No Sweat

Hello,

Any assistance is appreciated.

Car:
1969 Small block 4 speed (48,000 miles). Stock except for pertronix conversion earlier this summer.

Situation:
Drove car one day and everything perfect. Car was in garage for two weeks and now will not start. When I attempted to start the car the battery was dead flat; dome lights not even working. Changed battery with a fully charged spare - everything works but nothing happens when you attempt to start.

First thought - clutch safety switch. Pulled the harness off of the switch and put jumper wire between harness connections. I believe that is the correct method for by passing the switch. No luck......wow is that switch in a tight spot!

Second thought - starter. This is where I stopped and did no further diagnosis. My thought ~ why would the starter drain the battery if the switch was not engaged?

I did check the charge in the battery with out the cables attached and then with the cables attached and there appears to be a pull on the system. Should I begin looking in any specific place on this particular car?

Thanks in advance,

Don

427SIXPACK

bad ground from the battery ?

Peterbuilt

As mentioned check + and- battery connections.
Connect a test light to the "S" terminal of the starter. (small terminal closest to the block)
Confirm clutch switch is good or jumper it and turn the key to start, test light bulb goes on you may have a bad solenoid. If test light does not light check for broken wire between switch and starter.

For the battery drain:
Remove the - battery cable and put test light between the battery terminal and the disconnected cable, bulb should now be ON.
Now pull one fuse at a time until the light goes out.
Then post back which fuse and someone will help you trouble shoot that circuit.

No Sweat

Thanks for the suggestions ~ much appreciated.

Don

wgarneau

Pete's suggestions are spot on. There are only three things a car needs to start: fuel, spark, and air. Rule those out one at a time. Is it getting fuel and air? Then it isn't getting spark. Is it getting fuel and spark? Somehow air isn't getting mixed in properly. If you have all three, even if it won't keep running it should at least briefly start.

You can pour a little gas down the carb (or spray starter fluid) to check for gas. If suddenly it fires briefly you know it'll start if it has gas. Check spark next at the plugs. Air is the least common and the hardest to check since you can't feel airflow until after the car starts..

In your case the dead battery would seem to point to a lack of spark since you need electricity to generate the spark.

Easy Mike

Define "nothing happens." Does the car crank?

No Sweat

Nothing happens = radio and all lights etc work. Turn key to engage starter and nothing happens.

No Sweat

sorry didn't answer your question....no the car does not crank over

Ironcross

wont crank, then clean the ground from the battery to the frame area right under the battery.......normally neglected as its in a difficult place and could be the answer

68sbcoupe

1. Clean battery terminals.
2. Clean chassis end of ground wire under the car.
Try to start. No crank?
3. Jumper the starter solenoid.
Does it crank now? Yes" Keyswitch. NO? Starter or solenoid.

htown81vette

bad ground, probably when you messed with the harness, because there is a ground wire on the harness, and if it's not grounded it will not even try to start, but all your other electrical stuff will work, just as you described. Been there, done that on my '98 Firebird.

htown81vette

also check your fuses, when you put the jumper on you may have blown a fuse.

No Sweat

A quick thanks to those who replied. Cleaned up the neg bat ground to frame and the car started. Still puzzled how a car that is never driven in bad weather suddenly needs the ground cleaned but I'll take a fast & cheap fix anytime.

Cheers,
Don

builder

Glad you got to the problem. I was going to tell you my "issue" last weekend to see if it would help, so, I will tell it anyway instead of starting a new thread.

I drove for an hour and stopped at Cabella's. All seemed to go well. Get back to the car and pack the stuff I bought. Just a click at the turning of the ignition switch. Several times...same thing. I decide to start at the beginning and go from there. I know I had cleaned the frame and cables underneath the battery and from the frame to the engine a few days before (with new star washers).
I unpack the car enough to get to the battery and notice the negative battery terminal is partially unscrewed (post with a side terminal extension). I try to tighten up and no go. The hole is stripped. I hold it with a pliers and turn the key and it starts. Ipack up and drive to a Wally World (Walmart) and buy a new extension and install it and all is nice and tight. Try to start it and "click", "click", "click".......What the.......? I reach back and open the battery door compartment and recheck my connection and all seems good. I reach and turn the key and "click" and I can hear what sounds like a spark. I watch and this time I can see a small wisp of smoke coming from the Positive terminal. The wire came completely out of the crimped on end. What timing!! I go back into Wally World and get another terminal end for the bare wire end and put it on. Away I drive. That was the only real issue I had on my whole weekend trip, but I didn't foresee that one by a long shot. At least I didn't have to stop a second time. What luck that I found it at the same time.