V. Solid. Voltage at + side of coil... 6.52V. I'm guessing that should read 12V at least.

So with that info, now what?

Oh and with the help of one dad and 4 pre-teens we were able to push the beast back into the driveway (uphill). Moral victory!

 

[kruisinkid]

remind me what dizzy you are running now. stock?
so you can get the starter to turn right? the engine just wont turn over?

 

[ginmtb]

The dizzy appears newer, it isn't anything special.

I can't get it to turnover - there is nothing. One click and that's it.

I jump started it and it idled for about 10-15 secs but then died. After that it tried turning over but nothing. This was still while attempting to jump start.

But without the jump start there is nothing.



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[kruisinkid]

im somewhat spitballing, but these are my educated guesses in no particular order:
-battery could be toast, i know it seems fine but after the LX work you did and then drained it, who knows. i would have it tested to be 100% sure
-your ignition switch could be dead or dying, or the wiring from the ignition to the coil is degraded.
-you have disturbed some questionable wiring in the main harness when you did the earlier LX work with radio, fuse panel, etc. it might be a good idea to check all fuses and beep them all out for continuity. the electricity may be getting in the fuse panel, but it might not be getting out of the fuse panel, even if you have good fuses
-EDIT: the coil is not likely bad, but the wiring to the coil or how it is grounded could be suspect. weak voltage at the coil points to a faint short to ground along the way from ignition to coil.

is the dizzy OEM? you need to find out the make/model of that, if for nothing else than future reference.

 

[ginmtb]

Good stuff I will continue working through this stuff. I'll start with the battery you're right you never know if it is putting out the CCAs that it is supposed to after killing it. It is a newer battery so should be able to exchange it...


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[kruisinkid]

post a pic of your dizzy/coil/igniter setup when you get a chance. im curious....

 

[ginmtb]

Okay here you go:

Dizzy

Coil and igniter

I think this is my voltage regulator but can't tell


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[Solace in Solitude]

Mike - as I said a while back, I've never seen that green battery cutoff switch - others said that they also used the same switch and it worked fine.

But, is there any way that this switch is going bad and causing you to lose power?

When you are jumping your battery, is your battery actually 'down' or not?

Is it possible that you have a lose connection where you spliced your fusible link into your wiring harness? I asked this before, but don't recall your response.