urgent help please - starting / starter motor probs

[jimbob-mcgrew]

batterys juiced, getting a good current down the line to the start on the key-turn, but the starter refuses to do much. plus the windscreen wipers start going, and the full beam light on the dash comes on when i turn they key :confused:

anyone know what the hell is going on ? i fiddled with it for ages, getting good earths all over, and good power to it, but no luck. tried jumping it manually with leads, but kinda set the clutch cable a bit smokey.

got leave for work at 5am tommora, well 3am if i cant get it going, gonna be a long ass walk. :(

maximum respect to anyone that can fix it.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

running outta light !! heeaaeellpp!!

[dougie_boi]

check the gearbox earth strap mate and the one from the battery to the bulk head mate. plus theres one coming from headlight loom that goes on where the gearbox strap one bolts to the chassis leg mate hope this helps

[jimbob-mcgrew]

cheers man, checked those allready, there all good earths.

sounds wierd but i only started havvin this prob shortly after changing the exhaust. prob got nothing to do with it, just coincendence, but damn, getting to and from work this week is gonna be awsome :wall:

[jimbob-mcgrew]

if it helps a guy at work gave me a jump start to fire it up so i could get back home, but putting the leads on the battery did nothing as there wasnt anything wrong with the battery, i dunno how he did it exactly, but he stuck the lead on the starter motor directly and it fired up straight away on the key. im fkin confused.

[Asa-James]

so he got a good earth from the body of the starter, and it looks like it could be trying to earth thru the clutch cable if you got it smoking. just as a suggestion, have you tried putting a jump cable between the earth on the battery and on the engine block?

[jimbob-mcgrew]

i think the frazzled clutch cable was my fault, i was putting juice into the gearbox casing and the clutch cable was acting as an earth. where as when he did it, he had a live lead from battery to battery, and im not sure what he did with the earth, he might have made a direct earth with it from battery to starter ? i was in the car just after he did it turning the key so i just missed what he did.

[Asa-James]

the starter earths thru the block/gearbox to the earth cables. have you had them off and scrubbed up? and have you checked the one on the battery to the body?

[MattBrown]

noooo, sounds like he put a screwdriver from the perm live, accross to the swithced terminal on the selonoid!

Just tow start the fooker in the morn!

[jimbob-mcgrew]

thinkin about it now, thats what he must have done, just given the starter casing a direct earth.... but why cant it get an earth thru the gearbox, i double check all the earths, there all good. annoying.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

if there was any hills near round here, i would push the car 100 yards and bump it down, but its a bloody long way to the nearest downhill.

[Asa-James]

lol, nova's usually are. take them all off, clean up the contact areas, and if its got a braided one on the gearbox, plenty of wd40 and a wire brush and get it looking minty fresh. or just be really pikey and leave a jump cable connected somewhere...

[jimbob-mcgrew]

i pulled em all off earlier and srubbed em clean and stuck some coppergrease on em to be sure, didnt change anything. im gonna try the jumper trick now, report back in 5
omg i forgot the cars in bits, maybe 10 mins.

[Asa-James]

this is the part where it doesnt work and were back to square 1...

[jimbob-mcgrew]

YYEAAUUUHH BWWOOAAYY - jump lead earth for the win.

maximum respect to you guys, +rep for injenuity

[Asa-James]

can i feel smug now?

edit-- dont leave it on, `dont know if it might do some damage but i personally wouldnt risk it.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

now ive just gotta figure out WHY its not earthing, i cant see it being anything other than the mating surface on the engine/box.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

yeh ill bust it off soon as its started, it doesnt spark clamping it on, i was doing it all wrong earlier and givvin it power rather than earth, silly tw4t.

[brainsnova]

where the battery earth bolts to the bulk head have you cleaned that.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

oh no, u know what, i didnt stop in at the petrol station on my home today as i didnt think i could get it started again once turned off, i best be able to make it to a garage in the morning, its almost touching the pin and i live in the middle of nowhere. fcukit tho, even if i can only make it half way, its half the wlaking distance.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

yeh i checked all the earths, well.. in the engine bay anyhow, that one, the 2 ends of the gearbox earth, all the wires bridging the alternator to starter too, i even ran round everywhere with a light tester and got a bright earth light all over the place, even on the gearbox/engine and starter casing itself, but it wont go without the jumper lead for some reason ?

[Leeboo]

Check that the rear metal water pipe isn't dropping down and touching the starter, had this happen on my 1600.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

rear metal water pipe, u mean the L-shaped job runs round backside of the block ? mines a plastic job, i may replace it for a metal one tho, dont trust plastic pipes. i think the metal ones are slightly smaller diameter tho, as i couldnt fit the 1.2 hose onto it, and vice-versa the 1.6 hose was too big for 1.2 pipe.

[Leeboo]

Aye I mean that one, sorry I just assumed your was a metal one. I didn't put the wee bracket on with the top gearbox bolt for holding the pipe so the metal pipe sat down a bit and earthed the starter and made an awful noise

[fennah]

ive had earth seem good espeshilly on the gearbox try cracking the nut off and retightening it incase alloy on box is corroded slightly , when ur trying to start the engine its drawing alot of power so might not be taking it , have u tried the black cap on ignition barrel ? heard of these shorting or burning inside giving problems ?