Help
The starter on my 36 caddy has been switched to 12 volt as well as all wiring and bulbs...starter works great when bench tested but when we hook it up it won't turn engine..can't figure out..engine was rebuilt but not too tight...
Please help or tell me where to find new starter..thanks
Can you describe what happens when you try to start the engine?
Does the starter try to engage or is it totally dead? Does it make a rapid clicking noise when you press the starter button? Did you notice the lights dim when the starter button is pressed?
Make sure your battery and starter cables are large enough. The battery and starter cables for a 12 volt system is smaller and can not carry as much current as the larger cables of a 6 volt system.
Make sure the battery and starter is grounded properly with good clean and bare metal connections.
You could have a problem with the solenoid system, this activates the starter from the start button, you would have bypassed this when bench testing. You should hear the solenoid engage first before you hear the starter begin to turn. Chances are on the bench you are connecting directly to the armature and it will spin but that's not how it works on the car.
Hey guys
Thanks so much...yes I hear rapid clicking..what originally happened was she turned over like a champ ..one press and she started...then we said ok let's get radiator on and run some water through..then we came back and starter is grinding..so we pull out open up and we notice and smell arching...cheap Chinese. Solenoid..so we modify by extending the bullet piece that slides in and out( can't remember the name) and again bench testing no problem but we put back in and it engages but just clicking...same cables from. 6 volt from battery to starter...we also tried battery directly to starter while in the engine
Sounds like there's your problem if you have modified that solenoid. When you energize the solenoid it drives in the starter drive to the ring gear, the plunger actually go's deeper into the solenoid housing and right at the very bottom are two large contacts, it must reach those and bridge them to complete the circuit to the armature. The actuating arm must be adjusted to allow it to do this otherwise you get the click but no spin.
You can manually press the solenoid arm and engage the gears. Then put power directly to ground and the starter. This will effectively bypass the solenoid circuit.
Another area that goes bad is the bearing in the back end of the drive. When this goes it has too much play. The starter will spin freely when on the bench but as soon as you get some load on the thing it twists inside and binds up. The brass bushings on either end are not strong enough to counteract this binding.
You should also use an inductive ammeter and figure out how much current the starter is using. I don't know the correct spec on how much current it uses when spinning freely as opposed to under load.
More importantly, these statements only hold true if the design of the 1936 starter is the same as the 1938. I suspect, but do not know, if it is.
Thanks to all
It was simply the battery cables like most of you suggested..I love this site