Happy CHristmas preparation time!

My problem is as follows: I tried to start my 75 318 yesterday. Since it was very cold i had to crank it for a while. I applied the starter 2 times for about 10 seconds. At the third time, the starter made a strange noise, and all electrical power was suddenly gone. after a few minutes, power was back, but when i tried to crank, power was gone again. I am a little bit confused, so i ask here first before i do anything.

Is that a sign of a faulty starter motor od is there some kind of overload protection fuse in the wiring system that causes this? If yes, where can i find this?

Thx in advance.

 

I wolud first disconnect the battery and remove the positive from the starter and clean the terminals. If the is a splice block between the battery and starter, clean terminals there also. Clean the battery terminals before re-attaching. If you have a charger, be sure the battery has a good charge.
If after doing the above it looses power when you try to start, try JUMP starting. If it starts from the JUMP, your problem is YOUR battery.

 

X2 with rdrunner1974

Sounds like you don't have a good connection to your negitive or positive battery terminal. Or the positive starter soloinoid terminals located on the left side of the front fender.
You should almost see a spark or a small amount of smoke from the spark arc (if you have a fully charged battery.)

Let us know what the problem was or if you need more help.
Good luck

 

sounds like the battery to me! this happened to me in the middle of a busy street after i stalled out. good fun!

 

Had this happen to me recently. Turned out to be the solenoid itself. Luckily I was able to disassenble and clean the solenoid and bingo.......

Worth trying to bridge the solenoid terminals just to be able to eliminate the solenoid as a possible source of the problem.

 

With the cold temps upon us (for those of us in the colder areas) A good thing to do is make sure that all your connection with your battery, solenoids, and start are clean and well connected. Make sure that your alt belt is tight to spec. Also, make think about running a few extra ground cables from the negative post on your battery to 1) one of the mounting bolts for your starter, 2) your engine block, 3) one if not both of your cylinder heads, 4) to the frame and 5) to the body itself.

This will help your vehicle start easier and may help it to run smoother and start faster. I did this on my 74 J10 and it helped out quiet a bit. I also plan on doing this with my 68 Valiant even though I have no issues with it start as it is.

Also, make sure that your fuel filters are clean and that you put a bottom of drygas in your fuel tank to keep water out.

 

Voltage = Presssure, and 12v aint alot of pressure. I work with welding robots on car bodys and though they use 8-12000 amps to weld, the voltage is only 12 volts. Stamping oil, a shipping sticker, or even the residue from one can stop the current from flowing through the weld gun. Moral to the story, connections cant be TOO clean. tight also.

 

Report: Ive thrown my backup battery in, starter cranks without problems.

So the Problem was definitely the battery. Its on the charger right now. WeŽll see if its still functional (which i stronly hope).

 

or dirty connections